The floral scent of the tea (before steeping) instantly reminded me of the glacé apricot snacks I had in China, but more pleasantly delicate and subtle – turned out it was cherry blossom instead of apricot. (a quick wikipedia search showed both are part of the Prunus family – I don’t know the scent of cherry blossom well enough to identify it so apricot was a wild guess that coincidentally landed near the target…?) As its name suggests, the tea pays proper respect to the Japanese culture where luscious and bold expressions are considered disgraceful for women whereas silence and obedience are celebrated virtues.
This tea is great for meditation in solitude – the taste is so light you almost don’t realize its presence. But you will definitely notice its absence because you’d miss the fragrance from the back of your throat every time you breathe out – it brings forth the unique freshness from blooming plants (not merely the simple pink sweetness you get from flowers, but with more exuberance – like bamboos growing after a night of rain) – I can’t quite describe freshness as a flavor but I guess it would just be like the way water is not tasteless and sunshine is not colorless.
