The Art of Tea Connoisseurship in Vietnamese Tea Culture

The Vietnamese art of enjoying tea is simple and sophisticated. Vietnamese tea has a special flavor and Vietnamese people also enjoy tea in their own way. To say simple is also right, to say sophisticated is also right, because enjoying tea is sometimes as simple as a daily habit, other times it is sophisticated and is enhanced into an art imbued with Vietnamese culture.

Enjoying tea is different from drinking regular tea

In everyday life, people are caught up in the hustle and bustle of life. We are always in a hurry, rarely able to calm down and calm down. Therefore, many people just consider tea as nothing more or less than a refreshing tool.

Many people drink tea but still maintain the habit of drinking cups of iced tea on the sidewalk. Holding a cup of tea in his hand, not knowing its scent, not looking at the color of the tea, he took a big sip, but in the end, nothing remained but the feeling of satisfaction after thirst.

There are many pots of tea that have been brewed hastily, and there are also many cups of tea that have not had time to taste. The art of enjoying tea requires meticulousness and sophistication, but does not direct people to drink tea like that.

The delicate art of enjoying tea in Vietnamese tea culture

The culture of drinking tea has existed for a long time in Vietnamese history, from the image of a banyan tree drink shop in the village with a pot of green tea, maple candies, and tobacco pipes to a cup of tea invited to guests in every Vietnamese family. In noble royal courts, kings and lords enjoy tea in elaborate and extravagant ways. Royal tea is scented, the brewed water must be morning dew water or upstream water. In meditation places, people drink tea to calm their minds.

Vietnamese people enjoy tea focusing on aroma and taste

The Vietnamese way of enjoying tea has its own unique characteristics: before drinking, they often put the tea cup through their nose to absorb the aroma, then take a small sip to feel the acrid taste of the tea, then gradually change to a sweet taste.
Vietnamese people enjoy tea without being too picky about rituals but are extremely focused on flavor. For Vietnamese people, the delicious taste in tea leaves and tea buds comes from the tea tree itself and also from the essence it absorbs from heaven and earth. Vietnamese people always preserve and take care of each tea leaf, taking great care in boiling water, preparing tea, keeping the teapot hot… to create the most delicious and perfect teapot.

At the first drink, we smell the scent of tea. Hold a cup of tea in your hand, don’t drink it hastily, but feel the gentle aroma spreading around the rim of the cup. Depending on the type of tea, the aroma of tea will let the person feel different characteristics. Many times it also reveals the soil and climate characteristics of the tea growing area.
By the second time, people will notice the taste of the tea. Taking a sip of tea, the taste spreads in the mouth, we feel like we can taste the pure taste of heaven and earth.
At the third drink, this is also when the tea drinker feels the blend of both aroma and taste.