Teapins Vietnam Delights Premium Tea Gift Set 25 Loose Leaf Teas 125g, Perfect Authentic Collection for Tea Lovers

I am reviewing the box of 5 green teas.The presentation is top quality with a very smart box and each individual tea sealed in an airtight foil sachet. Each sachet contains enough tea for 3 cups and there are two of each tea so overall you get enough for 30 cups. That makes 50p per cup (at the current price of £14.99) which is expensive but not outrageous.The tea-leaves themselves have an artisan style, quite unlike the usual Chinese teas which look (and probably are) factory processed. The flavours are varied.The Jasmine tea tastes similar to Chinese jasmine tea but has a stronger flavour and is less aromatic, though the jasmine is distinctive.The traditional green tea has a full smoky flavour.The Pandan has a flavour I have never encountered before and difficult to describe. It is spicy but consistent with the style of green tea, not at all like spicy herbal infusions. I found it delicious.The B'Lao Lotus tea is another surprising gem with a subtle sweetness, reminiscent of liquorice, neither harsh nor sickly sweet (as are some herbal infusions).I haven't tried the Oolong as I am not fond of it.Steep for 3 minutes in water at 85 Celsius. If you switch off the kettle before it boils, the water will end up much cooler than 85. Instead, boil the kettle and pour from a slight height. By the time the water gets into the cup or pot it will already be down to the right temperature. 100 degrees is hotter than most people realize.Overall this is an interesting find for green tea aficionados. The price and the style puts it very much in the gift category, exactly as the description states.

These teas arrived beautifully packaged and with great attention to detail. Each tea is contained in its own sachet with a different photo of Vietnam or Vietnamese people. There is also leaflet showing a map of Vietnam and information about the teas. The box is very attractive, with a stunning picture of Vietnamese countryside. I had a little difficulty working out how to open it without damaging it but that was probably my fault. Once opened, an inner drawer slides in and out so the box can be kept and reused.The teas are all clearly labelled and grouped as e.g. green tea, fusion teas, black tea and so on. The ones I have tried, of the 25 flavours, are of very high quality. They are refined and in some cases delicate (e.g. the Citrus Hurricane) and in others have great depth of flavour (e.g. the Oolong). These teas are not something to drink down in a hurry, for me anyway, but savoured slowly. They taste and smell wonderful and are very appealing visually too. The bunched up Oolong tea leaves unfurl into big leaves and are very eye-catching. I have found that each 5g sachet provides two medium cups of tea (the instructions suggest half a litre of water per sachet). I have been using a small teapot or the sort of tea infusers that can be immersed in water. Either way works well.I think this presentation selection of teas would make a lovely gift. Yes, the price seems expensive at first, but I like to think of these high quality teas as a little bit of luxury. According to the box, the teas come directly from farmers, and I am happy to pay extra for an ethically traded product. My only and minor quibble is that if I wanted to give this as a gift I would like the box drawer to be a little sturdier. However, I have given the product five stars based on the quality of the tea, and I would recommend it for a treat.

I do not read reviews before I buy a product (and have posted my own review) because I do not trust the integrity of many of them.... especially those that have many 5* ratings within a short period of time (and nothing before or after). But I read some of these tea reviews after I posted mine, and I think I may have been a bit harsh. I genuinely did not see the brewing instructions on the box (it is in very small print in a space measuring 32mm x 15mm) and I feel I have missed out now. I didn't make the few teas I tried properly, before I gave them away - but I shall ask for a few of them back and try again. Part of my problem is that I do not generally drink tea without milk, but I do belive this gift pack deserves 4*.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ORIGINAL REVIEW:This is a very attractive gift box of loose leaf, Vietnamese teas - measuring 24cm x 16cm x 6cm, and weighing 344g in total. Inside the box there are 25 sachets in five compartments of five, with each sachet containing 5g of a different variety of loose leaf tea - except that my box had two sachets of Thai Nguyen Green so I had 24 varieties!I am a tea lover but, like most Brits, I tend to stick with my favourite brand of tea. I thought it could be time for a change and, although I felt these teas were a bit pricey, I was intrigued and wanted to try something other than Indian tea. I was also attracted by the fact that there were 25 different flavours. However, I have to be honest, and I’m sorry to say that I was not overly impressed. I have tried several different teas before - with and without milk - and I don’t profess to be a connoisseur of tea, but I found these Vietnamese teas rather bitter. That is not to say, though, that others more discerning than me will not love these teas or find a couple of favourites amongst them.Making tea should be easy, or common sense at least, but there were no instructions inside the box, on the outside of it, or on the sachets. I made the teas in a one-cup teapot, which I warmed first. I assumed the tea leaves should have boiling water poured on them, and then be left for a couple of minutes to stand - so maybe I brewed them for too long, or perhaps they were 2-cup sachets. Instructions might have helped. But still, at around £1 per cup/mug (half the price of a cuppa in a tea shop) they were worth a try (or should I say ‘taste’?). I think they could make an interesting Christmas present for a tea lover who has everything.

Bought this as a gift to a foreigner. Very proud of my countrymen.