Lotus Green (Scented, Vietnam)
Vietnamese lotus tea (tra sen) is green tea scented with the fragrance of lotus flowers, one of the most labor-intensive and prized teas in Vietnamese culture. The classic version uses Thai Nguyen green scented with the tiny aromatic grains from the stamens of West Lake (Ho Tay) lotus in Hanoi. The variable that matters most is the scenting method and the lotus source, since true stamen-scented Ho Tay lotus tea is a different (and far costlier) thing from a flavored imitation.
The tell of authentic lotus tea is the tiny pale grains of lotus stamen (gao sen) clinging to the leaf, and a soft, sweet, clean floral aroma that is delicate rather than perfumey or candied. Cheap versions use lotus flavoring or essence and smell sharp, artificial, and one-dimensional. The base should be a decent Thai Nguyen-style green, so look for good leaf under the scent, not dust. The most prestigious style is scented by repeatedly layering tea with fresh stamens over several rounds; an even more exclusive form is tea packed inside a living lotus flower overnight. Expect to pay a lot for the genuine Ho Tay article, and be skeptical of bargain lotus tea.
The cultural and quality benchmark is Hanoi's West Lake (Ho Tay) lotus, prized for an especially fine fragrance, scenting a green-tea base that is typically from Thai Nguyen. Two main methods exist: the traditional repeated layering of tea with gao sen (the aromatic grains at the base of the lotus stamens) over multiple days, and tra sen xoi, where tea is stuffed inside a living lotus bloom and left to absorb its scent overnight. The first is more durable and more expensive; the second is fresher and more ephemeral. The labor and the volume of flowers required are what make genuine lotus tea so costly.
Brew the green base gently so the lotus scent survives. Western: 80°C, 3 g per 200 ml, 1-2 minutes, 2-3 infusions. Gongfu: 80°C, 4-5 g per 120 ml, 20-30 seconds for the first steep, ascending, 3-4 infusions. Keep the water off the boil; too-hot water scalds the green base and drives off the delicate floral top notes you paid for.
€20-50 (about $22-54) per 100 g for everyday scented lotus green; €100-300 (about $108-324) per 100 g and up for genuine, traditionally stamen-scented Ho Tay lotus tea.
Prices reviewed June 2026
Thai Nguyen (Tan Cuong)
The unscented Thai Nguyen green that typically serves as the base before any lotus is added.
Jasmine Green (Scented)
China's great scented-green tradition, scented with jasmine blossom instead of lotus; the same principle of perfuming a green base with real flowers.
Jasmine Dragon Pearls
A premium hand-rolled jasmine green, a useful high-end comparison for how much labor and flower volume scented teas can demand.
Shan Tuyet Green (Vietnam)
An unscented Vietnamese green for contrast, showing what the country's tea tastes like before the lotus treatment.
Authentic Hanoi lotus tea is famously flower-hungry: traditional accounts hold that it takes well over a thousand West Lake lotus blossoms to scent a single kilogram of tea, since only the small aromatic grains at the base of each flower's stamens are used.