Himalayan Black Tartary Buckwheat Tea- Soba Tea From Daliangshan

Water: 8oz

Leaves: very tiny golden brown buckwheat

Steep: 4m

Aroma: Sweet & Wheaty

Color: bright yellow

Clarity: hint-cloudy

Taste: With this tea i decided to go by my own brewing technique instead of following the direct instructions. Using 8oz of water & 1tsp of buckwheat. The aroma shined once i opened the packet it was sweet & wheaty. I’ve been curious about buckwheat but never tried it till now. I also read else where you can eat them when your finish brewing tea. Pouring it in my cup it was nice i didn’t need a strainer because the tea gather in its own little cluster not moving as i poured. Only 2 pieces escaped the cluster falling into my cup. The color was bright yellow with a hit of cloudiness but i could see the bottom of my cup completely. Overall i found this to be not too surprising taste wise, just a nice simple cup of tea. I can see myself having it again.

Thank you Teasenz for this sample!

I received this tea as part of a sample from Teasenz. I’m not a big fan of roasted rice with green tea [Genmaicha] and so figured I wouldn’t like this one much. Wow was I surprised! I would say if you like Houjicha [roasted sencha] tea type flavors or heck even if you like a bowl of cheerios then you should give this tea at least a taste! If you want something warm, but a little different from the normal tisane/tea fare then definitely try this gem.

The smell reminds me of cereal, specifically regular cheerios for whatever reason. The taste is similar to the smell but with more pronounced roastyness [yes I make up words]. Definitely a afternoon or mealtime type tea.

There is nothing really exciting going on in my life at the moment, so instead of my usual introduction, I shall skip right along to the tea.

By tea, I mean herbal tea, since this tea is in fact tea-less, Teasenz’s Himalayan Black Tartary Buckwheat Tea- Soba Tea From Daliangshan! If you are not familiar with Tartary Buckwheat (Fagopyrum tataricum) do not feel too bad, unlike its more well traveled cousin Common Buckwheat, this plant is pretty much not eaten this side of the world. So, hailing from the Hunagduan Mountains’ cold climate, here is some roasted seed tea! I am such a sucker for roasted and grainy smelling/tasting things, so this is going to be right up my alley. The aroma is is like a big bowl of cereal without the milk, like sweet roasted grain, baking bread, and honey. In fact, it honestly reminds me of Honey Nut Cheerios, a grain heavy aroma, but with a distinct honey sweetness.

So, writing about this made me think about it, so I am also drinking this tea while writing about it! Usually I do not do that, but it does happen sometimes. It doesn’t help that I am super sleepy and the idea of a toasty herbal tea just sounds perfect right now. So while my tea is steeping I shall write about the soggy buckwheats, their aroma is delicious. Seriously, it is like a blend of grain and nut butters, baking bread, and warmed honey being drizzled over said bread. You know those commercials that have someone sensually drizzling honey over baked bread and the image is so delicious you can practically smell it through the TV? It is one of those moments. The liquid is pretty sweetly fantastic too, not as strongly nutty, still some intense notes of cashews along with cereal and honey. Still reminds me of Honey Nut Cheerios, and I am totally ok with that.

I actually have been drinking this tea quite a bit since I got the samples, I am notoriously fond of having my last cup of tea be either roasted corn tea (Oksusucha) or Sobacha (roasted regular ol’ buckwheat tea) so I am actually drinking my last cup now, sad. One thing that really surprised me was how incredibly smooth it is, and thick, with an almost creamy mouthfeel. Someone drizzled honey over buttered bread it seems! I can’t stop comparing this to baked really heavily grainy bread (like the kinds that make the outrageous 20 different grains claim on their packaging, come on, at least 10 of those are different kinds of wheat) that I have been known to eat copious amounts of. Freshly baked and drizzled with honey, Tartary is sweeter and buttery-er, than common buckwheat, especially as it cools, which really brings out the sweetness. Also if you are feeling adventurous, taking a bit of honey and drizzling it over the now thoroughly cooked tartary makes for a tasty snack!

For blog and photos: http://ramblingbutterflythoughts.blogspot.com/2015/05/teasenz-himalayan-black-tartary.html