This just came in the mail today. I got a 2oz (56g) package because Den’s does a wonderful job with their seasonal teas, and I always like to get in early, especially with ones like their Sakura Sencha. They even included a sample of the Yuzu Kukicha and a complementary box of Earl Grey Fair Trade Organic Black Tea, which was a fun surprise as I had some of that in a sampler not too long ago.

Anyway, back to the Yuzu Kukicha. The smell when you open the bag is, in a word, interesting. Definitely a presence of citrus – that unique Japanese citric element that all Japan-enthusiasts come to recognize and love. It’s a beautiful color and the matcha is very pretty inside the bag.

First steep: Lovely color, just a gorgeous lime green. It is certainly a green tea, no mistaking it. The citrus doesn’t taste as strongly as you’d expect from the aroma, but it’s there, and it’s a delicious member of the drink. That being said, as the tea cools, the citrus becomes more noticeable, but the astringency does too, with a hint of fresh bitterness.

Overall, I like this tea. Perhaps not my absolute favorite Kukicha (I personally love their Tencha-Kuki Houjicha) but it’s certainly a wonderful seasonal drink. Den’s, of course, does such an amazing job with all of their teas and products that you end up sticking to the teas you were born with an enjoyment of; which is no insult to any of their teas, but humans are born with certain palates, and Den’s has the best of every tea, so you’ll naturally stick to what you like. But this tea is just wonderful and I recommend it to those who are in their stages of Green Tea Enthusiasm from advanced novices, all the way to fanatics.

Thanks Den! You’ve done it again!

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