226 Tasting Notes
This tea is probably produced by roasting kukicha: quite a few of stems and stalks are plainly visible. Nevertheless, it is a pleasant unassuming tea. The aroma has the notes of spices, vanilla and baked bread. The taste is less complex but comforting: sweetness and roastiness on top of a customary kukicha/bancha taste.
It is perfect for a before-the-bed cup of tea, with a low caffeine content coming as an added bonus.
The good news is that it is a better balanced tea than many souchongs: the smokiness is not excessive and does not overpower the taste of the tea itself, which clearly comes through. The bad news is that that tea is not of a good quality and the taste is quite blah. Will not buy again.
Update: actually I changed my opinion after the second session. I guess I was conditioned by super-smokey souchongs to expect the bomb of a taste.Here you can actually taste the tea itself and the tea is not bad: large leaves, pleasant taste. The tea also has a nice lingering aftertaste. So, as a result I am increasing the rating from 63 to 78.
The best “non-tea” tea I ever tried. The taste is much richer and less medicinal than any pure rooibos I tried. It is also tastes much more natural and less contrived than any rooibos-based mix. I will certainly buy it again. Highly recommended.
P.S. Don’t forget to steep it for a while – no less than 5 minutes.
A solid but unremarkable daily drinker. The aroma is pleasant but not very strong. The taste is not particularly long lasting and rather uncomplicated: dry autumn leaves, some sweetness. It is OK for a daily drinker or with milk/sugar and is very affordable but there are way better teas at Upton if you are ready to pay just a little bit more.
