Osada Tea

So glad my tea swap package arrived today! First time doing a tea swap and it has been super fun so far :). Thank you, Tiffany, for the opportunity to try such a unique tea! I have never had a dark tea from Japan.

This one is super different from other dark teas I’ve had. The leaves appear much greener than most dark teas, so I have guess that the fermentation period is much shorter than the wet piling of shou. The smell of the dry leaves is actually a very potent and bright raspberry, which is quite unusual for a dark tea. The flavor is also very acidic/sour, though in a nice way. A touch of astringency in the early infusions without any bitterness or sweetness. This is the first time I’ve had such potent sourness from a tea, and it reminds me of kombucha. I have to believe the sourness is from the use of a black mold to ferment the leaves, as other fungal-fermented beverages (wine, beer) and sourdough bread can all have similar sour tastes. On the other hand, shou puerh is mostly fermented by bacteria (as far as I understand), so that likely explains the difference between the overarching flavor profiles.

Mouthfeel is thick and pleasant with good lasting aftertaste. Very intrigued to try some other Japanese dark teas now!

This tea was technically part of a green tea set from Nio Teas but the main company they sourced this from is Osada so I think it’s only fitting to give Osada the credit. But here’s to Nio as well for the awesome sampler. Upon opening the package I was hit with a very cocoa-forward aroma mixed with dry grasses and hay. The dry stems are a wonderful color blend of light and dark greens. After infusing the turn muted greens. The aroma from the wet leaves/stems is very reminiscent of cooked asparagus. The mouthfeel is soft with no astringency. The flavor is grassy but also creamy with vegetal hints.

As a tea adventurer, I love discovering tea that is unknown to most. This tea is a gold mine for adventurers and info nerds. Before I dive down the rabbit hole of this tea, let me tell you that this is unlike any tea you’ve had before. Yes, it is a dark tea. And yes it does have notes that are reminiscent of a dark tea with musty and earthy tones but it also has intense woody and minimal varnish notes, barely any astringency, and some unique very dark chocolate aftertaste flavors. I also get a slight sensation of a homemade waffle cone as it slides down my throat.

So rabbit hole. Here we go. This tea actually comes from a company called Osada Tea. It is unique in that they are the only company that makes the tea because they are the ones that created it. “Japanese tea made with a patented manufacturing method called the microbial control fermentation method, incorporating sake production techniques to tea.” Fascinating!