Vietnamese and Assam green teas comparison

in the same order, with more details following

I'm getting behind on trying samples.  Vendors and friends passing them on is much appreciated, but two reviews a week doesn't keep up, even for doing combined tasting.  I'll try a green tea version that a friend visiting from Assam passed on, Jaba Borgohain, and green tea versions from Somnuc Anousinh, that Laos friend who gets out to lots of local SE Asian countries to try remote-produced teas.  One of these he even made, on a visit to a farm in Vietnam, if I've got that part right.

Oddly neither of those friends is actually a tea vendor.  Jaba more or less helps represent the Assam tea industry in the form of researching and discussing issues.  That's a really informal and undefined role, as I understand it, as much an unusual expression of interest as an actual role.  Somnuc owns a small coffee and tea shop (partly owns, at least) but the travel and tea buying is mostly a hobby interest.  He probably sells some of what he turns up; it would be easy to grab an extra few kilos here and there and have resale income offset that travel expense.  But for both it's a labor of love, not a business or significant revenue stream.  That's interesting commonality to share, since I'm not getting paid to write this either, beyond the tea samples coming my way for review.

I just met Somnuc here to pass on some teas in exchange

I keep saying that green tea is my least favorite broad type; that's interesting background.  These will be unconventional, I'd expect, so it won't be a matter of checking a known type against an expected profile, or quality level markers and expectation.  I've only heard about the Assam version, from another mutual friend, who said that he liked the Assam black teas Jaba passed on better.  Those were really good; it can be hard placing them.  They were probably as good or slightly better than any Assam I've yet to try.  Then again I'd expect the other Assam sources I've reviewed have moved on from producing teas at the same level I tried more of a couple of years ago when I was more on that page.

Onto review then.  As to methodology I'll Gongfu brew these, even though they would turn out as well or maybe even better brewed Western style.  It's just more familiar at this point.  For most better teas, of any types, Gongfu brewing lets you experience more of the transition, it just separates out distinct flavors and other aspect character that emerges across more rounds.  I say "maybe better" because in some cases mixing those together--in Western brewing form--is more positive.  I'll use relatively cooler water temperature, standard for green tea brewing process.

I'll back off the proportion a little (closer to the 1 gram / 15 ml range than towards 10, but I don't weigh tea), and lengthen time to compensate.  I get it why people do control prepared weight versus volume better, and why some would see an approach that's slightly less controlled as invalid.  I see this as relating to a difference between engineering and science research perspectives (I'm an industrial engineer, not that it really matters).

Scientists conduct careful research; they control factors as much as possible, analyzing one variable at a time, documenting everything.  Engineers make things work.  Eventually that has to pair with a clear description of what worked, and why (unless you work in a IT scope, as I sort of do now, and then it just depends), but messing around and trying things out is valid.  Per my past experience with defense systems manufacturing the people who actually build things want to hear as little as possible from design and "assembly methods" engineers, and get on with the work, with QC review making sure they did follow the right parameters to get to exactly the right outcome.

Review:

In order described, L to R; the first a good bit redder

Vi Xuyen Green (from Somnuc):  I actually found three different samples of green tea from Somnuc; there's a chance this tea is from an earlier set, which would make it a year and a half old.  Another labeled as "Xin Green" may be an early version of the unlabeled tea Somnuc described as making himself (the next one).  This is from the far north, as Wikipedia describes:

Vị Xuyên is a rural district of Hà Giang Province in the Northeast region of Vietnam. As of 2003 the district had a population of 87,164.[1] The district covers an area of 1,452 km². The district capital lies at Vị Xuyên.

I say it might be an old sample in part from noticing that this tea is oxidized; the color indicates that.  Green tea can darken after being produced, it just oxidizes quickly via a slightly different process when leaves are fresh.  In processing related oxidation enzymes in fresh leaves contact air, although without a bruising step the teas can still oxidize.  These enzymes are deactivated by a heating step, or can be partially deactivated by drying, as occurs for white tea processing.  It'll be interesting even if it is slightly aged green tea, which is a subject that doesn't come up much.  Green, white, and sheng styles can mix a bit in rural Vietnam processing; teas can vary (which I'll stop short of saying more about, since this is already a tangent within a tangent).

It's quite nice; so much for not liking green tea.  It's soft, rich, sweet, and floral.  Really floral; at a guess that's close to lotus flower character, quite sweet, but not intensely sweet like jasmine (but towards that, just a bit richer).  It's the grassiness that I dislike in green teas, or tasting like green beans and bell pepper, or spinach, and this is nothing like that.  The feel is even a bit rich; this really works.  At a guess they did let this oxidize a little, and that part added in during processing, not after.  It could relate to just not heating it fast, or it being hot out when they harvested it, or to pickers bruising some of the leaves as the pluck them; producers say different things about how all that goes, how it's complicated.


