1033 Tasting Notes
Floral and vegetal aroma in the infusing leaves. Smooth mouth feel. My first sip was full of vegetal notes. Eventually, I will make zucchini bread but having a gong fu session sounded so nice. Grassy notes come out a bit as you steep it longer. Similar to Japanese grassy notes but with more mineral tones. A bit of popcorn, steamed green beans, and some minerality in the wet leaves. Now on the 4th session. I think. There is an interesting clarity to the flavor. The vegetal notes are mellowed As are the floral notes. But for some reason the word clarity comes to mind first.
Charcoal roasted oolong are an interesting phenomenon. Because one would think you would end up with notes like you do in Lapsang but these farmers are so adept at what they do that you get the charcoal without the smoky. At least in my opinion. There are so many sweet notes that remind me of creme brulee. Especially the top bit that becomes hardened by the flame. Yum, yum, yum.
Wet leaf aroma: Burnt sugar. Brown sugar. Charcoal. Slight caramel.
Mouth feel: Silky. Incredibly smooth. The definition of full-bodied.
Brought my son into urgent care last night because he had been having chest pain. After losing a grandpa to a heart attack I didn’t want to mess around and my anxiety was through the roof. Turns out it was costochondritis. To anyone who works in the healthcare industry I know your job is rough but thank you THANK YOU for what you do. So so much.
In the process of buying some things from this website (Which I have been part of since close to its first days) I noticed that they were now offering matcha. Generally, I do not buy matcha from a company that is not tea focused but like Curious George…. I was curious. It is a decent matcha. The coloring is fair but could be a bit brighter. It whisks very nicely. I was surprised at how nicely the froth looked. And the mouthfeel is a testament to this as well in how smooth it is. But the taste is just… not quite what I was hoping. It is a bit harsh for drinking ceremonial style. But as a latte, it works great.
This tea is by this company from this company by this farmer.. holy middle man smoley… But it is a good thing for the farmer. More eyes on his tea.
Marine attributes will assault your nose first. Fish market. Seaweed. Salted dried fish. And raw woods. Green woods. That is all in the liquor aroma. The marine notes fade for the woody notes in the flavor. Deep mossy woods. Red wood forest. There is an astringency but it doesn’t fully develop until you steep it longer. It’s slightly metallic when steeped too long. It is also very smooth on the palate.
Stems, leaves, twigs. If one were to grab a fistful of this and show it to a nontea drinker they might wonder what tree you grabbed it from nearby. It is very raw in its appearance. More so than any bancha I’ve seen before. The aroma is slightly marine and slightly herbal but both are very minimal in detection. It is not an in-your-face green tea like some are. It has a wildness to it with a bit of nuttiness.
Why did it feel slightly slimy like noodle water when I squeezed the infuser… Weird. The dry leaf kind of reminds me of the smell of plaster but the wet leaf is very different. Sweet and a mixture of spices. The mouthfeel is very smooth. The flavor… pasty… not pastry. Like poi. It’s unique.
The leaf is such a beautiful green color and it smells so richly of sweet grass. Even the wet aroma is laden with it but also with a unique hint of tropical mango and vegetal notes. The mouthful is very smooth. Full of vegetal notes, cooked and some fresh, as well as hay, grass, umami, and a slight milk.
This was one of my original cupboard favorites. There is a note I wrote on one of the last pages but as an ode to this tea, I wanted to write one more. Lupicia did a good job / does a good job they’re just harder for those of us in the USA to get hold of these days. I’ve held onto this one far longer than I should have. It still smells wonderful but I can tell it has diminished. The flavor is not what it used to be. Sadface. I will not change my rating because the original at it’s prime is truly delicious.
