Yamamotoyama

Steepsterites, when was the last time you got four flavourful steeps out of one traditional teabag full of fannings? I can tell you exactly when the last time that happened to me and that is approximately just about never.

Until today!

This stuff is holding out quite well, although I’m not going to try and get a fifth cup out of it. The fourth is already on the decline, so I don’t think I would get much out of another go.

Fleurdelily shared this one with me. There were loads of teabags of this one, and I’ve kept a third of them for myself and sent the other two thirds with Husband to work, where he’s enjoying the change of pace from his usual lemon and/or earl grey. I feared that if I didn’t I might never get around to drinking all of them up. I’ve had this a few times now, though, and I can now say that I don’t think I needed have any such fears. It’s really surprisingly enjoyable.

Very broth-y in flavour and reminding me a bit of cooked mushrooms.

73 Rating: Mild flavor, warm almost oaky tones. When brewed, the tea is not bright green, it is more beige/ yellow with slight green. A little boring at first, but it is growing on me. This tea has some nice overtones, that are woody oaky yet not too bitter. Very slight bitter aftertaste if overstepped. Reasonable price +- 6.50 US dollar for 3.5 oz

1/08/2013
55 Rating: I now find this tea exceedingly neutral and lacking flavor so I’ve downgraded the rating.

My ultimate green tea drink. I adore the flavour :)

Backlog for more info~

Picked some up for when I’m too lazy to brew my loose leaf teas. Love the nutty taste. Nomnom

Thank you Starberry for sending me this sample!

Mmmm… This is good. I wanted something smooth and simple at work and this tea did not disappoint! This is also my first time having oolong on its own (though now that I taste it, I’m pretty sure I’ve had it at restaurants before) and I’m glad I did because I really like it a lot! It’s one of those teas that you can just have no matter what kind of mood you’re in. Unlike chais, breakfast teas, and herbals, I have to be craving their flavors. This is the taste I used to think of when I thought of tea as a child. It kind of makes me wonder what higher quality oolongs taste like on their own.. BECAUSE THIS IS PRETTY GREAT TO ME! It’ll be interesting to compare. I’ve got some Monkey-picked oolong at home that I can try and see the difference!

The only thing I have against this tea is that it leaves my mouth feeling dry after taking a sip.

I’ll definitely be picking some of this up for work!

Most definitely my favorite bagged oolong; actually this tea is at the top of my list in general HAHA! I think it’s been summed up well by others: Solid and classic, incredibly forgiving, malty, smokey and smooth. In all honesty it’s a really basic tea but wow I could drink it forever. —MAN I’m running low on it and need to get more!

MY LATE NIGHT TEA CHOICE FOR TONIGHT. It’s pretty cold in here and I’ve got this steeping really strong this time so its soooper flavorful.

Just a great standard light jasmine tea!

brewed 95degree for 3min, surprised how different reviews this tea has!
actually i’m on the side of positives as i love this roasted, ‘salty’ smell,
it remains me a flavor of roasted sea salt or asian soup salted by soybean sauce in its most elegant way.. perfect for windy days in autumn, when people start to burn up the fallen leaves. i don’t know what kind of foods japanese people take with hojicha
but to me it’s appealing when i drink it solely, or salty snacks, or any meals.

but don’t take my review seriously,
i hesitated a while to mention like ‘roasted sea salt’ after ‘roasted popcorn’
they’re all salty, although..

A review of Oolong Tea by YamaMotoYama
Date: 10/16/2012
Company: YamaMotoYama
Tea Name: Oolong Tea
Tea Type/Varietal: Oolong
Region: Japan
Steeping Vessel/Amt. Leaf: cup/ tea bag
Plucking Season:
Liquor Color: dark rustic brown
Leaf Characteristics:

1st Steeping:
Water temperature: 190 Fahrenheit
Time: 3 minutes

Note: I have been enjoying several loose leaf oolong teas and I remember that I had this Oolong tea in tea bags and I thought to fix myself a cup.
I use one tea bag and pour boiling water over the tea bag in my cup and leave it to steep for a few minutes.

I remove the tea bag from my cup to find that the tea’s color is a dark rustic brown. Tea smells wonderfully of roasted chestnuts. It smells very strong, I notice as much of the tea bag prior to immersing it in water. Tea tastes smooth and I continue to smell that smoky aroma, making for the darkness in the tea. Once I get past the smoky flavor there is a sweeter, mellower side to this oolong.

2nd Steeping:
Water temperature: 200 Fahrenheit
Time: 3 minutes

Note: I continue to enjoy this oolong tea as previously. It has a strong smoky flavor and scent and after a few sips one can appreciate the smoothness and honey texture of the tea’s liquor when swallowed.

Overall, both cups of tea have that strong aroma of roasted chestnut and the tea itself is smooth and sweet with no astringency.

A review of Oolong Tea by YamaMotoYama

I have been enjoying having this tea with my afternoon meal and it is very nice and light; goes well with most of my dinner dishes.

I usually make one large pot of this tea for the afternoon tea consumption. I take a few tea bags and place this in a pan filled with freshly drawn cold tap water and leave to boil for over five minutes.

