Trà Sen

Vietnamese lotus-scented green tea from West Lake, Hanoi: fine Thái Nguyên green tea layered with lotus stamens through five or more cycles until every leaf carries the volatile fragrance of the summer lotus harvest

Origin: West Lake (Hồ Tây), Hanoi, Vietnam

From the journey of Tea.

Trà sen (lotus tea) is one of the most labour-intensive and culturally weighted tea preparations on earth, and it belongs entirely to Hanoi. The lotus blossoms that grow on the surface of West Lake (Hồ Tây), the large natural lake on the northern edge of the old city, open in the early morning hours of summer; each flower contains stamens (gạo sen, literally 'lotus rice') loaded with a volatile aromatic compound, nerolidol, that is responsible for the lotus fragrance — one of the most complex and evanescent floral scents in the natural world. The traditional method of producing trà sen involves harvesting the stamens carefully from freshly opened blossoms, layering them with fine green tea leaves in a sealed container, and leaving them for twenty-four hours so the tea absorbs the volatile fragrance. The tea is then removed, the spent stamens discarded, and the process repeated with fresh lotus stamens five to eight times, each cycle deepening the scent absorption until the tea carries the full resonance of the lotus without a single fresh flower in sight. A simpler method, practised by King Tự Đức of the Nguyễn Dynasty (reigned 1848–1883), places dry tea directly inside whole freshly opened lotus blossoms overnight and removes it the following morning: this is the domestic version, still practised today. The finest commercial trà sen from the families who work the West Lake harvest requires many hundreds of blossoms per kilogram and commands a price that reflects every predawn boat and every careful hand. This recipe describes the home version using whole lotus blossoms, which produces a delicate single-cycle scented tea suited to anyone with access to fresh lotus flowers.

Ingredients

Tea

10 g fine Vietnamese green tea, preferably Thái Nguyên (Tân Cương grade if available); or a high-quality Chinese longjing or Japanese sencha as an alternative

Lotus

3 fresh lotus flowers (Nelumbo nucifera), fully opened or just opening in the early morning, when the stamens are most fragrant (available from Vietnamese or Chinese specialist florists and Asian supermarkets in summer)

Brewing

250 ml freshly boiled water, cooled to 70–75°C for brewing

Method

To scent the tea: carefully open each lotus blossom and gently spoon or place the dry tea leaves into the centre of the flower, nestling them among the stamens. Fold the petals loosely back over the tea. Place the filled flowers in a sealed container or wrap loosely in cling film. Leave overnight (8–12 hours) in a cool, dark place.
The following morning, carefully open the flowers and remove the scented tea leaves. The leaves will have absorbed the lotus fragrance through the night contact with the stamens and may show a faint yellow stain from the pollen. This is the sign of successful scenting.
To brew: warm a small teapot or gaiwan with hot water and discard. Place the lotus-scented tea in the warmed vessel. Pour water at 70–75°C over the leaves and steep for 1.5–2 minutes.
Pour into small, thin-walled cups. The tea should be pale gold with a distinctly floral, slightly powdery fragrance that fills the room as the steam rises. The taste is clean, gently astringent green tea with an unmistakable lotus note: floral, slightly sweet, and perfectly transient.

Notes

Fresh lotus flowers are available from Vietnamese and Chinese florists and some Asian supermarkets, particularly during summer months. Dried lotus stamens (gạo sen) are sold by Vietnamese tea specialists and online; using them allows the multi-cycle layering method in the absence of whole flowers. Spread 1–2 tablespoons of stamens on a flat surface, layer the dry tea leaves over them, seal, and rest for 24 hours per cycle. The finest commercially produced trà sen from Hanoi's West Lake families, available through specialist Vietnamese tea importers, is an extraordinary product: it requires six to eight scenting cycles and delivers a complexity no single-cycle home preparation can match.

The Gastrographer

Name: Trà Sen
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 12 h
Yield: 2
Cuisine: Vietnam
Ingredients: 10 g fine Vietnamese green tea, preferably Thái Nguyên (Tân Cương grade if available); or a high-quality Chinese longjing or Japanese sencha as an alternative; 3 fresh lotus flowers (Nelumbo nucifera), fully opened or just opening in the early morning, when the stamens are most fragrant (available from Vietnamese or Chinese specialist florists and Asian supermarkets in summer); 250 ml freshly boiled water, cooled to 70–75°C for brewing

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