Yunomi

I was planning to review some of my YUNOMI order tomorrow, but I just have to write about this now.

First let me mention this: I only bought this tea because it is an aged Japanese tea, that to me sounds rare/odd/cool/musttry.

My only experience with tea stems went horrible last time because it was quite unappealing in taste and appearance. While this tea still looks lame, it brews out a wonderful cup of calmness. Knowing it’s past midnight, I chose this tea because it was aged to reduce the caffeine content. The taste of stem is surely there and the explanation of ‘slightly roasted’ cannot be worded better . What makes me happy that I bought 100g of this tea is that it is great. This is a through and through an autumn tea. I’ll probably be buying more since I might end up sending this out for others to try.

It’s as if I’m drinking the woodsy remains of a roasted bancha that has settled in time to taste like a falling leaf that has recently became orange with red spots on it. Yeah, that’s how it taste.

Happy Autumn! Yesterday, I went to a Japanese Fall Festival. Most fun. However, nobody had brewed tea. Just a local Asian tea company with wares for sale. Did enjoy checking out their sample jars. The gyokuro smelled nice, and I remembered I had some.

It smells nicely like seaweed and spinach. There is a seaweed flavour as well. Reminds me a little of seaweed salad.Somewhat sweet and vegetal. And I get a hint of nuts. Would have went well with the onigiri I had yesterday afternoon.

This was an enjoyable, great quality sencha especially for the price. Full bodied and very well balanced sweetness and mild astringency. I started off steeping it at 155 F and then dropped the temperature by about 5 degrees with each subsequent steep. The tea got lighter and creamier as it progressed. On the fourth steep, I bumped up the temperature to 165 F and let it go for 2.5 mins. Still produced a tasty cup. A very refreshing sencha overall!

The smell of the dry leaf and the taste of brewed cup are fishy, similar to bonito flakes with a deeply vegetal aftertaste. Even at the lowest brewing temperature of 140 F, there is very little sweetness and mostly bitterness. Tastes like your drinking water from a fishy lake. By far the foulest tasting Japanese green tea I’ve had yet.

Fragrant, sweet, flowery, complex, and inexpensive, this tea took me by surprise since there was little information on the actual plants and tea garden, which seems to be grown at lower elevations. Regardless, the Morita family really knows how to make tea. I think this was $12 when I purchased it in the spring and it was a real treat. I tend to purchase organic senchas since they tend to be tastier due to the amount of investment made in the soil and where they are grown, but this tea, which seems to be grown in the suburbs of Saitama, not far from Tokyo, is like a hidden gem.

The dried leaves are broken up, but are very fragrant. The steeped leave a pungently fruity and flowery aroma. The tea soup is an attractive shade of green. The first steep is flowery, uplifting, pure tasting, and refreshing. The following steeps are rich and sweet, and reveal a complex mixture of sweet vegetal notes, minerals, and tannins.

Very enjoyable, but I think the tea has been renamed kakurei or hoju.

This delicious and fragrant sencha is underrated and inexpensive. I gave it an 84 for the value I got from the low price. I assumed the Kurihara bros would make a very flavorful sencha at a low price since I’ve tried their gyokuro samples, which I highly recommend. This tea is simple and easy to brew. The broken dried leaves appear to be mid-steamed and the tea soup is a vibrant lime green hue. I picked up roasted asparagus, edamame, and peach. Another good quality of the tea, is the fragrance it leaves at the bottom of the cup and it’s after taste, usually evidence that the tea bushes are grown at higher elevations.

Before I knew it my tea tin was empty again.

Drank this one tonight with a cold salad. This is one of the few teas that I have ever had where smelling it actually ruins the taste. The flavor of this is quite nice, but the smell is rough… I think the roasted nature to it makes it odd to drink if you smell it, but the fruity and citrus notes are very enjoyable. Overall it was a fantastic paring for a cold salad on a hot day :)

From the EU TTB

This is a green tea like none I’ve seen before. It’s almost powdered, the leaf is so fine! I went with a traditional western-style brew since I wasn’t really sure how to approach it – 1 tsp of leaf given 2 minutes in water cooled to around 175 degrees. The resulting liquor is a bright yellow.