Tea brews a very darken orange color and gets lighter as more water is added. I do not add anything to my cup of tea. I simply enjoy the smoky aroma with its refreshing flavor of raw peach or nectarine. Tea has not after taste; it is simply divine as is.
Overall, this Oolong tea is great as an after dinner or with dinner drink, it quenches the thirst and leaves one feeling very satisfied with their meal.

A review of Oolong Tea by YamaMotoYama

I have tried many of the YamaMotoYama tea brand and I am happy to say I am trying another of their tea.
I am using one tea bag in my cup and pour the boiling water over the tea bag. I leave it to steep for a few minutes; I then remove the tea bag and put it aside.
Tea’s color is dark amber, very orange like in the coloring and the tea’s aroma is that roasted chestnut kind of smell. It is a very pleasant aroma. As I taste this I find that I am enjoying the malty and smoothness of it, and remind me of the Foojoy Oolong teas that I had purchased a while back.

I seem to prefer the darker oolong for their roasted flavoring and that smokiness in the cup, all good for after a meal or to drink while having a heavy meal.

I like this tea and that it is Oolong tea with no astringency at all. It is malty and smoothing to the palate.

Forgot about this one! It’s delicious though. It still reminds me of a green jolly rancher :)

This tea looks so pretty! Green tea with rose petals and apple pieces. Well it smells exactly like a green apple jolly rancher and made my mouth water. The cool thing about this tea is you can still taste the green tea along with the apple. I think I’d actually be comfortable with saying the green tea is the dominate flavor. The sour apple is pretty subtle along with the rose. No icky fake flavor or after taste. All the flavors of this tea blend SO well together. Quite possibly one of my new favorites :)

This tea is so decent for the price, and for being a bagged tea. It has a great smoky/malty flavor, and like K S said you can oversteep it and no problem. I once let a cup of this go an extra 6 minutes while I was prepping dinner, and no harm done.

Having had one style of Genmai Cha inspired me to have another of a different brand and style tea bag. This tea box have individually sealed bag and is instructed to steep tea for 1 – 3 minutes.

I take fully boiled water and place my teabag in the cup and add the water and leave for a three minutes steep time.

I know that shorter steeps make for a stronger tea, yet I always prefer for tea to be cooked long as possible. Tea aroma is a roasted and nutty scent.
Tea’s color is brownish and kind of runny like. It is not clear, but not milky either. That is why I am using the term runny; like adding water into a cup that once held milk in it.

Upon tasting the tea, it is grainy in texture and steamy. Tasting like a cup of rice soup and leaving one feeling full.

Overall, these Genmai Cha teas are grainy in texture with a roasted nuttier side to it and makes for a very refreshing cup of tea.

This tea is a mixed bag (pun intended?). I’ve drank a lot of cups of this tea, and sometimes it tastes fantastic and fresh, and other times it’s weak and stale. I guess it depends on how long ago the store stocked it. I find that steeping it on the longer side (around 3 mins) tends to be a good idea.

First hojicha and I quite like it. Quite different than green or black tea.

This morning I went to an intense hatha yoga class that almost did me in! oh no! There were two ladies there who looked like they were in their 60’s and they did great. I hope I’m healthy for a long time too.

I’m having a broccoli and Field Roast sausage stir fry for lunch. This genmaicha is a perfect accompaniment to many different kinds of food. It was a good value for the price as well. See previous notes for additional info.

Experience of going to Japantown where I got this tea can be found in my blog, here: http://sanfrantea.teatra.de/2012/05/12/on-a-quest-for-tea-in-japantown/

This genmaicha has more toasted rice than some other brands I have, but I really don’t mind. I got the loose leaf version and it was certainly reasonably priced at $5.00 a bag. I think the green tea here is a bancha. Genmaicha was one of the first Japanese teas I really got into. This has a lovely popcorn aroma and a nice nutty flavor with only a trace of bitterness. A great tea to pair with food, or for the evening time when you don’t want a lot of caffeine.

A very good, every day genmaicha!

A review of Genmai-cha by Yamamotoyama

Genmai-Cha is Green tea with roasted brown rice. Since having tried this Houjicha with its roasted flavoring, I thought let me try some of my older teas.

This Genmai-cha is in tea bags sealed individually. So I take one tea bag and put this in my cup and pour into my cup the hot water already boiled. I let to steep for a few minutes. And already the air is filled with that heady roast. Not as prevalent as the Houjicha or the Haiku teas but similarly so.

This tea’s color is a lovely light green tea, and I can smell the nutty brown rice coming through in the tea’s aroma.

This tea makes for a very soothing choice after meals and can be consumed throughout the day.

A review: Genmai-cha by Yamamotoyama

This is my mid-day tea that I turn to when wanting a cup that will make me feel full. I like it mid-day brewed for a few minutes, really hot and as I sip the tea, I can think of cooking rice later on in the evening for dinner. As this will tie me up nicely for now.
I like that the aluminum-sealed teabag does keep to their freshness since I have had this tea still in stock for some time now. This is another good tea as the nutty brown rice is evenly distributed with the mixture of green tea.