Yoshida Chaen

2021 Homemade Advent Calendar Swap – Day 6
From Skysamurai.

When I first opened the pouch, I was certain this was a green tea. My initial thought was that it smells vegetal, but after thinking about it I realized that it reminds me most of moringa or spirulina. Not being familiar with Wakocha, also spelled Wakoucha I think, I looked online and found that this is actually a Japanese black tea – what a surprise!

I steeped according to the instructions on the Global Japanese Tea Association website as this was apparently part of their Japanese Tea Marathon. Also, the Yoshida Chaen website is in Japanese and even after using Google to convert to English I couldn’t find this specific tea. After steeping, the leaves are very large and very green. Even more surprising, this black tea that smells like a green tea actually tastes like an oolong! It has a slightly bitter, roasted quality to it. While I love black teas and can enjoy an oolong on occasion, I think this tea would be better appreciated by someone with a far more refined palate than my own. It’s so unique and complex. I’m definitely glad I got to try it.