The post is finally here!!! I bought these smoked teas over a year ago and was waiting for a good time to sit down and drink them and… that time never really came. So I just bit the bullet and had them anyway (now I just have to do the same for the teas I… Read More Trying 3 Japanese Smoked Teas
I’m not sure what happened last week but I was down with a sore throat and a bad cough (not covid!) for a few days and didn’t have time to write this post until now. But, the okuharuka cultivar is a very interesting one (albeit one I don’t know what much about) and I’m excited… Read More Tea 101: Okuharuka
It has been almost a month since my last Tea 101 post, so we are long overdue for this look into Musashi Kaori! What is the Musashi Kaori cultivar? Created in 1967 as a cross between the yabukita and the intriguingly labelled “27F1-73”, the Musashi Kaori is distinguished by its refreshing scent and umami note.… Read More Tea 101: Musashi Kaori
Hi friends! For the second post in this sustainabiliTEA series, we’ll be taking a look at not one, but a group of tea farmers in Saitama! These farmers have banded together under the non-profit organisation NPO Agriculture Support Team in Saitama (Japanese name: NPO法人 埼玉農業おうえんしたい) and they are doing some pretty cool stuff! What is Sayama… Read More SustainabiliTEA: NPO Agriculture Support Team in Saitama
After drinking the Hokumei, I learnt that Hiraoka-en also created a black tea. I was particularly interested in the tea because it’s bug-bitten, the way Beauty of the East is. So I wrote to NPO法人 埼玉農業おうえんしたい to ask if I could buy a packet to try, and they very kindly sent me a packet to sample… Read More Tea Review: Santomi Black Tea by Hiraoka-en
This has happened so much faster than I expected, but we’re at the end of the Sayama tea reviews! Appropriately, the last tea is called Sayama-Kaori, which can be translated as “the smell of Sayama”. First Impressions The dry leaves smell totally different from the previous tea, the Gokoh. While the Gokoh was sharp and… Read More Tea Review: Sayama-Kaori by Okutomi-en (Sayama Tea #9)
Tea eight??? Tea Eight??? We’re almost done with all nine teas, guys! And honestly, I am loving all the sencha. Today’s tea is Gokoh by Onishi-en, who also produced the Fukumidori that I love so much. First Impressions The first impressions for this tea were extremely positive. There were strong grassy scents, with something a… Read More Tea Review: Gokoh by Onishi-en (Sayama Tea #8)
I’m actually really happy (and surprised) that we’re at tea #7 of the Sayama teas! It means I’ve only got 2 more teas left so I may actually finish reviewing all the teas before the giveaway – I’m doing it with a friend so there’s still a bit more for us to sort out. Anyway,… Read More Tea Review: Haru-Midori by Okutomi-en (Sayama Tea #7)
Can you believe we’re two-thirds done with this tea series? I’m planning a huge tea-tasting comparison when it’s over (and getting thoroughly tea drunk) but for now, let’s carry on with the individual tea reviews. First Impressions I’m getting fresh, grassy notes from this, and for some inexplicable reason, something that reminds me of flowers.… Read More Tea Review: Yumewakaba by Shimizu-en (Sayama Tea #6)
You may have noticed that for the last four Sayama teas, I have basically been tasting them “blind” (i.e. didn’t read the description beforehand). That’s because I didn’t want my tasting notes to be affected by the description – what if I just imagined a subtle note of something because I wanted it to be… Read More Tea Review: Okuharuka by Yokota-en (Sayama Tea #5)