Grays Teacake Kukicha

Super backlogged on teas right now; will hopefully catch up by the end of the week (and read some tasting notes, too!) Until then, I’ll jot down some thoughts on a couple new teas from my 52teas order that just arrived!

This tea was delicious, and pretty much what I could have hoped for. Light, sweet, creamy coconut, toasty kukicha base, not a hint of astringency. Lightly flavoured, but absolutely delicious. Looking very much forward to having more of this one; I’d like more right now, actually (how convenient – there’s a resteep on my counter!)

Hello! I’m back (for the time being). I’ve been really busy lately, because we are redecorating/deep cleaning my apartment. So I haven’t really had time for tea. This morning I decided to try something I haven’t tried before, so this fit the bill.
I’ve never had a “Grey’s Teacake” before, so I really don’t know what to go by. Basically, I’m going in blind here.

180F/3min 2tsp/16oz

Taste is… wow that is surprisingly good. So good in fact that I forgot to add my usual Single Splenda that I add to 52 teas. It’s tasty enough without any sweetener. I’m getting the coconut, but it isn’t overpowering. I’m also tasting a roasted flavor, and I guess that’s the Kukicha. It’s a really balanced tea all on it’s own. I’m actually afraid to add sweetener because it may make the coconut too sweet. This is a good one. I heartily recommend this as it is a good combination of roasted flavor and mild coconut. Oh, and usually, I don’t like coconut in tea, but this one is really good even with the coconut. All in all, a great tea, and a great start to the day.

I was utterly unfamiliar with the existence of Grays Teacakes prior to this tea. If I’ve understood correctly, they are kind of like coconut toffee/brittle? I haven’t tasted them so I can only comment on how tasty this tea was on its own.

I am a fan of coconut, loving both coconut macaroon cookies and those coconut hostess Sno-Ball cakes. This tea smelled deliciously creamy and nutty in the dry leaf. It reminded me of a hostess Sno-Ball without the chocolate.

I have not had toasted kukicha before, only the greener variety. I remember it being bright and tart and a strangely fruity compared to other green teas. Toasted, the kukicha tea tastes much more like toasted hojicha, mostly with warm, roasted notes and a gentle mouthfeel. The leaves were also strange and fascinating, the long kukicha style leaves, rolled tightly in on themselves (long-wise) from the toasting.

Brewed, everything about this tea is warm and roasty. The coconut adds a lovely vanilla cream nuttiness and the toasted kukicha brings a bit of a puffed rice and golden toast flavor alongside it.

It is surprisingly cake-like without being to cloying or starchy. I see this being a favorite afternoon tea when I’m not in the mood for too sweet of a tea blend but still want to feel cozy and pampered.

Hello Everybody! This is another Tea of the Week for January (Retro Candy Shop Month!) – this tea was inspired by a candy called (interestingly enough) “Grays Teacake” which really doesn’t taste much like a teacake at all – but more like a sweet, toasted coconut-y, chewy candy with hints of caramel.

I must admit that as far as candy goes, this wasn’t my favorite in the box but I did enjoy it (I placed an order with “Handy Candy” for some old fashioned British candies – for research purposes only, you understand). I decided to craft this tea primarily because of the name of the tea – I mean, how could I NOT craft a Grays Teacake blend for Retro Candy Shop month?

And I’m glad I decided to go with this blend, because even though the candy wasn’t my favorite, the tea is fantastic. Oh, I enjoyed the candy well enough, but I certainly had a few favorites in my box – this one was yummy but not one of those favorites. But this is a lovely tea: it has a lovely roasty-toasty flavor, a sweet, creamy coconut note and a touch of caramel in the background.