Sipdown! (49 | 94)
Yay, another set of old Obubu subscription tea finished off! I still have many, many to go. This tea was from the last shipment in 2019, if that gives you any idea… >>
I’m really grateful that these teas are individually packaged in 5g pouches, because even when they’re old (over 2.5 years old, in this case) they still taste good and have plenty of flavor. If it had been a single larger package, I maybe would have opened it and it would’ve been a sad wisp of a tea by now. So thank you Obubu, for saving me from myself! Also, it’s very convenient for steeping because it’s pre-weighed.
Anyway! This is a rich and powerful tea, because it’s shaded for two weeks before the harvest. So it has an almost gyokuro-esque intensity to it, and concentrated vegetal and umami notes that make you feel like you’re drinking some kind of nutrient-laden vegetable broth. Most prominent for me are steamed spinach and creamy kabocha, with a powerful yet smooth kombu-like umami undercurrent forming the foundation. There’s a whisper of light grassiness and gentle astringency at the tail end of the sip that give it a nice refreshing finish.
It’s tasty. Kabusecha is not generally my favorite, I prefer a lighter sencha most days. But I do still enjoy shaded teas like this one, they are always so satisfying because of the rich flavors and thick, viscous texture. Good thing too, because I still have 3 more batches of this tea in various packaging… XD
Flavors: Astringent, Grass, Kabocha, Round, Savory, Seaweed, Smooth, Spinach, Squash, Thick, Umami, Vegetable Broth, Vegetal, Viscous