Vietnamese tea Somnuc produced, from Yen Bai province:  Somnuc did pass on the origin for this tea, but it's not as if you could go out and find this tea version again, even if you happened to live there.  For all I know this could be a very standard local type, and it would be as easy to find as visiting the local market, or maybe this version range varies by individual location, plant type, growing conditions, and processing steps so much that you just couldn't.

That's really vegetal, with a pronounced astringency edge.  It looks a lot lighter for being yellow instead of slightly reddish but it's stronger.  The liquid isn't completely clear; not cloudy enough that I'm worried about it but that's not a great sign.  For someone who loves green tea character this would be ok.  It tastes like a mix of vegetables, with more green bell pepper than anything, but a bit of mix beyond that.  Some floral range and warm mineral range give it a decent balance (odd how that's not an obvious match for the rest; lighter mineral would typically pair with that).  This feel is a bit thick as green teas go too, and sweetness level works.

It's not as if I hate green tea tasting like vegetables, I'd just prefer the floral range, or whatever else.  It's actually pretty good though, for being in that type and style.  It could be slightly cleaner in effect--related to a plant-stem type of astringency--but it's much better than inexpensive, random commercial green teas tend to ever be.


Oiirabot Assam Green Orthodox Tea with Silver Tips:  cool this tea has a producer, type, and brand name.  Ralph, that other friend who met Jaba, who has recently started his own tea blog (here), agreed that the dried tea smell is amazing (so much rich fruit, covering grape, raisin, and citrus), but just couldn't get brewed version results out of it on that level.  This is slightly cloudy too; what's up with these teas not being clearer?  It's the least intense of the three, especially after trying the last one, which packed a punch.

meeting Jaba and Ralph at that same Bangkok Chinatown shop, Jip Eu

It's not bad; that fruit does come across.  It's not great either; the promise in the dry scent doesn't translate over.  It's nice that there is some light grape, raisin, and citrus, that some of it does, but typical vegetal range joins that, and it's all on the subtle side, mixed together.  A bit of astringency joins that, closer to tree branch bud than flower stem, but it's at a level that works.  It's not bad, just not as exceptional as the first version.  All of these might change a little over the next two rounds though; it's a little early for final verdicts.

Second infusion:

still a little light, still a touch cloudy for 2 and 3

Vi Xuyen Ha Giang Vietnamese green:  dang this is good green tea.  It surely wouldn't work for everyone to let green tea oxidize a little to improve it, but whatever led to this character worked.  It's sweet and creamy, with really pronounced floral tone shifting a little towards fruit.  Given that softness and creaminess it's a bit towards creamsicle, even the flavor.  The texture is great, the balance is good, even an aftertaste experience adds depth.  There's no astringency edge, no green wood, plant stem, tree bud tip, none of all that.  I suppose if someone liked that sort of edge in a green tea that could potentially be seen as a flaw, but to me this is great.  A touch of warm mineral gives it more depth, complexity, and balance.  This is one of the best green teas I've ever tried, per my preference (probably not an ideal reference context, since I'd like unconventional green teas better).


Yen Bai version (Vietnamese tea Somnuc made):  still a little cloudy, :( .  The flavor and other character isn't as bad as the appearance would indicate.  It's vegetal, with some astringency, and the mineral undertone is a little rough, a heavy limestone / granite theme.  It's not bad, in a relatively typical range for more local (or rustic) forms of green tea.  Even as commercial forms go this isn't below average, or maybe slightly better than that.  Floral tone probably picked up a little; it's probably better than it was in the first round.


Oiirabot Assam green:  it's better; the flavor is picking up depth.  That fruit from the scent is present; that's nice.  It's just the most subtle of the three; this could've brewed a little longer.  I've been brewing these around 20 seconds, a long time for most types I brew Gongfu style, but then backing off proportion just a little makes that appropriate.

For being about as fruity as any green tea I've ever tried it's quite pleasant.  It also includes a bit of green wood character, or that along with a faint trace of bell pepper.  Floral range is also notable, and sweetness is positive, so it all works.  It doesn't have quite the thickness, richness, and positive balance of the first version (the Ha Giang / Vi Xuyen Vietnamese version) but it's pleasant in similar ways, just less pleasant.  Without trying this alongside one of the best green teas I've yet to try it would seem a lot better.  The subtlety part could be offset by shifting parameters just a little.

Third infusion:

probably a little lighter than optimum, but varying that is interesting

Vi Xuyen:  this is a little lighter; I've probably backed off infusion time a little.  It still works this way, but there isn't much to describe.  I might do a longer round next for contrast.


