Today is going to be unofficial Yunomi day for me! I noticed when posting reviews on their website that they’re giving 300 points per review right now ($3 basically). So I figured now was the perfect time to sample of the teas from their monthly club in addition to a few other teas I got from Cheri in a swap. Saving up points to buy some more of those interestingly flavored houjichas!
Anyway! This is my first-ever aracha. In fact, I had to look it up to find out what makes this type of tea different from say, sencha or kukicha. And I found out that aracha is tea that is finished (meaning dried, steamed, etc.) but is not sorted into grades as tea normally is. Therefore, it includes leaves, stems, and finer particles that are normally sifted out. In short, it’s basically every part of the leaf in one tea! Interesting. I can definitely see a difference in the dry leaf – it’s a varied mix of differently sized leaf pieces along with the lighter-colored stems. Dry scent is strong on the grass and sweet alfalfa with a touch of seaweed.
Steeped tea smells sweet and spinachy. The taste is quite delicious! It seems quite similar to sencha to me. There’s a definite strong umami element at first, but as the sip progresses it calms to a sweet and creamy alfala and spinach flavor. I can definitely see the combination of sencha and kukicha here. The aftertaste is pure sweet creaminess. Delicious!
Flavors: Creamy, Grass, Seaweed, Spinach, Sweet, Umami
I’ve never heard of aracha either, there’s always more tea terminology to learn!
Yep, especially with Japanese greens. So many different styles!