From Dark Matter 2016:
I’ve been looking forward to this one! The leaves are latge whole, and brittle. They have a mottled appearance and honestly look more like something you would find outside on the ground than processed tea. The smell is tart and very much like umeboshi. I used the second set of brewing parameters on the package.
The tea isnt sour but does have just a hint of tartness. The umeboshi flavor is there and a bit of a briney taste. It’s defiantly a savory tea, and goes down smooth. I grew a shiso plant once and preserved the leaves in salt, and this tastes much like those leaves once they were rinsed. I got two good steps out of this. When I first saw this added to the group buy I assumed this was a Japanese take on the shou pu erh, but instead this tastes very much like an anaerobic lactic acid fermentation.
This was about the most unique tea I’ve gotten recently. I can see myself getting this again just to have occasionally. This would be lovely in ochazuke. I might pick up some rice and use the rest of my sample to make it.
Had a friend try this. Their verdict: olives!
Flavors: Plum, Salt, Umami
Ochazuke – bingo! :)