SuMo

I walked in to the office after a brisk little walk and my colleague mentioned she helped herself to the tea on my desk. Totally cool! She LOVED it. She had never tried it before but I always keep a stash in my desk!
This tea is like nectar. I like to brew it strong. I think that when you brew it strong you are really extracting the body of tea found in ancient tea trees. There are nice fruity notes in this tea. I taste peach and nectar and the love of the ancient trees.

I said, " I need to make tea." Then magically my colleague fills my cup with Gokubo! My favorite kukicha, ever!

I can not drink any other kukicha after drinking this one. There is a wonderful citrus note and no astringency. It is rich and sweet and pretty complex. The infusion color is a beautiful rich green color.

This tea is truly a treat. I just made some with my friend and we can’t help but smiling at each other. It is so delicate yet rich with flavor. The dry leaf is emerald and full of oils. The wet leaf aroma has notes of evergreen and you can just smell the rich, milky umami. I will be re-steeping this at least two more times.

I like this Gyokuro because of the differences in the Yame growing area. The Yame area uses different fertilizing than the Uji area does. The Uji area also tends to use the Goku bushes which naturally take in a lot of nitrogen. They then use very concentrated fertilizing practices to pump up the plant.
The fertilizing practices in Yame are different and the tea tends to have less of the super umami but does have a nice range of complexity.

This is the tea that turned to on to Japan. This shipment has really nice complexity and balance. It is a blend of a few primo varietals. Nice umami, nice color, nice chi. Mr. Nishi-san is one of my heros.

It had been a while since I had made our current lot. I had forgotten how great this batch is. This lot is made from many grades including some pu-erh palace. It has great complexity and very nice body. The leaf size is very small because it is made up of higher grades but delicious. I will put away my 2005 lot and enjoy this lot, now!

This is the Earl Grey that turned me onto this style. I used to HAAATE it before!

I made cold brew! Tea in a glass pitcher, fill with cold water and let sit in fridge for four hours. INTOXICATING!

I filled my guywan halfway and have been doing super quick infusions. I am on my fourth. FYI: Goes great with chocolate which I am eating for breakfast.

I love the taste of spring.

Reminds me of a tropical vacation. Today I was in the mood for Japanese teas and this hit the spot. I would love this with Sushi!

I needed the savory today! Satisfied. Now onto something a little more vegetal.

I would have to say this is in my top 3 favorite teas. I think it has great qi and makes my cheeks pink when I have it first thing in the morning. It is probably my favorite tea to have first thing in the morning. When I taste it I can see the leaf bud on the plant taking in the dew of spring. I really like the sweetness this tea offers. It is high in amino acids and low in catechins which is why it has such nice sweetness. The sweetness of amino acids to me in synonymous with the fresh taste of spring.

I use more than the recommended amount and higher temperature. I like to get a rich mouthfeel and extract all of the goodness from the leaf. I let it infuse until I have a deep yellow infusion. (Over night cold brew is also delicious!)

Just opened a new bag, so smooth.

I just made it and it is super fruity!

I am still feeling a little under the weather, so I brewed two SUPER STRONG pots of this and I am no longer coughing. On my way to recovery! Sweet and spicy and full of beneficial herbs. I brewed two heaping tablespoons (for 13.5 oz) for about 10 minutes.

Complex and unusual. I prepared in a guywan about 1/3 full. The aroma brings you in, the initial taste is light and fruity and the back of your mouth tastes deep and rich floral notes. Hoppy is right on point. New favorite.