Uejima Sourokuen

This is a lovely tea. Reminiscent of a dark roast hojicha. The dry leaf is quite big for the most part but there are smaller leaves in there. They are also cut like a very big version of CTC. Dark and olive brown leaves with a mix of light brown twigs. The wet leaf is just a darker version of the same. Notes of campfire with roasted marshmallows. Nice roasty notes. Flavor is highly like hojicha with the roasty and toasty notes but a bit heavier on the roasty notes. If you like hojicha be sure to give this one a try.

Made a really nice cocktail with this one and 43 last night. Even my husband enjoyed it who generally doesn’t like green. Or maybe I really am improving my infusion skills.

The dry leaf doesn’t have much aroma because I stupidly left the package open. The liquid has a nice brotht aroma
Like chicken bone or a light dashi. With hint of veggies and sweet grass. The flavor is so nice. A bit of umami with grassy notes and some veggies.

Not fully up to sniffing par but this one is open, I need some tea, and the longer it stays open the more it loses. Medium-sized leaf, glossy seaweed green. Long and needle-shaped. The aroma is light but that’s just my sinuses are being dumb. It is grassy and slightly creamy. I’ve cupped this one two other times so far. Think I enjoyed it cold more but to be fair it is also very warm out. But the aroma of the wet leaf when steeped with the hot water is so much nicer. It reminds me of being in Wazuka when the processing plant is in action. Processing tea smells amazing. This tea is a lovely mix of grassy notes with high umami and a bit of fresh veggies.

Another tea from the Global Japanese Tea Association course. I freaking love hojicha but apparently, I’ve been steeping it wrong. We were taught to try a minute or less. And I mean really if it tastes good it doesn’t matter overall but I also believe it is good to respect tradition and the way the farmer brews it. The dry leaf is heavenly. Notes of maple syrup (the good kind, not that fake stuff), brown sugar, and sweet roasty-toasty notes. When brewed for a minute the wet leaf produces roasty notes with bits of charcoal. The taste is quite nice. More roasty notes with charcoal.