The UK Tea Academy

Thanh was born and grew up in the West Lake area of Hanoi, Vietnam. West Lake is the biggest freshwater lake in Hanoi.

West Lake is considered a sacred area for the Vietnamese and has a connection to many legends and myths, many of which talk of thousand-year old temples and ancient craft villages. Some crafts were lost during the war and also because of market changes. But one craft has survived – the art of making lotus teas. But only a few families still flavour Lotus teas using the traditional method.

From a young age, Thanh learned precious lessons about tea and the philosophy of tea drinking from her grandparents. Her grandmother took her to the local market to select fresh tea leaves to make teas for the whole week. Her grandfather taught her how to appreciate the hard work and skills that tea makers and tea masters poured into a small cup of tea. She also experienced the times when tea was difficult to source and became a rare commodity, even for the locals, due to the country’s macro-economic struggle. During that time lotus tea production dwindled due to high costs and diminishing demand.

Today, Vietnam has bounced back significantly and, together with fast economic growth, its valuable crafts and trades have returned. Teas have become more popular within the market and good lotus teas, made using the traditional method, fetch a high price. As Thanh’s grandmother lives next door to the oldest artisan who has been making lotus teas for over 70 years, Thanh has been able to source this precious tea. The family has also become familiar with the flavouring of tea using other summer blossoms such as jasmine and pomelo; having these teas with her in the UK reminds her of her childhood, which was filled with the perfume of lotus, jasmine, sambac and pomelo blossoms. She is keen not just to share her happy memories with other tea lovers but also to share the actual leaves from her precious stock of rare Vietnamese teas.

What will I need?

• Your phone, computer or tablet to join the webinar via Zoom
• Brewing equipment (kettle, teapot etc.) and a surface on which to brew the teas during the webinar

Things to know

• We cannot ship to PO Boxes
• Once teas have been shipped, we cannot refund the ticket price if you cannot attend.