A fire crackles. Walking towards it, you see a lone man, sitting on the ground. Beside him, a beat up kettle hangs over the open flame. Pitch black liquid churns inside at a rolling boil. From beneath the wide brim of his hat, the man lifts his eyes to meet yours. With his face now illuminated by the flame, you realise he is not just any cowboy, he is me! I stand up and extend my hand in greeting. Offering you something to drink, gesturing to the pot. Before responding, you notice a small wrapper roll across the ground like a tumbleweed. It depicts a can of gasoline, and reads: “KUURA TEA COMPANY. ALL DAY EVERY DAY BLACK TEA.” This is not Cowboy Coffee…this is TEA! You steal my horse and run away.
Talk about a punch in the face. On first sip, I let out an audible “wooh!” From how aggressive the tannins were, hitting the roof of my mouth. I’ve never experienced cowboy coffee, but this is how I imagine it to taste. It reminded me of what happened the time I cut open a black tea bag out of curiosity, and tried to steep it’s contents outside of their little home. I really wanted to be fair with this tea, but it gave me such a visceral reaction, that writing about it in a neutral way wouldn’t be honest. The color of Go-juice is intense dark. When poured, lighter liquid hits your cup first, followed by an inky brown that consumes it. Tasting notes: unsweetened baker’s chocolate, with an unidentified fruit hanging out in the background. No matter what parameters I used to brew this with, the dryness and astringency was too much for me to find enjoyable. If you enjoy a strong builder’s brew, perhaps Go-juice is the tea for you. For me? It’s time to hit the trail in search of a different budget friendly yunnan black.
