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Alright, I feel kind of silly noting this two days in a row, but I decided to sip down the rest of this one to start the morning off since I don’t have any greens with me. Steeped in a porcelain gaiwan this time to cut out any potential factors that may have impacted the taste yesterday when I was using a recently completed clay pot. Also used cooler water since I feel like the leaves may have been a bit scalded yesterday.

Result is a smooth and viscous liquor that is light and color and flavor in the first steep, but quite fragrant with sweet, creamy floral notes coming through.

Up the temperature just a couple of degrees bit but kept the steep time short for steep two and get a more golden color. I start getting some of that characteristic “bug bitten aroma” but the flavor starts to take more of a turn toward the notes that I was getting yesterday, which makes me think I really would be best off keeping the temperature low here, especially considering the leaves appear to be on the greener side.

All in all, I’m not sure whether it’s because it’s more on the green side or because it’s a winter tea or what, but while this is a good tea it’s just not appealing to my palate at this point in time.

I have had a couple of sessions with this one and the notes I have for each are completely different. My first session I mostly noted the sweetness, but today I seemed to only be getting roasty and sour notes from it. I have probably about one session’s worth left, so I will need to make sure to give it more attention next time I have it, and use a more neutral brewing vessel than the clay pot I used today.

Sipping down this sample received from a tea friend this morning. I was planning to drink it grandpa style but couldn’t get the leaves to sink and didn’t feel like filtering them with my teeth, so it ended up being western style instead, which was still quite enjoyable.

Nutty with underlying vegetal notes and a nice viscosity. This was from last year’s harvest, so I’m really interested in knowing what it tastes like fresher, as it’s still quite good now.

I can’t believe I never got around to reviewing this, because I was enjoying it quite frequently this spring. This one steeped up almost clear and tasted lightly of hay with a long-lasting sweet cream aftertaste a few months ago closer to when it was harvested. I got mineral and umami notes in the aroma, with some vegetal green tea-like notes eventually evolving and some pretty distinct body feels a couple of steeps in.

Now that a few months have passed I definitely need to give it another try to see if it has changed at all.

I have lost this note twice now trying to write it….long story short, I have had one session with this tea so far. Nutty, roasted, caramel notes. Definitely intend to try it again.

This comes in pretty small packets, so steeped up a very small amount of it the first time trying it. The leaves have a lovely, sweet, creamy and roasted aroma and steep up to a red liquor quite quickly. Tastes of cinnamon and spices, but I think I will definitely want to be less conservative and steep up a larger amount of this next time so I can get a more in depth feel for it.

So, being quite the fan of the teas that are offered by Holly over at Chiki Tea, I had to put in an order for all of their shiracha for this year. This one was the most exciting to me, being of a mutated cultivar and uniquely processed.

The smell of this tea definitely stands out in comparison to your typical Japanese green. The liquor is a fairly predictable greenish yellow and the aroma is a buttery, umami blend. The texture is very smooth and rich, with a buttery thickness that is sweet from the very first sip. I get very distinct notes of sweet squash from this tea. Overall, delicious, and I enjoyed this for several days in a row before tearing myself away to leave some for tea friends and move on to the next one in the lineup.

Definitely would recommend this one to anyone who enjoys Japanese greens and who would like to try something unique.

Recently sipped down the sample of this that I got from a stash sale. I’m quite a fan of bug bitten teas and this one was quite enjoyable. It has a nice depth and warmth brought out by the roast which supports the tropical fruit notes that I often find with bug bitten teas. It’s got a nice, moderate sweetness and is, overall, very easy to enjoy.

Received a sample of this from a tea friend and drank it a few weeks ago. I really need to get back into the habit of just directly putting my tasting notes here instead of saving them in email drafts and notes on my phone.

Anyhow. 2016 harvest. 4g
The smell of the leaves is sweet in the bag, and they take on a slightly buttery aroma once poured into my brewing vessel. The dry leaves are rather dark and chopped-looking, and they produce a light gold liquor.

The first steep tastes of sweet chestnut, and that persists into the second steep to be joined by an almost rice-like or grainy flavor. It kind of reminds me of having a bowl of cereal.

Overall, this was a really interesting tasting green tea that I enjoyed. Thanks for the sample, Hoálatha!

Recently finished up my sample of this that I’d slowly been working through over time. 2014 sample.

I was initially drawn to this tea because I was interested in trying Malawian tea and because of the unique shape it is rolled into.

I am a white tea fan, and I feel like this is one I definitely would like to try a fresher harvest of and that I would stock up on for the future, as these three year old leaves made for a fantastic sipping experience.

The liquor of this tea steeps out smooth and thick with a nice viscosity. The flavor is sweet and fresh to start, with notes of crisp melon, and as it opens up it becomes more bold with notes of chocolate and malt—not uncommon for white teas to take on some black tea characteristics after time. A nice sweetness lingers on the nose as you sip, and the color settles out to a nice gold. Definitely recommend giving this one a try.