Royal Highland Kenyan Green

I had some last week and more today and it’s a goody as long as you don’t over steep – which Stacy DID mention this in the description. Thanks Stacy! It can get bitter – you’ve been warned LOL

But seriously – this is a decent Kenyan Green. It’s thick, a bit grassy, a little like spinach, with a hint of sweet.

I do think this is a nice offering and think the more who try it will tinker with it and find they appreciate it! It’s dandy!

This free sample came from Butiki – thank you so much Stacy!

This is really good, it reminds me of a few Indian greens I have tried. The tea is robust with strong vegetal notes, I’m definitely getting the kale and spinach type of flavor. There’s some palette cleansing astringency present, I might have oversteeped this a tad because I wasn’t really watching what I was doing. I wouldn’t say it became bitter although it is slightly sour in flavor but the nuttiness also gives it somewhat of a rich and brothy character.

Anyway I like it! It’s super flavorful and lively. If you’re into more robust Chinese greens like chun mee or you might want to give this one a whirl. I was kind of asleep before I drank this and now I feel pretty zippy… on the shopping list it goes!

ps – I also got a nice 2nd steep out of it

This green is more sweet the vegetal, but different than other “sweet” greens that I’ve had. I can’t quite explain the difference though. I steeped it according to directions with 160F water for 3 min. There’s a very tiny hint of bitterness, but not bad.

It’s an OK green tea, but I prefer a serious vegetal soup most of the time. I have room for some exceptions for sake of variety, but this one doesn’t quite make the cut.

My first African tea. Tastes rich, vegetal, and maybe a little floral as well perhaps. I’ve been drinking a lot of Japanese green teas lately, so this is a nice change to something a little different. At about 165F for just over two minutes I didn’t find it bitter at all.

Drank this again tonight…and I have no idea where I was getting the “Bancha” thing from before, because right now, it’s tasting so fruity. Fruity in a way that Bancha never is…. This is such an interesting green. I really love it!

Very vegetal, with a rather strong charred note like grilled asparagus or some other green vegetable. Quite similar to what I recall the Rwanda Rukeri tasting like. Pleasant mouthfeel – at the end of the sip, there’s a drying sensation on the tongue, but not so much that your mouth feels sandpapery.

Judging from the African greens I’ve had from Butiki, they may not be my thing. I do tend to like vegetal flavors, but this might be a little much for me!