A Cup of Serenity

It’s believed that the West Lake lotuses originated from a lotus strand in Tri swamp near the West Lake prefect called ‘hundred petal lotus’, which boasts large flowers with a far-spreading aroma.

In ancient times, Quang Ba, Tay Ho and Nghi Tam villagers used to make lotus-scented tea to pay tribute to the king and nobility. Today, it is used to treat dear guests and is given as a gift.

Hanoians used to follow a simple trick to make the tea. At night, when the flowers began to open slightly, they put a thimbleful of tea into them and tied up the tip of the flower. Early in the morning, they took the flower home to make tea.

The technique has improved a lot since then. Today, tea-makers scent the tea with lotus stamens, which are white and are shaped like a grain of rice. Layers of tea and lotus stamen are put on one another and then wrapped in waterproof paper, which also traps the aroma. After 3 days, the bundle is opened and dried, another layer of stamen is added and the lot is wrapped again. The process repeats 7 times, and after 21 days, the tea is perfectly scented.

The Hanoi way of tea making and drinking is like nowhere else. To Hanoians, it is a culture in its own right. It takes meticulousness and sophistication to feel the depth of delicateness and meaning of a cup of tea. So, every lotus blooming season, Hanoians have a chance to sit amidst a lotus pond to enjoy the beauty around them with a tea cup in their hand, to ponder and have a leisurely conversation about the world and extract the calming and soothing elixir from life, free from worries and burdens.

By Vietnam Heritage