Artisan preserves lotus tea making in Hanoi

A man in Hanoi is trying to maintain the traditional craft of making tea from lotuses specifically grown in West Lake amid increasingly scarce supply.

Truong Xuan and his son, Hoang Anh Suong, are locally famous for the making of several special teas, especially lotus tea.

 

Picking lotus in the morning

In order to have enough materials for tea-making, Suong, the owner of the Hien Tra Truong Xuan shop, has to buy the entire batch of lotuses grown in West Lake.

“Even though there are several types of lotus in Vietnam, lotus flowers grown in the West Lake have a special taste, so tea made from these flowers is of premium quality,” Suong commented.

Even though the lake is large, there are only four or five lotus ponds. However photo-op areas built in the vicinity have made the supply even scarcer. 

 

Lotuses becoming scarce

“More young people are paying to have their photos taken around lotus ponds, so some owners of these ponds prefer not to sell the flowers because they can make more money from their new businesses," he said. 

They also face increased competition from other lotus tea manufacturers who may not be as careful with their ingredients. 

 

Separating stamen 

 

Removing stigmas

Still, high quality lotus tea is much sought-after in the city, and because of its increasing scarcity, prices can reach as much as VND5 million per kilo. 

The lotus season in the West Lake usually ranges from June to August, supplying material for tea making during the whole year.

Suong normally wakes at 5am and go to ponds and lakes to collect the flowers. The process of making lotus tea is rather complicated and time-consuming.

 

 

Carefully covering tea with lotus

“In order to make one kilo of lotus tea we have to cover the tea with lotus flowers five to six times. It takes two days to complete this process. The tea is then dried in pan and carefully preserved to maintain the flavour. It takes a tranquil person to be involved in this trade,” he added.