Yen Bai, Somnuc's tea:  this is in the best balance it's been in.  Color cleared up and the flavors did too, and it's softer and well-balanced for being brewed lighter.  Floral tone is stronger than vegetal range, and it comes across as sweeter.  There's a bit more green bean than green bell pepper to it this round, but floral is stronger.  The feel works better.  I think mineral undertone is more pronounced in this than the other two.  Thai Nguyen green teas exhibit that, the region that produces the best known Vietnamese green teas.  To me it works well in those, and in this; it gives them a nice complexity and depth.


Assam green:  a cooked vegetable aspect picked up in this; odd.  It's not so far off a steamed zucchini, leaning a little towards seaweed.  That underlying fruit is still there, and floral tone, and very light astringency paired with green wood tone.  I really thought this would just be lighter since the other two were, but it shifted some instead, and it's as intense as it has been, in a decent, moderate range.  It's still pretty good, just not improved.  It would be nice if there was a way to concentrate that fruit aspect without ramping up all the rest.  I wouldn't necessarily expect this to be better brewed stronger, given the turn it has taken, but it's worth checking that out.

Fourth infusion:

all quite clear, still completely different colors

This will probably be enough; these will transition further over at least two more rounds but the main story will have been told.

Vi Xuyen:  even though this was brewed closer to 30 seconds it's fading just a little.  It's possible to crank up temperature to get more out of it, or just go longer, and for this tea being soft, sweet, and approachable any of those steps would still give positive results.  Flavor range is contracting a little; fruit is less pronounced, with floral a little heavier in the balance.  Warm tones don't necessarily pull back, so they make up a higher proportion now.


Somnuc's tea:  it's fine, a similar mix of floral tones, vegetal range, underlying mineral, and green wood related taste and astringency.  All pretty standard stuff for Vietnamese green tea.  It doesn't seem to be "brewing out" yet, shifting aspect proportion in a way that indicates that it's fading.  Even minimal oxidation would probably cause a tea version to give up some range related to brewing count and intensity in later rounds, in the case of the first.  A sweet aftertaste is pleasant in this, almost like the "hui gan" effect in sheng pu'er, but without the bitterness preceding it.  That was probably present in about the same form before, and only stands out more now in comparison with the first version, which is thinning.  The astringency is in a better balance than in the first two rounds, and the flavor proportion is better, backing off the vegetal range.


Oirabot Assam green:  more cooked vegetable in this, not unlike the last round.  It would seem likely this wouldn't be nearly as good brewed Western style since those earlier, more positive infusions would be getting combined with this range.  It's odd that it transitioned as much as it did, that the flavor completely changed.  There is still some fruit and floral range present but not much at all compared to vegetable range.  As with the last version sweetness is redeeming, and aftertaste is pleasant, a sweetness that lingers, just not as pronounced as in the second version.

The second tea is by far the best in this round; interesting how that worked out, given it was my least favorite the first two rounds.  I'm not sure which would be best if these brewed for 4 minutes, but I can't imagine that combining those aspect ranges would be better than experiencing them as I did, in stages.  Green tea usually doesn't transition that much, at least per my past experience.  At a guess the first version would've been best prepared that way since it was most consistent over rounds.  It was just odd chance that led the second version to improving as it did, and the third becoming less positive.

The Vi Xuyen noticeably darker, the one Somnuc made the lightest

Conclusions:

Three very different green teas; that would be expected with them being from two different countries.  The first reminded me that green tea can be interesting, novel, a bit complex, and positive (perhaps cheating a little for not being a typical green style, a slightly oxidized green tea).  The second and third were both pleasant in the infusions / rounds they came across best in.  I'd still probably drink sheng pu'er (young or aged), black tea, oolong, or maybe even shu over any of these; personal preference for character, aspects, and types is like that.

They were good though.  And all of these could've potentially been slightly more positive if drinking them more fresh, back closer to their production time in the Spring.  I don't accept that green teas degrade as much as people let on but there's a fresh edge to them, a brightness and intensity, that really does help the character shine.  Some months after production that could fade, especially being stored in a hot environment like Bangkok.  It would be odd if the one I liked best ran completely counter to that rule, and I liked it the best for changing over a year and a half (if it was in fact a 2018 production, which I don't know).

That could lead back to the production process and style themes I didn't develop early on, that backing off the heating step just a little during the kill-green process would leave some enzymes active enough to change in a different way, related to how sheng pu'er is processed and does.  I'm not claiming that happened in this case though.  If anything that character was pulled a little towards black tea range instead, and oxidation and aging transition fermentation are completely different things (relatively completely; age-fermenting sheng do also oxidize, but per my understanding that's not identical in chemical form or aspects output).

It was interesting how much ground that comparison and the three types covered.  There's usually not that much fruit aspect present in green tea, and feel and aftertaste don't cover the range some did in different rounds.  Green tea versions usually don't transition as much as two of those did.  It all made for a pleasant tasting experience.