Ietnam nam lahn
Very nice for a change of pace. Slightly woodsy, slightly floral, hint of wintergreen. More of an afternoon tea in body and strength. All that said - delicious.
Southeast Asia's answer to rich, malty Assam tea! This organic and Fair Trade Certified Nam Lanh Estate Black Tea hails from the banks of the Red River in Vietnam's Yen Bai province. The uniform, twisted organic loose tea leaves exhibit substantial tippiness, and yield a brew that is pleasantly rich, malty and coppery, with hints of ripened date.
Although the rainforests of south China (and their indigenous tea trees) have been all but destroyed by sprawl and industrialization, efforts are afoot to preserve the rainforests just south of the border in northern Vietnam. In order to make a compelling argument to the Vietnamese government for the preservation of these native landscapes, the organic Vietnamese tea harvesting tribes of the Yen Bai province are striving to produce superior-quality "ancient tree" teas that are highly sought after on the international marketplace. Although they're still developing their green tea manufacturing technique, this very wonderful organic black tea is now being produced to help preserve Vietnam's northern rainforests.
Ingredients: organic and Fair Trade Certified Vietnamese black tea
Yen Bai is a mountainous province in North Vietnam, characterized by rugged mountainous scenery and green rice paddy fields in the valleys. Agriculture is the major economy of the rural areas where villagers are subsistence farmers, traditionally growing rice, herbs and raising chickens. Famous for their traditional black clothing embellished with embroidery, the Dzao people have been populating the northern mountains of Vietnam for thousands of years. In the village of Nam Lanh, members of the Dzao ethnic group created a co-op in 2005 to start harvesting and producing tea from the wild trees of this area. In 2012, Nam Lahn used their Fair Trade premiums to build a school.
At Arbor Teas, we believe tea should be brewed to suit your personal taste. We’re happy to make recommendations to get you started, but don’t hesitate to experiment! When brewing your tea, your main considerations are tea quantity, water temperature, and steeping time. We recommend black teas to be steeped for 3 to 5 minutes in water heated to a full, rolling boil. For the best flavor, use fresh water whenever possible, and avoid overboiling. Try not to steep your tea longer than necessary, as you’ll extract undesirable bitterness from the leaves. If you want a stronger brew, don’t steep longer, just use more tea. And don’t forget to re-steep your tea leaves to get the most out of your leaf!
Looking for more info? Check out our How-To Guides and Eco-Brewing Tips!
"This is indeed the Vietnamese Assam! Produced at a latitude similar to Assam's, it is no surprise that the Nam Lahn offers a similar flavor profile. In fact, lately I find that I am reaching for this tea instead of our Assam when I want malty black tea."
Very nice for a change of pace. Slightly woodsy, slightly floral, hint of wintergreen. More of an afternoon tea in body and strength. All that said - delicious.
Inspired by a previous reviewer, and having in my possession some fresh spearmint my oft-lost Lenore has grown in the back 40 (the shelf above the utility sink), some mint essential oil (peppermint, this time), and this tea, I set about to determine for myself the extent of its den-ish allure. To wit ...but no, as Madeline Kahn would have it, "It's to-woooo!". Upon quaffing the evanescent floral concoction, scarce a moment passed before I found myself possessed by an uncontrollable urge to rhyme "lent thee", "sent thee", and yes, I confess it ..."nepenthe". Such are the dangers we tea drinkers must face, but I shall be strong. Hints of nectar and ambrosia, a conundrum it will pose ya, other teas ...nay, 'tis agnosia. We will seek them, Nevermore.
Malty woodsy a bit sweet and delicious. Perhaps a hint of rose? A great change of pace tea.
Tags: bite, malt, strong, tangy This has a surprisingly complex aroma. I couldn't figure out how to describe it. Something floral and foresty? A lot of the complex notes don't make it into the taste. It is much like an Assam. The liquid is incredibly clean - no dust and pleasant in the mouth and throat. Hot, the tang is maybe too sharp for me. Iced, the tang is slightly subdued, which is pleasant. It's complex enough that you aren't longing for another tea, but you feel it could be slightly better.
This Tea is so good it makes atheists sing "Hallelujah!" Seriously, my favorite tea in the world is THIS, with about a 5% add of Frontier Organic spearmint, sealed in glass and dosed with 5-8 drops of essent. oil of spearmint for three days. THIS TEA would lure Edgar Allen Poe outta the opium den and into a cuppa.
Full-bodied and bold, this blend does well with a touch of milk