187 Tasting Notes
i had this one as a sample, so just one. i took it on a car trip with me recently, inside a thermos filled with hot hot hot water. the thermos (first use) was FANtastic and kept my tea piping hot all day long AND the tea was just a perfectly toasty genmaicha all day long, never oversteeping or getting bitter. just perfection, the combination. so much so that i’m ordering a box of these for future road trips. good times, good times.
Preparation
well….it’s ok. i agree with others that the smoky flavor overwhelms the others. i found by adding a little sugar the smoke dissipated a little, letting some of the other flavor come out. still, just too much. after i added some milk (gasp!) was quite drinkable, not a bad cuppa for an afternoon, but not a favorite.
ON EDIT: second steeping waited a day, with the damp leaves left in empty pot overnight in fridge – steeped about 4 minutes, it was this time a very nice, boring black tea. most smokey flavor was gone, just a pleasant but not astounding flavor. milk and sugar helped. eh.
Preparation
OH my goodness, this is an instant favorite as of right now. i’m on the third steeping, and this is just so earthily delicious! it’s very reminiscent of roasted barley tea (mugicha?) at this point, only better, which in my book is nummy. reminds me of cold early spring evenings in my little farmhouse in upstate new york, a gazillion years ago, and me being inside and cozy and warm drinking golden toasty tastiness….except now it is roasted kukicha, and i’m in texas, and i guess it is still really cold, and i’m still really warm in here and…
well, anyhow, i believe this one’s a keeper! a dab of honey in it is pretty good, too. yum!
Preparation
well, first steeping, following directions exactly was non-interesting. i may have been biased by the fact that the dry tea smells awful, super fake flavoring like. second steeping, i forgot about it, and it sat for about 10 minutes, and y’know what? it’s a little better. added a little honey, and it is even better! however, that doesn’t mean it is a hit or anything. i think i was expecting something more like vietnamese artichoke tea, made with actual artichoke plant parts (not “natural artichoke flavor”), which isn’t caffeine-y, so doesn’t actually have tea in it (i think). if they’d added actual artichoke bits to green tea, might have been better, possibly.
Preparation
drank this again a couple of days ago, as have plenty of it, and you know what? was a lot better. i don’t think i did much different, but perhaps i was just feeling more tolerant then. still not my absolute favorite, but was better than NON interesting. it was A LITTLE BIT interesting this time. :)
this is an awesome workhorse tea – powers you right through the afternoon on multiple cups, a different flavor personality every steep. my favorite i think is the second steeping, where there’s still some astringenty matcha-y creamy-yness, but it’s also starting to grassify. good stuff. i will keep in stock at my house, yes.
Preparation
Oh goodness, this tea is delicious! This first brew i accidentally oversteeped by a bit, but i added a little sugar, and NOM. you mustn’t mind the round, thick, full, honey- and tobacco-esque richness, or you’ll never love this tea. definitely a mouthful! i’ll update if i get in another steep today BUT i’ve spent the morning on another tea, i may have to draw the line here, since this one is REALLY making it’s presence known. YUM!
ON EDIT: nope, had to have a second cup. EVEN BETTER! i’m loving this one, it’s just so rich and creamy, full and thick. i just don’t know how to describe it. important thing to note, however, is that before i added the 1/2 tsp or so of sugar, it wasn’t near as amazing. just accept that this is one of those needs sugar teas, and you won’t go wrong. in fact, based on second brew, i’m ranking this in my tops.
