Sakao Enterprise Konacha

I hadn’t drank konacha in a while, so receiving this sample from Sakao Enterprise was a good thing.

As you know, konacha is the tea traditionally served at sushi restaurants and is made from bits of leaves that result in the process of other green teas.

Koncha is an economical tea, but health-wise it’s as good as other green teas. This tea dissolves easily, just like fukamushicha.

Konacha review

Konacha looks like what you’d find at the bottom of a green tea package, or even your standard green tea bag 🙂 To be fair, this konacha does look fresh.

The leaves themselves don’t have a deep smell, as one would expect. I found it grassy, but nothing special.

For the first infusion, I took 4 grams of leaves (1 teaspoon) and added 130 ml (4.4 0z) of boiling water. After 30 seconds, it was ready.

The tea now smells very good! I think that teas smell better before brewing, but this one is definitely an exception. It reminds me of cooked spinach.

It quickly brews into an opaque, dark green liquid.

Alright, let’s see what it tastes like.

It’s quite strong. High astringency and even higher bitterness, although tolerable. Pretty much what one would expect of a konacha.

The aftertaste is enjoyable, and I imagine that it’s great to have with oily foods.

I made the second infusion with the same parameters, and obtained a cup of konacha with the same color.

The smell and taste are a bit lighter, but it’s still strong. One can easily brew it a third time, making this tea even more economical.

Although konacha is not a high quality tea by it’s nature, I’ve tried really bad sencha (especially from cheap tea bags) and this konacha is a hundred times better.

If you like a strong green tea every once in a while, it’s a good choice.