To taste, this is like a rather concentrated green tea. I probably could have made do with less leaf, or a much, much shorter brew time. It’s drinkable like this, though. The flavour is very grassy, almost like a cup full of liquidised fresh cut grass, basically. It’s hard to taste anything else – if indeed there is anything to taste! It’s sweet in a hay-like way, with just the tiniest bit of underlying bitterness. I probably could have avoided that with a more accomplished brewing, though. There’s no astringency, so that’s a point in its favour for sure.

I felt wrong footed by this one, so my impression of it probably isn’t quite what it should have been. Any errors here are mine, though, and it was actually a pretty pleasant cup of green tea once I got used to the intensity of flavour. It’s probably not one I’d return to, though – at least not without some detailed brewing instructions!

Ah, September, second best month of the year. Now begins the countdown to Autumn. The first scent I get is apples and ginger. With some nutty notes. There is a nice apple flavour, and some spice. Reminds me of apple pastry (not quite pie though).

This was with my last Yunomi order and I added them purely because they were on sale. Plus I have been trying a few tea bags from Nakazen recently and this is another to add to the collection.

These teabags are each individually sealed in a silver foil pack for added freshness. The outer packaging can also be re-sealed.

Opening the foil pack I am met with a large polystyrene teabag with a white appearance and a tag attached to string. I cannot see any dust/fannings in the silver foil pack or my hand as I handle the bag. Though white I can see dark leaves filling roughly 1/4 of the space. They are small pieces of leaf. As I sniff the bag it is subtle with some wooden tones and a hint of dryness.

Steep one tea bag for 1 minutes with 100C water. (As seen on the pack)

While it steeps I don’t believe I’ve heard of Tsubaki tea before. A Google search says that it’s also known as: “camellia japonica (a relative of camellia sinensis or tea)”.
The Yunomi website also offers some information on this.
https://yunomi.us/shop/8717/nakazen/nakazen-okinawa-tsubaki-tea-tea-bags-8717/

Well once steeped the colour is golden brown (like a dark honey) and it bares a bitter, earthy, wooden and smoky tea. It smells like Pu Erh! I was seriously not expecting that. Just like a Ripe Pu Erh.

Flavour is milder than the scent though still somewhat similar to Pu Erh. It’s medium strength with damp earth, dry wood and a soft smoke after taste. There is also some sweetness to it though mild compared to the earthiness. The dryness increases and coats my tongue over time.

Half way down the mug at this point and I keep having to tell myself it’s not a Pu Erh. Still despite the fact of something it isn’t I like what it actually is. It’s not as ‘offensive’ as Pu Erh can be at times but you have the characteristics of it, plus it has a calming effect. I’m losing train of thought as I carry on typing.

In terms of this being bagged I would not have guessed had I not seen it with my own eyes. It made for ‘unusual’ drinking but I’m still happy I picked this one up.

Recently I received an order from Yunomi of which they were kind to include this tisane as a free gift. While admittedly hibiscus is not something I would usually order it is nice to try something different. Plus I feel tisanes are something I should drink more of, going caffeine free every now and then sounds like a good idea.

They do offer this as two versions on their website: loose leaf and teabag. This is the teabag version.

The bags are a good quality thin polystyrene (very typical Japanese tea bag design). They are white and a little bit see through with 1/5 filled with small, chopped petals. As I sniff the bag I am met with a dry, sweet, tangy and herbal scent. Very hibiscus strong and herbal but also not overly thick.

Steeping: Popping one bag into boiling water for three minutes.

Colour is deep, deep red. Scent is floral, sweet yet sour and overall rather soft.

Flavour is stronger than the smell though it’s not as thick as I expected (or feared). The hibiscus is sweet with sour after tones and a touch of dryness, this leads to a herbal after taste. The sourness is actually rather minimal considering, likening this to sherbet. ie. More sweet than sour.

