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“Initial tasting notes for the second oolong-black tea I purchased from Yuuki-Cha. (If you are interested in what “oolong-black” means, check the extra info I put on this tea’s page) Looking inside...” Read full tasting note
From the summer harvest, a limited oolong-black tea from Gokase Town in Miyazaki which is made from the rather difficult-to-come-by Minami Sayaka varietal.
In contrast to the sweet ambrosial nature of our other oolong-black Sakimidori we are also offering this year, this one offers a rather different mouthfeel. It still remains exceptionally aromatic and is rather sweet flavored however it has a touch more excitement and piquancy on the finish. A contrast that we liked a lot, and the reason we decided to offer both!
About Oolong-blacks:
Oolong-Blacks, an innovation from a grower in Gokase Town, Miyazaki! Oxidized longer than your typical oolong tea, yet shorter than your typical black tea. Slightly different withering and firing techniques are also employ to create quite a unique category of Japanese tea! These are limited and still very much a new concept, so if you try them please let us know what you think!
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YunomiInitial tasting notes for the second oolong-black tea I purchased from Yuuki-Cha. (If you are interested in what “oolong-black” means, check the extra info I put on this tea’s page)
Looking inside the pouch, the dry leaves shares a lot of similarities with the Sakimidori oolong-black tea and when brewed they expand to big whole leaves. If I had to compare the wet leaf appearance with other teas, it might be similar to Dan Cong oolong. Which somewhat makes sense because these are not rolled into balls.
Drinking from the first steep, it has an interesting zesty/citrus and cherry flavour. Like the other oolong-black, there is a nice grains flavour and feel to the liquor, along with the soft and smooth (not astringent) body. The tea body itself at first shows strong black tea characteristics, but with each sip you get a bit of oolong charm. So more along the lines of drinking a FF Darjeeling, it’s not entirely like a black tea.
Second steep was a bit weaker and gained a sweetness similar to honey. The zesty cherry notes came out a bit more, but the grains feeling to the liquor faded. It’s not very memorable after each sip, but it’s an otherwise enjoyable experience.
If I had to compare this to other teas, I first have to explain that because it’s an “oolong-black” I think all comparisons are one piece of the puzzle. So it reminds me of Sun Moon Lake and also of Dan Cong oolongs, but the similarities are just but one aspect. Along with the Sakimidori oolong-black, I can only really recommend these to people looking to try something strange and new. This isn’t a “must buy”, but a “fun buy”!
Another thing I’d like to comment on here at the end of my tasting note, is how I’ve noticed that the 4 teas I bought from Yuuki-Cha (2 oolong-black, 2 black) all share a grains character. I find this to be highly enjoyable, but it’s worth mentioning here in case you like or dislike this feature.
About 150ml of water in a glass teapot, 1 tsp, 2 steeps (3min, 4min)
