Just finished up this session literally minutes ago,
It was my last tea of the night tonight and this week’s Gong Fu session. I also made a lovely pairing/meal of it as well! I made another baked brie, but this time with a quince compote topping baked onto it and butternut squash maple crackers!
Here’s a picture of everything after the first few bites/first infusion:
You can also see my Kyusu in the picture as well! This was my first time using it, so my notes from this session not only encompass the tea and food pairing, but the teaware as well. Of course, as always, this is “stream of consciousness” style.
5 Sec.
- Some initial smokiness
- Vegetal: Spinach/artichoke
- Cheese is sweet, creamy and buttery
- Creates a nice overall “buttered artichoke heart” sort of thing
- And the quince is needed sweetness/fruitiness to contrast the savoryness/umami
- Crackers are nice but rather salty
7 Sec.
- It’s a little awkward since I’m left handed, but the kyusu pours really smoothly
- Vegetal notes getting stronger, a bit of asparagus now
- Some floral undertones?
- Don’t know if that’s from the quince…
- Or just exaggerated by the natural floral quality of the fruit
10 Sec.
- Really, really vegetal/umami
- Spinach, artichoke, brussel sprouts, asparagus, and a little smoke in the top notes
- Sweetness in the finish
12 Sec.
- Definitely underestimated how well this would pair together; but it all ties in so well
- Same as prior infusion but less sweet
15 Sec.
- Welp, the brie is officially finished…
- That just leaves some very vegetal green tea
- Now that I’m not eating the brie I get some nuttyness that I think was masked
- Also more asparagus
And that’s it folks; while I enjoyed the meal and tea immensely it was very filling and on top of that I’m not a huge green tea person so my green tea session never really go on too long anyway. I did really enjoy this green though! Also, it was really neat that it’s from Hawaii! While not my first Hawaiian tea I think this was my first Hawaiian green tea. If they’re all as smooth as this one, it’s something I’d definitely revisit or explore further…
