Sampler September! There were only green teas left in my PDX fundraiser bag, and I was in the mood for black tea this morning. Found this sampler from a long ago Yunomi order.
I had a Benifuuki cultivar wakocha in the past and loved it. No idea what cultivar(s) this tea is, but my brewed cup has a deep color and a strong bready/grain-like aroma, with a bit of a raisin/muscatel edge. (Is that a cat hair floating on top? …I choose to ignore that…)
Prepared western, using my own preferences for black tea rather than Yunomi’s guidelines (Japanese brewing guidelines always use a much higher leaf-to-water ratio that makes everything taste bitter to me). So half the sample (2.5g) in 350ml 205F water. I may drop the temperature to their suggested on my final serving, just to see if that makes any difference.
Mmm… the flavor definitely reminds me of the Benifuki black I tried and loved before. Leads with a somewhat malty but strongly bready flavor, with just a hint of raisin and cinnamon in that bread. A strong fruity presense quickly takes over, which tastes of a syrupy cherry and orange citrus. There is a mild florality but mostly it is just floral sweetness… a dab of wildflower honey. Super smooth.
I will have to add more wakocha back into my life… I appear to be a fan!
Flavors: Bread, Cherry, Cinnamon, Citrus, Floral, Fruity, Grain, Honey, Malt, Orange, Raisins, Smooth
Can you even have cats without a random cat hair floating in your tea (or drifting slowly past your face)? If so, someone needs to share their secret.
I have had so many sipdowns this month thanks to Sampler September. Such a great prompt. It feels good to get all those little packages out of my cabinet.
I’m so used to finding cat hair in the most insane places that it doesn’t even phase me anymore, hahaha. Sometimes I’m certain I ingest just as much cat hair as the cat does…
Ha yes, the air in my house is fully saturated with cat hair. My partner ends up in front of the mirror fishing cat hair out of his eyes every day, but I wear glasses and never have this problem, so I told him he should get some clear glasses just to keep the cat hairs out.