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.
This is a great straightforward black tea. Pairs well with milk, has a nice body, rich color, good caffeine, etc. I prefer black teas that have a little more going on, like Yunnan Gold, Shangri-La Gold, or some of the breakfast blends.
Very strong, very clean, an even boost without the caffeine crash. The taste is excellent!
Bought this as a sample, it's a good tea, but not sure I'll be purchasing this again. Guess I'm too much of a Lapsang Souchong fan!! :-)
As others have said this is a very full bodied black tea, absolutely no bitterness and very smooth. One of my favorites. If you enjoy black tea give this one a try you will not be disappointed.
I had high hopes for this tea & it certainly delivered! This could easily be my 'go to' black tea. Beautiful coppery color, molasses & faint floral hints, and no bitterness. I was quite satisfied w/ the flavor after just 3 mins brewing. And the leaves are good for a second cup w/ a bit less brightness in flavor. Very pleased to have found this tea.
I have sampled nearly every unflavored black tea from Arbor Teas, and I go to this one almost every morning. I buy it in Bulk size immediately every time I run out. Guests who drink this for the first time are always impressed. Never disappoints.
This is some of the best black tea I have had thus far! Wonderfully malty and a great Asian counterpart to Indian Assam! I am very happy with and am very grateful for this tea! Will definitely be ordering more soon!
I wanted a black tea to replace the Irish Breakfast tea that I love. This is more delicate, but very enjoyable. It will be included in all future orders, for sure!
I'm not a strong tea person and I always find myself bring intimidated by the old thoughts on black tea. Arbor teas changed my old thoughts based on previous bitter tea experiences. I'm glad that I tried this one! It's a gentle beautiful experience with this one. It is smooth and refreshing! I would say if there is anyone like who likes lighter teas but willing to try something slightly stronger, this is a good one to start without being overwhelmed. Now I am a fan of black teas! This one won't disappoint you!
This tea is just fantastic! It gives the perfect "sip - aaah" experience when served hot (I use three teaspoons on a litre pot = 24oz), but it also makes an excellent iced tea. Using the cold brew method recommended with the 50 oz jug sold here (2 cups of hot water first, then 4 cups of cold water, refrigerate), we get three stews out of 7 teaspoons of this tea (just refill after draining the last drop), adding only honey and a bit of lemon. Enjoy!
I'm mostly into flavored teas but once in awhile I come back to a plain brew. This Vietnamese black tea is indeed malty, and to me tastes like a milder version of Irish Breakfast. I also love that by purchasing it I'm helping to save rainforests and promote a better life for workers.
We love this one - we drink iced tea and this is perfect. No bitterness, smooth and full.
This is in my opinion the perfect black tea. Strong but smooth with a slight hint of something that gives it oomph and elevates it above just a plain black tea. Similar to an assam but smoother and although it has a kick, I don't get the jittery caffeine affect that I get from an assam. Vietnam Lanh is my standard morning pot of tea and a great way to start the day!
This is a bold, stand up, black tea. I love it. For my palate it is most comparable to Assam. Perhaps not so edgy – a bit rounder, softer in the taste than Assam. That’s not to take anything away from this marvelous cup. I’m on my third large bag of this now and look forward to reordering it. I must report a distant connection with the tea of Vietnam. When I was a buck Sargent serving with the IV Infantry Division of the US Army in the Central Highlands of Vietnam, my unit often passed by a tea plantation on the road leading west toward Laos and Cambodia. Sometimes we took fire from the tea fields. Nam Lanh estate black tea offers a most welcome bit of peace as distinct from my earlier meeting with Vietnamese tea!
I purchased several blacks from Arbor and have been pleased with them all. But the Vietnam is my favorite, just the right amount of matinees and astringency. I usually drink it iced but it is delicious hot too...I like lemon with mine. Lots of flavor. I'll be buying more!
This may be my new favorite tea from Arbor. It's a nice, strong, fullbodied tea that tastes slightly fruity to me. Delicious!
This is the first tea from Viet Nam that I've tried -- ever -- and it is a winner! Great brisk, yet complex flavor, without bitterness even when brewed strong. A great alternative to coffee to get the morning going. Love it!
Being a fan of Indian and Chinese teas, and being disappointed by the Kenyan teas, I was a bit reluctant to try this, but am I glad I did! It has a very appealing scent and a very satisfying earthy flavor. It has become one of my favorites.
I am primarily a black tea drinker, so when I saw this tea I ordered a sample to try, as I'd never had a Vietnamese tea before. I was very pleasantly suprised by it! I agree with another reviewer in that it is more complex and fruity than an Assam - a real well rounded tea!
Wow! This tea is full-bodied and delicious. Also, the dry leaves smell like mint chocolate chip ice cream!
I love this tea. I drink a ton of tea at least 5 cups a day. And drink a wide variety. This is my first black tea from Vietnam though and I must say every cup I have had was amazing. Described as an answer to the rich malty Assam but to me is more complex than that. Its got a full body for sure but a fruitness similar to Ceylon but then some perfumy muscatel Darjeeling quality. Its so good I had to write this review in case anyone is wondering. All in all I am glad I got the 9 oz bag. As I will want to keep coming back for more.
I cupped Vietnam blacks a few years back and was not blown away. Today I was mildly blown away. This is an excellent sipper for the black tea lover. Smooth with maltiness and molasses on the back end. Milk drinkers will probably find it delicious - now I should try it with milk too...
I am still in love with this tea! I followed Jeremy's advise on the blog (I think) to make this decaffinated. I enjoy infusion after infusion.
This does make great iced tea!
I actually bought a sample of this for my husband to try. His standard is Lapsang Souchong and since this was described as "malty" I thought he would enjoy it. I tried it first and love it! It actually has body and a wonderful tea taste. I'm thinking this will make great iced tea also. Perfect on a rainy afternoon with a few warm-from-the-oven cookies!
Full-bodied and bold, this blend does well with a touch of milk