Kaneroku Matsumoto Tea Garden

At this point I think most people know that my love of smoked tea knows no bounds, but this one is extra interesting to me. The Sakura wood adds an interesting balance of tart and almost fruity top notes with a really full bodied, robust mid sip that is complimented by darkly sweet notes of anise. One of my favourite “everyday” Lapsang Souchongs I keep stock has a great black licorice note to it, and so it’s nice to have another smoky tea in my stash with more complexity for when I want a bit more of a special session with some of those same qualities!

Tea Photo: https://www.instagram.com/p/Ckys-VkOe2f/

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sEMtBI-q4Sw

Gongfu!

Began my morning today with a session of this Sakura Cherry Wood Smoked black tea in my lovely smoked tea dedicated yixing pot! I’ve had a handful of these different smoked teas that utilize these more unique wood types, but this is definitely my favorite so far! It’s got the intensity of the smoke that I so badly crave, but it’s a very clean and sweet smoke with a really wide breadth of diverse tasting notes. On one end of the spectrum, whether it’s placebo or not, I do get a more aromatic floral and fruity sweetness that reminds me a lot of cherry blossoms and cherry blossom flavoured sweets. Conversely, there’s also a darkness and depth to the steeps that channels more of the burnt sugar and molasses rich taste of something like black licorice. I found it an invigorating and deeply captivating tea session to begin my day with, and I’m so pleased with the unique nuances within this delightful smoky tea!

Tea Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/Cc5qxzxuU5H/

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9MTvwaIV78

Gongfu!

I decided to try this unique smoked tea paired with a maple infused Wendsleydale cheese because, well, what could be more perfect than maple and smoke!? Truthfully I found the cheese underwhelming – it was sweet and crumbly the way Wensleydale usually is which is enjoyable in its own right – but the maple flavour was seriously lacking and it did not meet the intensity of the tea at all. Howevee the brisk and tannic smoke notes of this full bodied blacktea were quite lovely even though they totally dominated my pairing – and they held up to a pretty reasonable about of infusions without dropping in overall smokiness too much. Despite the tea pairing flop it was still such a nice way to start off yesterday evening!!

Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/CVNvtgLg3dG/

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Dt0KZUtC0w&ab_channel=Appleby-Topic

I. LOVE. SMOKED. TEAS.

I brought this one in to the office with me mid last week because I knew I was going to be working closely with Marika for the day, and she loves smoked tea just as much as I do. I really need to do a side by side at some point with her and all of these Japanese smoked blacks I got from Yunomi.

This is very nice – I do think I like it a little less that the Yuzu smoked one purely because the influence of the yuzu wood was more apparent in that tea than the peach wood was with this one, and overall I think the yuzu wood smoked tea was also just more complex. However, this has a very smooth smokiness to it, with fruity undertones beneath the thick initial layer of smoke. It’s got a nice clean finish, as well.

Gongfu!

Enjoyed this session paired with some super sweet and juicy blackberries!! The smoke note in this tea is very steady throughout the whole session, though not as intense as other smoked teas I’ve had from the Matsomoto Tea Garden. It also has an interesting undertone that feels like a mix of different woods, pithy citrus rinds, and a rather brassy and metallic tasting mineral note that weirdly evokes memories of crunchy Autumn leaves. The finish has a bit of sweetness to it as well, which I found was pulled forward by this pairing of berries. It’s a bit black licorice-y, which is not surprising as that’s a kind of dense, mouth-coating sweetness I’ve observed in different smoked teas many times before. Pretty solid way to spend a Friday afternoon!

Tea Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/C6hVfB6uFUP/?img_index=1

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmUbo2BvDxM

Gongfu!

Started my morning with a quick session of this smoked Japanese black tea. This is one of several different smoked teas I grabbed in a Yunomi haul last year and I think it may just be my favourite! It feels quite nuanced and sophisticated when brewed up with notes of anise, semi-sweet citrus pulp, and a buttery mouthfeel to accompany the whisps of smoke that hang on the palate with each infusion. Though many of the woods used for these different smoked teas first bared different fruits and flowers, those same tasting notes aren’t necessarily reflected in the steeped cup. I do kind of feel like this is a bit of the exception though; the way the slightly pithy citrus note hits in the peak of the session is very evocative of the peppery and zesty taste of yuzu!

Tea Photo: https://www.instagram.com/p/CrMI1thOHtO/

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RlDZ6fVr8nE

Gongfu!

I’ve had it before but this is my first time steeping it gongfu and I’m really loving the underlying anise-like sweetness and just subtle dry citrus notes that accompany the brisk smokiness!! It’s not a tea that I have to devote a lot of thought to in order to enjoy, and I’m really loving that today!! I didn’t fully brew out the tea because I was getting very, very sleepy but the five or so steeps I did have were very consistent across the board and the overall deterioration of flavour seemed to be pretty slow.

Tea Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/CYzjQyXOJhF/

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mtWD4UL7DCw&ab_channel=DavidDeanBurkhart

A little while ago I placed a Yunomi order that was primarily for an assortment of different wood smoked Japanese black teas, because y’all know I’m an absolute slut for a good smoked black tea…

It took great restraint for me to not open all of the packages Wednesday afternoon when I received my order – and instead I managed to narrow it down to the one smoked tea that the most people in my office seemed to have an interest in trying. We made a very large Western style teapot of it, so that we could all try a cup.

This was so incredibly unique and interesting. I had no clue at all of the more pithy and peppery citrus notes I associate with yuzu would come through in the taste, but they really did in quite a distinctly noticeable way. That said, the brew was surprisingly sweet (almost like anise and brandied fruit) amidst its thick smoky body, but with a buttery mouthfeel that was very close to feeling out of place with the taste but that was ultimately really enjoyable and captivating. The finish was clean with just a bit of a peppery smoky tickle in the back of the throat as the flavour quickly dissipated from the palate.

I am so, so curious to see what the other smoked teas are like!

Amidst the sweeter, smokier, heavier notes, this tea is crisp and definitely has some hints of fruit. Doesn’t remind me of cigars or ash however. So clean, very rich, doesn’t take milk well though (I’ve been known to milk a lapsang and enjoy it). Works well hot and iced. The tartness and smoke linger for quiet a long time.

Makes you want to sit outside in the morning and hear the world get in tune while you sip. Just makes me happy. My new favorite smoked black.