Hoài Thanh

This was very Pleasant

My tastebuds are still trying to figure this one out. I like the flavour of the tea, but some of the flavour in the tea (which doesn’t taste like artichoke, by the way) is hard to describe. Silky texture, full, almost smoky flavour. Definitely a black tea, but not as powerful. My mother-in-law gave me this tea, which she bought in Vietnam.

Every time I write a tasting note I’m also writing about something else. Trà atisô translates to Vietnamese artichoke tea.

The tea is smoky and salty, and doesn’t taste like artichoke, although the taste rapidly goes away in the second and third cups. The smell is evocative of heated salt and bamboo charcoal. This tisane is definitely not astringent like C. sinensis tea, almost silky. Actually, it tastes and smells almost exactly like a boiled concoction of fresh Monstera sp. (?) leaves that my grandmother used to make. I know the fruit of Monstera deliciosa is eaten but there’s nothing on the leaves.

Incidentally, if anyone knows what species that is, please let me know.