Half way down my mug I’m finding this to remain consistent with the first sip. The dryness is not increasing and nor is the herbal tang that tisanes tend to have.

Overall I thought this was nice, more pleasant tasting than I had imagined being generally a non hibiscus fan. This was of fair quality and strength which complimented the hibiscus. A simple tisane but a nice companion on this warm night.

As reviewed here: http://sororiteasisters.com/2015/08/15/nakazen-hibiscus-tea-herbal-tisane-yunomi/

I’ve had this tea for awhile and have enjoyed it , but never left a review. Had it stored in the fridge and it seems to have kept it fresh.

It tastes great. A sweet grassy sencha. A little bit fruity. It’s a deep green colour like gyokuro but lighter than gyokuro. It’s also organic-grown without pesticides. A big plus in my book. If I order from Yunomi in the future I would put this one on the order.

Tea leaves are very dark brown almost black, mixed with some lighter brown leaves. In the mixture there is some bigger leaves, but majority is broken. Leaves smell of baked apple, mixed with woody, earthy and malty notes.
Brewed tea is hazelnut brown/dark amber. Aroma of the tea is sweet and slightly citrusy, which reminds me a Russian samovar tea with slice of lemon.
Taste reminds again Russian style tea, with earthy and malty notes, with chestnut honey.
After taste is rather delicate.
Could imagine drinking this tea russian style (with little slice of lemon) on cold winter months.
Yunomi suggest also drinking it with milk, which needs to be still tried at this point.

First time ever trying Gyokuro; was provided this sample in a tea exchange with the wonderful Oolong Owl. 1st steep, room temp water, just enough to cover the leaves, 7 minutes. Subsequent steeps at 160, starting at 15 seconds, and adding about 5 each subsequent steep.

First steep: Oh lord. Sweet mother in heaven, what is this incredibly gorgeous taste? Oh my my my. UMAMI I would like to go swimming in this tea. Is that weird? Intensely sweet and savory. Buttered beans and greens and seaweed and something indescribable. Jade dew, exactly – it’s a viscous bright green soup, mouthfeel addicts would love this tea. I haven’t been this happy drinking tea since…. since the last time I drank tea. Which was this morning. Anyway!… it would appear that I’m going to have to find a dealer and apologize in advance to my wallet.

EDIT: I am freakin’ tea smashed from this stuff. Now, excuse me while I go kiss the sky…

EDIT2: I just ate the steeped leaves with my lunch, chicken and cabbage seasoned with salt, gyokuro, and kelp seasoning. Delicious!

do not be deceived by the unassuming teabag. brewed lightly, it is a smile in a cup.

can’t. stop. sipping.

hooray for yunomi groupbuy! <3

The brilliant green color of this matcha and it’s ability to froth well (despite my use of a kitchen whisk) immediately made me suspect it was one of the more expensive samples included in this round of the Matcha Blind Taste Test. Sadly the taste and texture didn’t appeal to me. It was strongly flavored, tasting of seaweed, with a very bitter aftertaste. I feel like it would be better suited to cooking where added sugar could compensate for the bitterness.

You can read the full results of the blind taste test on my blog:
http://www.notstarvingyet.com/index/2015/7/13/tuesday-tea-blind-taste-test-6-matcha-teas-compared-sponsored

A very “green” tasting Matcha.
http://matchaenthusiast.blogspot.com/2015/06/matcha-review-yunomi-factory-direct.html

I’ve been drinking this today in preparation of my driving lesson. I was in no mood to drive but had to regain focus so I had three or four bowls of this before my lesson. It was a good plan because my instructor said if I continue to drive like that I will pass my exam :D

I reviewed the sweet, cow milk version with pictures on my blog and honestly going from that blend to this one was difficult. This one is much less sweet (which I decided would be better for my diet) and I prefer soy milk anyway in general. So less sweet, more dry (from the soy I believe) and with a nutty sort of light after taste. I adored the sweetness so to adjust I did have to start using sweeteners. Now I’m happy with this ‘au natural’.

