Another stem tea and my first kukicha! I steeped this tea in 150 ml of 160F water for 60, 20, 20, 30, 40, 60, 90, 120, and 240 seconds.
The dry aroma is of roasted nuts, grass, and spinach. I’m surprised the first steep isn’t darker given the leaf appearance and roasty smell. I get notes of cream, roasted nuts, walnut skins, minerals, umami, and spinach. The next couple steeps have a lovely candied chestnut aroma, which appears less distinctly in the taste. By steep five, the tea has more spinach, grass, and minerals, though the roast is still there. The final steeps emphasize a heavier roast, nuts, grass, spinach, minerals, and umami.
I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this kukicha. I’ve been scarfing the last of my Dong Ding, so I guess the beginning of winter has made me want these types of nutty, cozy teas. I wish there was more of that candied chestnut and less of the grass, but overall, this is a nice, comforting, uncomplicated tea to enjoy on a fall afternoon.
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Flavors: Chestnut, Cream, Grass, Mineral, Roasted, Roasted Nuts, Spinach, Umami, Vegetal, Walnut
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My kukicha experience is very limited, but even what I bought unlabeled from a local indie-grocer bulk jar is precisely as you said: nutty and cozy.
Yes, I was actually very pleased with this tea, though I don’t think it has much room for nuance. I might get another kukicha someday.
My kukicha experience is very limited, but even what I bought unlabeled from a local indie-grocer bulk jar is precisely as you said: nutty and cozy.
Yes, I was actually very pleased with this tea, though I don’t think it has much room for nuance. I might get another kukicha someday.