A man in Hanoi is trying to maintain the traditional craft of making tea from lotuses specifically grown near West Lake.

Nguyen Quang Man is the third generation in his family to make lotus tea.

Early each morning Man comes to the West Lake area to select the best lotus flowers for the tea production which bloom just slightly to ensure a strong scent.

Despite trying different kinds of lotus, he likes those grown near West Lake the best for its special taste and premium quality. His grandparents and parents also used West Lake lotuses for making tea.

After having the lotus flowers, Man and his wife classify their parts such as sepal, stamen and petal. They then gently and quickly peel the small fragrant stamens.

This selection is considered the most time-consuming part of the process and is vital to ensure the tea quality.

Each kilo of lotus-scented tea requires around 1,000 lotus flowers. Currently, a kilo of lotus tea is priced at VND7-8 million (USD304.34-347.82).