The Matcha itself tastes mild but with enough grassy and warm umami tones to be pleasing and recognizable. More soy than Matcha in terms of flavour depth but it’s nice and if it helps me stop the sugar intake then I cannot complain. Would buy this one again for sure.

It arrived!! Ok, actually it arrived Saturday after the Tea Fest, but I was a little distracted by the awesome to play with it. Ben bought me (ok both of us) some new toys, specifically a wax sculptor’s kit for sculpting Green Stuff and a helping hand magnifying glass. I know, I have a giant Otte light with a magnifying glass, but it is kinda massive and hard to use, the tiny helping hands will help with sculpting. So far my sculpting escapades have including making a wooden floor for my Jakob Lynch Malifaux mini, Jakob Lynch who in my color scheme is old west Shang Tsung from Mortal Kombat, because win.

Matcha time! Yes, it time for Matcha Monday, and today I am looking at Yunomi’s Factory Direct Matcha. This powdery green goodness hails from Kyoto and was shaded for four weeks before being harvested in the Spring, you know this might be the first Matcha I have reviewed that tells me how long it was shaded, extra information makes me immensely happy. The aroma of the Matcha is so very green, delightfully so, blending sweet hay, sweet grass, wildflowers, bamboo leaves, and a touch of sesame seeds. It reminds me of the smell of spring time and growing things, it is quite excellent. Once whisking the Matcha, the aroma that wafts out of my chawan is delectable, blending sweet wildflowers, sweet sticky rice, straw, and a touch of bamboo leaves. It balances out green and sweet notes pretty well.

The Matcha starts out a touch bitter like kale and Brussels sprouts and then within instants the taste explodes into sweetness and fresh green notes! It was pretty abrupt and impressive how quickly that initial bitter green notes switched to sweet, there are notes of honey and straw, these move to spinach and bamboo leaves, with a finish that is both nutty and kelp umami notes. The aftertaste is sweet and slightly floral, it lingers for a bit. This is one of my favorite everyday Matcha, it has a great presence and balanced taste.

I decided, on a whim, to try this Koicha style…it is not really intended for that, but I am still kinda curious what it is like. One day I will be able to afford the really fancy stuff that is actually created for Koicha! The taste is something else, it starts out intensely bitter, like a mouthful of kale and unripe persimmons, like the Usucha it switches almost immediately to intensely sweet, like honey and wildflowers. This transitions to a rich umami blend of kelp and spinach with a slight finish of bamboo leaves. That was certainly an experience, not entirely unpleasant, but not entirely pleasant either, maybe I should stop drinking Matcha in ways it is not intended!

For blog and photos: http://ramblingbutterflythoughts.blogspot.com/2015/06/yunomi-yunomi-factory-direct-matcha.html

The color, the aroma, the brewing, the expansion, the vibrant leaf in the water, the smooth taste, the fine texture, the unexpected mellow brew… the experience.

This is one fine tea that provides a tea worthy to be called gyokuro. Many gyokuros that I have drank are too similar to a sencha, but this tea is a much higher quality and I am glad I chose it out of all the teas that could have been obtained instead.

Don’t let the light color of this teas liquid fool you, it provides a clean taste of Japanese shade grown tea that provides a wonderful aroma that expands inside your mouth as you sip on it.

One of a few shincha samples I purchased from Yunomi this spring. I hope I am not going to regret this caffeine later but I seem to do ok with Japanese green teas in the afternoon and the theanine helps me relax this as well.

A lovely shincha from Yunomi. Couldn’t grab the photo off their site, so sorry about that. I am drinking it in my new clay kyusu though which came from Japantown. Here’s the photo on IG: https://instagram.com/p/2mgX4JILZD

Anyway this is a really nice shincha. I did one 90 sec steep and one 60 sec steep and found I liked it slightly better at the 60 sec. mark. It has a lot of flavor, brothy with spinach type notes, a nice sweetness and a slight bitter finish. It seems very clean and fresh but it’s not the sweetest shincha I’ve tried. I might try steeping this at 30 seconds too. Pretty happy with it though, definitely a tasty tea and gives a nice relaxing energy :)