Yuzu Kukicha

Sip down!

Wow, there was quite a bit of tea for 2oz, I even tea traded some away.
Anyways, I’m having this iced, which came out lemony grapefruit bitter tart with lots of grassy matcha. I’m thinking the matcha in this gives the blend an energetic pep, especially since this is a winter tea to kill cold weather blues. However, it is still good in the summer for a refreshing iced energizer!

I need to sample more of Den’s flavored teas, but I love Sakura the best.

Checking my blog, whoa, this was one of the early reviews I did! http://oolongowl.com/2013/01/19/yuzu-kukicha-from-dens-tea-tea-review/

I think I could become very fond of this tea.

When I opened the package there were the familiar bright green twigs of kukicha, along with small yellow-orange flecks of yuzu and green matcha powder coating the inside of the bag (I reminded myself not to inhale too deeply). The yuzu smell is very strong when you smell this!

This brews up into a dark olive green liquid made slightly cloudy from the matcha powder. I haven’t had many yuzu flavored things, so this was fun to taste! There was a bit of kukicha flavor and then pow! tart yuzu, almost like lemon but my taste buds couldn’t quite place it. They went it’s like lemon…but no…maybe more like a mandarin…no…
The yuzu is a bit tart, but nowhere near hibiscus tart, just a pleasant citrus flavor. I think this could be really tasty iced.

Special thanks to Alphakitty for this one! I’ve enjoyed Yuzu lately. I think it especially goes good with green teas – both vegetal and sweet greens. This follows suit. It’s sweet-yuzu-orangish with a vegetal yet grassy-green tea base.

It’s brothy but sort of like flavored matcha but more than that.

It’s a goodie!

I may add more, or adjust the rating, since this is just my initial impression, however, without further adieu —

The dry leaf smells nice, definitely citrusy.
The leaf after infusion is really interesting. It is very savory, like spices from a dry rub marinade…do I detect lemon pepper? basil? sage? I think so.

The citrus from the yuzu is very nice; it is an enjoyable tart and a bit sweet, rather than sour. The kukicha is not overly strong, but is sweet and very approachable. This is a very fun tea, and like the other flavored options from Den’s, they seem to have done a very good job of adding a good flavor without taking from the excellent tea base.

This is a really uplifting cup of tea. I actually got worried about this after ordering it by reading several “sour” descriptions of yuzu, never having encountered yuzu before. But it really works here. This tastes pretty much like Den’s sencha with matcha, though lighter on the matcha. Then there’s an added, citrusy tang at the end of the sip. I would describe it as more sour than sweet, but not in a mouth-puckering way. It just makes a very fresh-tasting tea. Very nice. Though it still doesn’t stand up to the pineapple sencha for me!

Den’s tea sample of the month. I saw this tea featured on the website when I placed my order for Sencha Fuka Midori, but I didn’t order any. I don’t like naturally citrusy greens, so I didn’t expect to like one with yuzu chips. But I got a sample, so I tried it anyway.

It really is a nice refreshing tea, the kind I’d drink when I’ve had too many flavored samples in a row. My biggest complaint isn’t so much the yuzu flavor, but the bitterness, which might be due to the yuzu, I don’t know.

Anyway, it’s better than I thought it would be, but I am super picky about my green teas and I already have enough favorites to keep my cupboard full, so this won’t be joining them.

Here’s a picture of the tea in the pretty new tea cup that I got for my birthday yesterday:
http://i1105.photobucket.com/albums/h353/flightysprite/Tea/fallleafteacup_zpsb445f84d.jpg

I’ve wanted this mug since I first saw it in the Republic of Tea Catalogue. It’s just the right size (10oz) for me and a perfect weight. I don’t like heavy/bulky mugs and I usually have to settle for flimsy mugs that feel like toys, which are still better than getting a sore wrist from the heavier ones. But this one has a nice sturdy feel too it without being painful to hold for a long time. So lovely. :)

Omggg. Something I probably wouldn’t have purchased on my own but absolutely LOVED from the TTB. I am a total sucker for pretty much all citrus, so it’s a pleasure to experience a new-to-me flavor (yuzu). It’s sweet and creamy, yet also just a bit pithy and zesty? With a lovely gentle grassy kukicha base. I really should’ve taken better notes while sipping this tea yesterday, but it was a ridiculously hectic work + school day. :( Regardless, I’ll be keeping at least some of this from the TTB.

found this tin and thought it would be a good substitute for my regular ‘I-have-to-go-to-work-and-need-matcha’ morning. though, technically, this does have matcha in it as well. I love this tea and will have to savor what little I have left until the winter.

(drinking this iced, because everything needs ice in the summer)

I was running low on Den’s pineapple sencha, and checked the site. Saw it was Yuzu Kukicha season, so I got a pound of this instead. I had some last year, and regret not buying more. This is such a great everyday tea. Bright, charming, full of flavor, light sweetness, SO GREEN! The yuzu is very light in the background. I love drinking this iced to start the day, or have midday. I think I prefer the pineapple just a little bit more, BUT this is still up there. I do get a savory seaweedy element to it. I like it. I see this going well with seafood, sushi, or crab. Second brew isn’t as flavorful, or as green.

Well, this is the closest thing I have to a grapefruit tea after that Adagio sample. At least I know this one will be high quality! Stephanie and I split a package of this since neither of us wanted a full 2 ounces without trying it first. Yay for tea frens! I really liked the two Kukichas I tried recently from Yunomi, so I’m excited for this one. Inside the pouch are flat green stems along with teeny pieces of citrus peel, all coated in fine green powder. Dry scent is fairly strong on the citrus (I’ve never had a yuzu before, but I would describe the scent as somewhere between tangerine and lemon).

There’s actually not a lot of yuzu flavor in the taste, but it’s very delicious overall. The kukicha is mildly grassy/vegetal with a ton of sweetness (probably from the matcha as well). The yuzu flavor is more of an accent than the star. There’s just a bit of citrusy freshness that pops out at some moments, and especially in the aftertaste. Overall, it’s sweet, creamy, and delicious!