Obukucha

I steeped this loose leaf in a small teapot.

The first steeping I followed the instructions on my Select packet. It was a punch in the mouth of a pine forest. I had a hard time discerning any specific flavors because of how large it was.

The second steeping I gave it a little less time. It came out with a solid green forest flavor with nice overtones of eucalyptus. It was savory, elegant, but still bold.

The third steeping I let it sit a bit longer. It was sweeter, but still savory and tasted closer to the smell of a pine forest with the ground covered in needles during an early, brisk sunny dawn in Spring. It was definitely my favorite steeping.

The fourth steeping I let it sit much longer (I might have forgotten about it). It was acceptable, but more astringent due to the long steep time and yet weaker because it was the fourth steeping. The third steeping was definitely the sweet spot for me.

this is a nice tea :) allthough i may not be much for japan teteas except when it comes to gokujo hojicha

when i smell the leaves dry, they smell grassy. :)

when i smell the leaves wet, they smell grassy and sweet.

when i smell the brewed tea, it smells sweet :)

when i taste the brewed tea, it tastes grassy and sweet and a lot like sencha :)

many thanks to toad thomas for this nice tea sample :)

Oh, this is nice. It’s grassy and sweet with a strong mineral note right at the end. There’s a hint of a seaweed note, but it is soft and just barely noticeable. The sweetness of the tea is nice. It’s sweet the way spring grass or new hay is sweet. It’s a soft but lingering taste, and I really enjoy it.

The resteeps of this are even smoother than the first cup. Very, very nice.

This tea is from my swap with KiwiDelight. I figured I’d try this one first since there was only enough for one cup. I wasn’t sure what Obukucha meant, so I looked it up. It means “good fortune tea” and apparently it’s a Japanese tradition to drink it during New Year’s. However, the actual type of tea depends on where you get it from, so really it doesn’t tell me anything about what kind of tea this is. Sneaky! Looking at the leaves, it’s definitely a sencha of some kind. The leaves are wider than a lot of the senchas I’ve tried so far, and they look very flattened, almost like they were pan-fried. Smells like alfalfa and sweet grass. Yum!

The brewed tea still smells like alfalfa to me, but that familiar steamed spinach aroma is there now. This is probably the most savory sencha I’ve tried so far. I definitely get the spinach taste, but there’s also a prominent mineral quality that is very interesting. I also find seaweed, which I’ve seen a lot of people list for green teas but I’ve never really tasted it myself before now. There’s also a touch of pleasant bitterness. I think you could add salt to this tea and use it as a vegetable broth! .

Beautiful color, as with many Japanese greens. The leaves expanded a lot in hot water. I absolutely adore Japanese greens when they are like this. There’s that smooth creamy greenness in the background that makes it so perfect. I love the pine. I love the savory sweetness. Really lovely tea.

Steepster Select Jan 2014 box

This was a nice green, but not one I need again.

I got a slight bit of salty from this. I thought I might be going crazy until I saw other people said this in their notes. It was more hay than grassy, but the steeped leaves really smelled spinachy. I didn’t get spinach from the tea itself. It had a good mouth feel.

Overall, I haven’t been too impressed with the Steepster Select box I got for free. Ah well.

Liquor is clear and bright yellowish green, blemished only by a yarn clipping I hadn’t noticed sitting in the bottom of my cup.

It smells like a cup of steamed spinach (I wonder how steeping spinach would taste?), and the risk of a burnt tongue was barely deterrent enough to give it a few minutes.

I don’t know about the pine and the sorrel, but that’s okay. It’s really good. . . Green, grassy, vegetal, clean. It feels substantial in my mouth. I’m already excited for the next steep.

I received this tea in a complimentary Steepster Select box.

I haven’t had too many Sencha teas. This one is very smooth. The first infusion was nice, not bitter, a nice vegetal flavor. The second infusion was surprisingly bitter. I shortened the next infusions and it was better , but not as good as the first.

I would love to try this cold brewed but I don’t have enough tea left and I didn’t love it enough to make a purchase.

Backlog:

This tea tastes like spring to me. From the color of the beautifully bright, light green liquor to the invigorating taste that is light, crisp and reminiscent of fresh baby vegetables. Lightly brothy with notes that fall somewhere between vegetable and seaweed.

A really enjoyable balance between sweet and savory. A very satisfying flavor, as if I’m sipping on a nourishing broth. As I said in my full-length review of this tea – http://sororiteasisters.com/2014/02/15/obukucha-green-tea-steepster/ – it reminds me of a well-balanced meal.

The aroma of this tea is much like a nice mineral water. Similar to the smell of stones after it rains. The mineral continues to be forward facing in the flavor of the tea. However, it is not overpowering. I pick up on other flavors like mint, eucaluptus, and cut-grass that compliment out the minerals. While I didn’t pick up on the pine or savory flavors mentioned in the description. I believe this would be a great tea that could hold its own with a heavier meal. I am thinking a nice grilled steak cooked with rosemary. Another great and unique choice by Steepster in the select program.