2020 Yabukita Wakocha, 'Japanese Darjeeling'

August Sipdown Prompt – National Secondhand Wardrobe Day

I got the bonus points but I admit I had to go change clothes because I nearly forgot today’s prompt. Dress was a much too large purchase from the Salvation Army store to which I added bodice tucks to attempt to make it fit better. It didn’t work and I use it as a comfy house dress that I don’t care about which is why it never gets a stain. I also removed a pocket from Ashman’s worn out khaki pants and added it on the right side. The pocket is huge. I could smuggle puppies in it. Or movie theater snacks.

The tea was also a dilemma. I have lots of tea given by other people. Most of my tea is probably gifts from other people. But is that really secondhand? Then I remembered that I few teas left from WhiteAntlers Swedish Death Purge, and I believe those fully qualify.

Today I took special care to explore the aroma of the leaves. The most prominent note was whole black Tellicherry peppercorn. I decided to make the tea at a slightly cooler temperature this time, going with 175°F.

This was very good with my breakfast, although most people would probably consider it an afternoon tea. I drank it sans additions. A mild black peppercorn taste was noticeable but joined by fleeting florality on the swallow. The characteristic raw “green” edge of darjeeling was also noted. Next pot will be a sipdown!

I’ve been trying to limit my caffeine intake due to a persistent bout of insomnia, but it’s Christmas Eve and I decided to celebrate with this special tea. I steeped 3.5 g of leaf in a 355 ml mug using 195F water for 3.5, 5, and 7 minutes.

As Derk mentioned, the aroma of the dry leaves is very like that of a Darjeeling, with notes of honey, grain, citrus, muscatel, and flowers. The first steep has notes of passion fruit (which I probably couldn’t have named without Derk’s review), citrus, muscatel, raisins, honey, orange blossom and other flowers, malt, chilli leaf, tannins, and wood. The tea’s woody, slightly spicy, and floral profile persists into the second steep, though the passion fruit isn’t as noticeable and there are more raisin/muscatel notes. The third steep has notes of malt, tannins, raisins, earth, and wood.

This is my first Japanese black tea, and although I’d read that they can be abrasive, this was nothing of the sort. Thanks to Derk for sending me a sample of this tea. I’ll be exploring more Japanese Wakocha in the future.

If I hadn’t known this was a first flush Japanese black tea, I’d call it a second or an autumn flush Darjeeling.

It’s very aromatic. The dry leaf smells so much like a Darjeeling even down to the musky, green chillies/leaf, desert earth/incense descriptions I tend to give to those teas. Very floral in the nose and mouth. Lots of smooth and rich grain-malt and muscatel (plus some other fruitiness I can at best guess say is passionfruit) in the first two thirds of the sip, then in the back of the mouth it flattens out. I had Keak da Kook take a few sips this morning. She said when she swallowed it was like toilet water in the back. Ok, Keak. Other than that she enjoyed the flavors and aroma and so did I.

Thanks for sending my way White Antlers! I think I shipped some off to Leafhopper. If so, I’d love to see that tasting note :)