ALDER EGO | Vietnamese Alder Black "Tea" - 100g

If you're looking for a delicious, juicy brew with no caffeine, search no more.  This tea is reminiscent of poached, sweet prunes, by a campfire, after the rain.

Good friends Lầu TV TV (in Northwest Vietnam) and Balasz Henger (Northwest USA) have collaborated to create outstanding micro-lots of wild alder herbal teas in their home lands.   These little bricks are Lầu's latest creation.  

Geoff Sugiyama (our tea bar manager) spent some time this year in Ha Giang with Lầu learning about the process.

Origin:  Tay Con Linh, Vi Xuyen, Ha Giang, Vietnam

GPS:  22.8°N 104.8°E

Tree type:  wild

Tea Artisan:  Lầu TV  (pronounced 'Lo')

Ingredients:  100% Vietnamese alder leaves

Lầu was born and raised in the highlands of Ha Giang.   Beyond the ancestral tea knowledge of the local Dao people, Lầu learned tea handcrafting skills from his uncle, who lived and worked both in Yunnan and Fujian.  Rooted in tradition but not bound by it, Lầu strives to create tea that will fascinate the drinker. 

One of those old tea trees.

No fancy equipment, simply delicious 'mountain' tea.

The next generation:  she who enjoys delicious tea, made at home.

Brewing Suggestions:  pour 200ml of boiling water on 2g (about 1 flat spoonful); the first steep will take about 3 minutes.  Subsequent steeps will be ready in 30 seconds.