Organic Vietnam Nam Lanh Estate Black Tea
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
Origin: Nam Lanh Tea Co-op, Yen Bai, Vietnam
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.
Steeping Instructions
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!
Staff Perspectives
Aubrey
"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."
Health Benefits
Like all true tea, black tea offers many potential health benefits. Research has found that tea (Camellia sinensis) can have many positive effects on human health, including improved cardiovascular function, cancer risk reduction, improved immune function, improved oral health, and help with weight management. Tea is also full of polyphenols, which are a class of antioxidant that help your body maintain homeostasis and balance your stress levels. Black tea specifically has been found to regulate blood sugar in diabetics better than other types of tea, according to a study done by the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
For more information about the health benefits of black tea and other types of tea, and for direct sources of the above information, check out our Tea Health Benefits page!
Please note: the information above is for educational purposes only and has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
