This is my first tea review of 2023.
I chose a kukicha made from gyokuro stems because it’s not a tea that I drink often.
This is an organic tea from Kagoshima prefecture, sold by Nio Teas.
Let’s infuse these tea stems
I can see that this tea has a good appearance.
The stems look young, and there are tea leaves with a desirable size, shape and color.
I’ll smell them now.
It’s highly sweet, although not a creamy sweetness like a gyokuro.
Also, the aroma isn’t so vegetal nor marine. It’s mostly sweet.
After infusing a teaspoon of this tea into 60 ml (2 oz) of water at 80°C (176°F) for 1 minute, I notice that the wet leaves also have a sweet aroma.
In addition, I feel vegetal notes.
So what does this clear and pale yellow liquid taste like?
It has a good dose of umami taste, not as high as a gyokuro but it is delicious nevertheless.
I can also feel the sweetness, even in the aftertaste.
Since it doesn’t have any bitterness nor astringency, it’s easy to drink.
Now I’ll make a second infusion for 40 seconds.
Less overall flavor, but still worth drinking.
To get as much flavor out of this tea’s last infusion, I used boiling water for 10 seconds.
It’s a light flavor, but at least not bitter nor astringent either.
I enjoyed this tea.
If you like green teas with good sweetness but without a powerful umami taste, this might be it.
Here’s the link to the product page.
