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“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...” Read full tasting note
“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...” Read full tasting note
Like no other tea you have tried. This delicious full-bodied brew is made using a similar fermentation process to shōchū. The complex malty flavor has hints of fig and an aroma reminiscent of toasted chestnuts with a lingering finish.
A truly unique tea. We love this tea but differ in our interpretations of the flavors. Bob tastes caramel apples while Paula gets more of the malty flavor of a smooth bock beer. We look forward to your reviews to… Read more
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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!
Flavors: Acidic, Astringent, Pleasantly Sour, Raspberry, Thick
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!
