I think this is my first Japanese black tea, and I’m excited to try it.
The dry leaf is dark, small and twisty and there’s a fair bit of orange dust in the bag. It smells earthy, musty and fruity.
This didn’t come with any steeping directions, so I figured I’d try steeping a cup at 96C. I set a time for three minutes, but after two it was starting to taste pretty strong, so I pulled the leaf out after 2:30.
The liquor is very dark brown and smells amazing. Intensely malty and fruity. The flavour is malty, sweet and has notes of ripe stone fruits. Ever so faint traces of bitter and astringency, and a touch of mineral on the finish, which dissolves to bread and plums. A fairly thick mouth feel, that’s coating, but not drying.
A second steep for 4:30 minutes provides another lovely cup.
I don’t think I need this in my cupboard – it’s delicious but not that unique.
Flavors: Astringent, Bitter, Bread, Earth, Fruity, Malt, Mineral, Musty, Plum, Sweet, Thick
