Enjoying tea in modern life

Not too sophisticated, but the Vietnamese tea culture is a traditional beauty that is always present, containing meaningful rituals such as: young people making tea to invite the elderly, the host making tea to invite guests...

Mr. Le Duy Manh, PhD in History, Deputy Head of the Management Board of Con Son-Kiep Bac Relic Site (Hai Duong) is a person with a passion for tea culture. According to him, Vietnamese people divide tea into two types. The first type is fresh tea. The second type is dried tea or also known as Chinese tea that has been roasted and dried. For Vietnamese people, offering tea is a cultural behavior that shows politeness and hospitality. Drinking tea is also a cultural behavior to respond to the hospitality of the person offering tea. The ancients have a saying: "First water, second tea, third brewing, fourth teapot, fifth friends" to talk about the five important factors that make up the value of tea culture.

To have a good pot of tea, the most important thing is the water used to make the tea, the second is the type of tea, then the tools used to make the tea and the way to drink the tea. In the past, tea connoisseurs passed on to each other that the water source for a good pot of tea must be spring water, well water and river water in the middle of the stream. In addition, you can also collect rainwater in areca leaves, dew drops on lotus leaves...

Each person has different preferences and feelings about different types of tea. Some people like plain tea, others like tea scented with lotus, grapefruit, jasmine flowers, etc. According to Mr. Manh, good tea must have all three elements of "aroma, taste, color" such as having a characteristic aroma, the tea water must have a golden color, and initially taste astringent but have a sweet aftertaste.

Many tea connoisseurs choose to brew tea with a purple clay teapot - a type of Chinese teapot - because this type of teapot retains heat well, ensures the quality and deliciousness of the tea, and has artistic value and can be displayed. Each type of tea has different brewing methods depending on the boiling point of the water and the time of steeping the tea.

Since her student years, Ms. Nguyen Thi Bich Hong (born in 1987, from Thanh Mien district) has loved to visit tea shops and has been passionate about tea without realizing it. Hoping that tea culture will be honored and brought closer to more people, Ms. Hong has spent a lot of time researching each recipe from Vietnamese tea ingredients. She won the national championship among young artisans in the field of tea culture and tea tasting (Tea Masters Cup) organized by the Vietnam Tea Association in 2015 and was the best representative of Vietnam to participate in the world-level "Tea Masters Cup 2016" competition held in Korea.

In October 2023, she opened Hong Tra Quan in Hai Tan Ward (Hai Duong City) with the desire to bring delicious teas from the country and around the world closer to everyone. This is also a place for people with the same passion for tea culture to meet and exchange. Hong Tra Quan also provides many types of ingredients and tea making tools for customers to buy and enjoy themselves. Every day, Hong Tra Quan welcomes about 60-80 visitors and is more crowded on weekends.

Mr. Nguyen Huu Huy in Tan Hung Ward (Hai Duong City) also has a passion for tea culture. He often invites friends to a few familiar tea shops to enjoy when he has free time. Mr. Huy shared: "In the hustle and bustle of life, after a day of work, I often make myself a pot of tea. The tea must be poured out while it is still hot and must be enjoyed with many senses. The feeling of sipping each sip of tea to feel the astringent taste on the tip of the tongue but then the lingering sweetness helps me feel relaxed, as if finding moments of peace."

The most important thing to feel in a cup of good tea is emotion. Tea drinkers must have positive, happy emotions to be able to feel the delicious taste of the cup of tea.

People who are passionate about tea culture often believe that drinking tea is good for health, relieves stress and pressure from life, or simply a way to connect and chat with relatives, friends, and colleagues.

In recent years, the Management Board of Con Son-Kiep Bac Relic Site (Hai Duong) has built Kiep Bac lotus tea products into a gift brand, a unique tourism product of the relic site. Kiep Bac lotus tea is introduced at many fairs and cultural weeks, contributing to spreading the culture and passion for Vietnamese tea to many people.