Lesson 1 of 9 · Knowing the base teas

The three base tea types

Oolong, green tea and black tea

The Hoa's seven machine-brewed base teas fall into three types, grouped by their original tea base. The ten flavours of Trà Dưỡng (the herbal tea line) have a module of their own.

Oolong - three drinks

• Osmanthus Oolong Tea (Trà Oolong Quế Hoa) - Honey-like osmanthus aroma, warm taste, deep sweet finish
• Summer Lotus Oolong Tea (Trà Oolong Sen Hạ) - Young lotus aroma, soft taste, a light sweet finish that comes later
• Milky Cloud Oolong Tea (Trà Oolong Mây Sữa) - Clear milky aroma, soft sweet taste, smooth finish

Green tea - three drinks

• Roasted Rice Green Tea (Lục Trà Hạt Ngọc Đồng Xanh) - Toasted rice aroma like scorched rice, low astringency, a simple, rustic sweet finish
• Shan Tuyet Green Tea (Mộc Trà Shan Tuyết) - Woody and wild honey aroma, astringent at first, turning deeply sweet
• Jasmine Green Tea (Lục Trà Nhài) - Jasmine aroma, a familiar easy taste, a clean sweet finish

Black tea - one drink

• Saigon Black Tea (Hồng Trà Sài Gòn) - A light cocoa aroma from roasted tea leaves, strong taste, malty sweet finish

Quick ways to tell them apart when a guest asks

• You smell roasted rice, like the crispy rice at the bottom of the pot: Hạt Ngọc Đồng Xanh (Roasted Rice Green Tea).
• You smell milk: Mây Sữa (Milky Cloud Oolong Tea).
• Sweet like honey, and warm: Quế Hoa (Osmanthus Oolong Tea).
• No floral scent at all, strong and full-bodied with a cocoa note: Hồng Trà Sài Gòn (Saigon Black Tea).
• Woody with wild honey, a clear astringency up front: Shan Tuyết (Shan Tuyet Green Tea).
• The familiar jasmine scent: Lục Trà Nhài (Jasmine Green Tea).
• Hard to pick up by nose, but the aftertaste carries lotus: Sen Hạ (Summer Lotus Oolong Tea).

Take this with you. Remember the two drinks most easily mixed up: Mây Sữa smells of milk even in the Trà Original version, the plain tea with no milk. Sen Hạ's aroma comes after you swallow rather than rising to the nose.

Each base has its own brewing temperature

Green tea, oolong and black tea handle heat differently. Green tea that meets water that is too hot turns harshly astringent and loses its fresh, young aroma. Black tea needs more heat before its full body comes out. That is why each tea base has its own brewing temperature to reach its best quality.

All of these temperatures are already set in the Teapresso machine, one programme for each tea base. Your job is to choose the right programme for the drink you are making. Do not adjust it yourself, and do not use one base's programme for another base.

Take this with you. Choosing the wrong programme is the hardest mistake to notice, because the cup still comes out looking normal. Only the aroma and taste drift off. Look at the programme name on the machine before you press.