drank Wakocha by Yoshida Chaen
2172 tasting notes

2021 Homemade Advent Calendar Swap – Day 6
From Skysamurai.

When I first opened the pouch, I was certain this was a green tea. My initial thought was that it smells vegetal, but after thinking about it I realized that it reminds me most of moringa or spirulina. Not being familiar with Wakocha, also spelled Wakoucha I think, I looked online and found that this is actually a Japanese black tea – what a surprise!

I steeped according to the instructions on the Global Japanese Tea Association website as this was apparently part of their Japanese Tea Marathon. Also, the Yoshida Chaen website is in Japanese and even after using Google to convert to English I couldn’t find this specific tea. After steeping, the leaves are very large and very green. Even more surprising, this black tea that smells like a green tea actually tastes like an oolong! It has a slightly bitter, roasted quality to it. While I love black teas and can enjoy an oolong on occasion, I think this tea would be better appreciated by someone with a far more refined palate than my own. It’s so unique and complex. I’m definitely glad I got to try it.

Flavors: Bitter, Green, Roasted, Vegetal

Preparation
Boiling 4 min, 0 sec 2 g 5 OZ / 150 ML

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Bio

Lifetime student. Lover of books and paper and ink. Kitchen dweller. Aspiring herbalist, excessively proud cat lady, and tea fanatic. Thirty-something elder millennial. She/her.

I love flavored black teas most of all, always with cream and honey. I enjoy floral and fruity teas, as well as flavored or scented ones. I’m not overly fond of green or white teas, but I’ve found a few that I enjoy.

I’m open to tea swaps and/or just sharing what’s in my tea cabinet! Please reach out if you see something I have that you’d like to try. I do my best to update my cupboard regularly.

Favorites
Any and all black teas, smoky teas, raspberry, strawberry, red fruits, bergamot, chai spices, floral teas, caramel/toffee, jasmine, rose, vanilla, peaches, plums, valerian root, cinnamon, cardamom

Not a huge fan
White teas, green teas, artificial sweeteners, sarsaparilla, licorice, lemongrass, lavender, hot hibiscus, hibiscus in black tea blends

Rating Scale

1-20: By far, one of the worst teas I’ve tasted. I most certainly will not finish my cup and will likely “gift” the rest to my sweet husband, James, who almost always enjoys the teas I dislike (and vice versa).

21-49: This tea is not good, but if I mix it with another tea or find another steeping method I might be able to finish it.

50-69: This one is just okay. I might drink it again if someone were to give it to me, but I probably won’t be buying more for myself.

70-79: This is a consistently good tea. It’s reliable but not necessarily special.

80-90: This one is a notch above the rest and I would gladly enjoy a cup of it any day of the week. I’ll likely be keeping this in my cupboard, but it isn’t one of my all-time favorites.

91-95: One small change and this tea would be perfect. I’ll definitely have a stash of this in my kitchen if you come over for tea.

96-100: No words can describe this tea. It’s an experience, an aha moment. Closed eyes, wide smile, encompassing warmth. Absolutely incredible. Perfect.

Updated May 2022.

Location

Alabaster, Alabama

Website

https://www.goodreads.com/sha...

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