Tan Cuong Fish Hook

Tan Cuong Fish Hook is a smooth green tea crafted using traditional hand processing techniques to create ‘fish hook’ leaves. It produces a complex liquor that has mineral, herbaceous and creamy notes of cooked vegetables. The lasting aftertaste has hints of citrus and smoke.

Brewing guide: 2.5g in 250ml water at 80°C for 2 minutes

£3.20£11.00

(10-50g)

View wishlist
Origin:Tân Cương, Thái Nguyên Province, Vietnam
Elevation:500m
Cultivar:Camellia sinensis var. sinensis
Harvest time:October 2023
Sourcing:Specialist Vietnamese Wholesaler

Description

Tan Cuong Fish Hook green tea is a wonderfully bold and distinctive tea that is grown around the renowned tea growing area of Tân Cương in Thái Nguyên Province of Vietnam. It is grown at an altitude of 500m, by a tea growing community nestled between the Red River delta and the mountainous region to the north. This area boasts a unique micro climate and is highly regarded for the quality of teas produced here that are well-known for their vegetal, yet sweet flavour profiles. This particular batch is from October 2023 harvest.

This tea is produced using traditional hand processing methods from plantation-grown tea trees. It is processed on a small community farm of 10 hectares by Mr Thien with the help from his family. This Vietnamese green tea is made from the small bud and youngest leaf on the tea plant that are hand picked from the plants. The leaves are then hand rolled into the characteristic fish hook shape and processed in small batches in wood fired ovens. It is the shape of the dry leaf that gives this tea the ‘Fish Hook’ name.

The tea plants and processing techniques used for producing this tea result in quite a balanced green tea with a nice interplay between greener, savoury, more vegetal notes and a lasting complex sweetness. The traditional processing that utilises wood fired ovens adds more flavour and just a tiny hint of smokiness. This tea represents a more traditional Vietnamese green tea when compared to teas from newer plantations that are mostly producing Taiwanese style floral green oolongs, like our Moc Chau Green Heart Oolong. It is also a lot more approachable than the much more unusual and acquired traditional ones made from wild assamica plants, like our Muong Khuong Purple Rain.

The dark leaves of this Tan Cuong Fish Hook green tea produce a light yellow-green liquor with a vegetal and lightly creamy aroma. The vegetal profile is quite bold and complex with mineral, herbaceous and creamy notes of cooked green vegetables such as asparagus and spinach. The aftertaste has a pleasant astringency and light citrus dryness that gives way to a lasting sweetness. There is also just a slight hint of smoke and seaweed on the top of the palate.

We suggest brewing at 80°C for around 2 minutes according to your taste. The leaves of this tea can be brewed multiple times, at least 3 or maybe more depending on the strength of your preferred cup and your brewing methods. If you are finding the flavours too strong you can decrease the brewing time to yield a lighter cup.

This Tan Cuong Fish Hook green tea was last featured in our November 2023 Curious Tea Subscription Boxes.