Discovering cornflower blossoming season in Hue Citadel and sampling lotus tea

Cornflowers in Hue Citadel have begun to bloom, with the beautiful and gentle pink colour making the royal space appear even more romantic and beautiful than ever.

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Aside from cornflowers, lotus can be considered an essential part of daily life in Hue, ubiquitous in its landscapes, architecture, culture, and cuisine.

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Tra sen Hue or Hue lotus tea is a specialty in Thua Thien-Hue province. Enjoying this tea is a traditional ceremonial art of the imperial city.

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During the Nguyen Dynasty in the 1800s, imperial maids used to row to Tinh Tam Lake to collect each dewdrop of the lotus leaves in order to make tea. The maids then served the tea to kings in a different special tea pot for each of the four seasons.

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Lotus flowers bloom from April through June. This represents the season when dried tea leaves are traditionally placed in newly-opened lotus flowers which are then tied closed to perfume the tea.

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Lotus flowers for fragrant tea should be picked before dawn. Cool air and fog helps to preserve the light and pure fragrance of lotus. After sunrise, the lotus loses its fragrance due to the heat.