This is a very unique tea. Especially by Japanese standards. I had written a whole note on this one which I was going to post here but then I realized it was on Facebook which means I can’t access it. _ Meh. Though it is not listed on the Camellia Sinensis website this tea is made with Koji mold. The reason why this tea differs from pu erh is mainly that the Koji mold is introduced whereas with pu erh it is naturally formed when left to ferment. Two things I find weird on their website. First is the mention of khaki which is a lighter, creamy brown. This tea has a few leaves that are but otherwise, they’re mostly dark brown. I disagree with this description. Second is the fact that they don’t mention the koji molds. It is an important part of what makes this tea what it is.
Thank you for indulging me in my love for geeky tea talk. Now here’s the tasting note. Overall, I’m not finding much flavor and I’m wondering if I stored it next to something that it shouldn’t have been next to. I’ve had this tea from another company before and really enjoyed it so it’s possible that it’s not the producer. It’s also very evident in that the aroma of the wet and dry leaf is basically nil. There is a bit of charcoal and woody flavor in there but it’s not nearly as strong as I know it should be. I’m going to cold steep this and see what happens.
Edit: Steeped it cold for 3-4 hours. I hate to say this but it tastes like Lipton. Nothing special. I’m going to assume something happened to this batch and will not rate this.
I have never heard of introducing mold to a tea like that! Very neat!
Geeky tea talk is why we’re here!