Vietnamese Tea Meditation in Auckland, New Zealand

(Image:Vietnamese women sitting with tea)

(Image: a morning tea meditation followed by art journalling)

"Tea meditation is the art of finding stillness in a cup of tea, and enjoy yourself on a journey of self-discovery" ~ Sierra Truong.

In January 2023, after returning from a 40-day trip to Hanoi, my hometown, I began running tea meditation sessions in Auckland. It wasn’t surprising to me that everyone who participated in the session truly enjoyed the stillness found in a simple cup of tea. It wasn't about caffeine (though it could be, if I steeped the tea for too long), but rather the calming process of preparing and tasting the tea. In my tea meditation sessions, we start with a mindfulness practice through the tea ceremony, followed by a short period of silent meditation at the end.

Meditation has been an important part of my life for over a decade, but sitting still in silence to meditate has never been easy for me. Despite having meditated for years, being an entrepreneur requires more daily practice to help me live my life better. As an entrepreneur, my brain is much more active than when I was a nun or working a 9-5 job. It is constantly filled with both exciting ideas and a large amount of anxiety. To find a way to relax while still being productive, I started designing my daily life as a meditation practice. Every task I do becomes part of a flow, connecting me to the present moment, from one moment to the next. That’s when I began to see my morning tea as something extra. My morning routine has become a little longer, but my whole day feels more productive. However, my definition of productivity isn’t based on the quantity of tasks completed—it’s about achieving my most important task while being fully present.

In Vietnamese, the Vietnamese tea ceremony is often referred to as "Nghi thức trà" or "Lễ trà".

• Nghi thức trà (仪式茶) translates to "tea ritual," which can refer to any formal or ritualistic tea practice.
• Lễ trà (礼茶) translates to "tea ceremony," where "lễ" means ceremony or ritual, and "trà" means tea.

In a traditional Vietnamese context, these terms can be used when referring to the act of serving tea in important cultural rituals, such as during weddings (where the bride and groom serve tea to their elders), or when honoring ancestors during ceremonies.

The Vietnamese tea ceremony is really simple. It isn’t about the clothes you wear or the knowledge and skills you have for preparing the tea. It’s simply about you and the cup of tea. That’s why I love using this simple tea ceremony in my tea meditation workshops in Auckland. I’m not a tea master. I’m just someone who loves meditation and sharing the art of mindfulness through this ancient tea practice that I have a deep connection to. In Vietnam, every household has a tea set, and they drink tea (most commonly green tea) almost every day. When I was young, I sometimes wondered why the adults in my house always drank such a simple liquid. Now, I totally understand. It’s because the process itself is very calming. You can’t rush pouring hot water into the pot. You can’t rush transferring the water from the pot into all the little cups. The preparation slows you down. And by the time it’s ready to enjoy, you want to hold the little cup with both hands, inhale its aroma, and take small sips to awaken all of your senses.

This is how you can do a Vietnamese green tea ceremony at home:

Vietnamese traditional tea is tea with loose leaf. We don't use tea bags for this practice if we have the tea leaf option.

Step 1: Rinse teapot and cup with hot water.

This helps sterilize the teapot and heat the teacups so when you have your tea ready, the temperature won't be affected by cold teapot and cups.

Step 2: Rinse the tea

• Put your tea into the pot. Depending on your tea, sometimes it is nice to close the lid and give them a little shake to awaken the aroma.
• Pour about 85 degree c boiled water into the tea. Vietnamese doesn't use boiling water 100 degree c for tea.
• Quickly tip all water out. This step is to wake up the tea leaves, helps remove impurities while frying the tea, and keeps the pot hot.

Step 3: Make tea

• After rinsing the tea, you quickly pour in a sufficient amount of boiling water into the pot and cover the lid to keep the stable temperature.
• Cover the pot and continue to pour water over the lid so that the tea infusion in the teapot keeps a stable temperature.
• Wait for about 2 mins - 3 mins. The longer it gets, the stronger is the tea. You can totally control how strong your tea is in this step. The first water of green tea can be just 2 mins so your tea won't be too strong. The second water onwards can be stronger depending on your preference. If you don't do well with cafein, it is highly advised to steep your tea in just 2 mins.

Step 4: Pour  & offer the tea

• Some Vietnamese tea set has a second tea pot with no lid. This can be where you transfer your tea from the main pot into while brewing the next water. The act of transferring hot tea into this second pot will also help your tea to cool down to a perfect temperature to drink and not burn your lips.
• Pour the tea into cups. Before pouring, you should arrange the teacups close together into a closed circle. Pouring all cups in a row for 2 -3 times. First round can be just half a cup each, then second & third.
• Offer each tea cup to each person with both hands.

(Image: an illustration of a Vietnamese lotus green tea offering)

So that was a simple green tea preparation & offering in Vietnamese culture. There is no right or wrong in how you do it. You can be as creative as you would like to be and make the session as fun as it could be. The main thing is to sit with your tea and not rushing to the next moment.

As a meditation facilitator, I have always researching on how to make meditation a regular practice for my clients. To form a habit, it is not about how long it would take, but it is about how many times we show up until it sticks. The word meditation could scare quite a lot of people. Many of my clients have come to me and share that they can't meditate. What if the practice is just about you coming back to the present through whatever way that is most interesting to you?

Tea meditation is the introduction of mindfulness and meditation to anyone that is interested in exploring their inner journey through the way of tea. And it also reveals your possibility to design your own practice, perhaps with your cup of coffee or with different activities of your interest.

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You can find my tea mediation workshops/ sessions here:

Link to tea meditation workshop

Vietnamese Tea Meditation in Central Auckland, New Zealand