368 Tasting Notes
I can’t help but wonder if the flat quality of this tea and the inability to get a second steeping has more to do with Central Market’s system of keeping loose tea in glass jars that get repeatedly opened and closed (and possibly sit a long time with old stock in them) and less to do with the quality of the tea.
I should probably stop being lazy and start ordering tea online again instead of buying it at the grocer. Even bulk, loose tea from the grocer just isn’t ‘good enough’ anymore.
Preparation
Cold barley tea really is just about the perfect thing for scorching hot weather if you can’t be drinking mint juleps, and better for you. Like pu-erh, barley tea is supposed to help cleanse the organs.
This particular variety has a much more roasty/toasty sweetness than the varieties I’ve purchased in large, Asian import grocery stores here in the USA.
Just steep an entire pitcher of it for at least half an hour in tepid water, then move to the fridge. No need for ice if you keep the whole thing cold.
Preparation
This is much better than genmaicha I have purchased stateside, but I believe that is largely because I tend to get genmaicha in import grocery stores, not tea shops, in large, cheap quantities.
This was an absolutely shocking shade of green when I poured the first cup. But it began to fade and darken almost immediately.
The flavor is both darkly vegetal and brightly toasty. I start to get a sense with this of what genmaicha may be all about.
The brew also has a sticky thickness in the mouth, almost like a broth. Which is not unpleasant, but… unexpected.
I don’t think genmaicha will ever be my truly favorite favorite of green teas, but this is very tasty.
Preparation
OK, Japanese green tea snobs, it is time for the rubber to hit the road. For years I have been having people tell me that “every day” green tea in Japan is better than even the best teas available in the USA.
Well here it is, a bag of green tea so authentically Japanese, I can’t read anything on the bag except the “4”.
Now, this is a truly fantastic shaded green tea. A perfect balance of sweet and bitter greens, soft mouthfeel, and vibrant color even after an hour or two in the pot.
But I have had just as good, or even a bit better, purchased through shops in the USA.
I think it is time for the Nihonophiles to accept that the Internet and international shipping and distribution has eliminated the barriers that once kept all the best teas in the domestic markets.
Don’t get me wrong, this is top shelf, and I will savor every cup. But it is time to put the myth to bed.
Preparation
What I wonder is whether at this point the best green tea you can get in the US is as good as the best you can get in Japan eyebrow wiggle
I think the message you hear about every day cups here being as good or better than anything available in the US comes only from individuals whose pride rests on maintaining this notion. That said, of course I’d say the crappiest green tea available here is about par with mid-shelf in the US. They just don’t have anything that compares to our “below mid-shelf” green tea. THAT is its own American grossness.*
*I reserve the right to change this opinion though if I encounter anything as gross as American supermarket mass produced green tea here though.
Further proof, I think, that Yunnan golden teas are on the whole a fairly superior varietal.
By and large I am not super impressed with Republic of Tea brand loose teas. But this one is much better than the others I have on hand or have had in the past.
My only disappointment is that an attempt at a second steeping has produced a darkly colored, but essentially flavorless cup.
Preparation
To quote Randy Jackson “It was just a’ight for me”.
I was on the road for a whole month, and spent the time prior to using up tea in the house and haven’t had the free time to place an order since I got back, and so I am stuck drinking Republic of Tea from the bulk bins at Central Market.
Preparation
There is almost nothing left in my cupboard right now, after a long Spring of many teas. Gone soon will be the lapsang, gone already are the Taiwanese oolong, the golden teas and all the other deep, dark flavors. Gone even is the decaf English Breakfast. I’ll probably replace them with bright, Japanese greens for the Summer months.
But I ordered 500g of this pu-erh and I’ve been making it in increasingly smaller and smaller pots as I’ve gone to these much shorter steeping times. So… this is gonna linger a bit. If I had it stored in ceramic instead of aluminum, I’d just put it up until October, but I don’t want it to taste like tin.
