So glad my tea swap package arrived today! First time doing a tea swap and it has been super fun so far :). Thank you, Tiffany, for the opportunity to try such a unique tea! I have never had a dark tea from Japan.
This one is super different from other dark teas I’ve had. The leaves appear much greener than most dark teas, so I have guess that the fermentation period is much shorter than the wet piling of shou. The smell of the dry leaves is actually a very potent and bright raspberry, which is quite unusual for a dark tea. The flavor is also very acidic/sour, though in a nice way. A touch of astringency in the early infusions without any bitterness or sweetness. This is the first time I’ve had such potent sourness from a tea, and it reminds me of kombucha. I have to believe the sourness is from the use of a black mold to ferment the leaves, as other fungal-fermented beverages (wine, beer) and sourdough bread can all have similar sour tastes. On the other hand, shou puerh is mostly fermented by bacteria (as far as I understand), so that likely explains the difference between the overarching flavor profiles.
Mouthfeel is thick and pleasant with good lasting aftertaste. Very intrigued to try some other Japanese dark teas now!
Flavors: Acidic, Astringent, Pleasantly Sour, Raspberry, Thick
