September 12, 2019
by Cynthia Fazekas
Sometimes in the tea world, exciting opportunities come our way! We received an invitation in August to attend the Tea Masters Cup in Vietnam and tour some of the tea growing regions this September 14-21. I'll be reuniting with my tea friend and previous travel buddy, Suzette Hammond, and joining six others on this journey to explore some remote sites in the mountainous Ha Giang region in Northern Vietnam.
While there, I'll get to attend a Vietnam Culture Show, a pottery village, the Vietnam Tea Research facility, visit a tea forest that is several hundred years old, and learn to make tea in the local traditional method. These are just some of many interesting activities planned by the organizers. The region is remote, yet well known for its natural beauty. As a lover of nature and hobby photographer with a secret love of anthropology, I'm over the moon for this adventure!
The trip culminates with the Tea Masters Cup on Sept 20th and 21st that includes competition in Tea Preparation, Mixology, Tea Pairing, and Tasting. I will have the pleasure of judging the Tea Pairing competition. Having observed the Masters Tea Cup this recent June in Las Vegas at the World Tea Expo, I look forward to participating is such a role!
Several months ago, I had the opportunity to taste a couple Vietnam grown oolongs, which were floral and fairly complex - and impressive. I'm looking to enhance this meager knowledge on this trip. Getting to better know the teas of the region and learn about their tea culture will be quite interesting. What varieties to they already produce, which cultivars, and what might be suitable for our Masters Teas? Looking forward to answering these questions and more.
At times Internet access may be tricky, but I'll do my best to post about our activities, tea tastings, and impressions. See you soon!
