I have not been active in the last months as my health has been down, my doctors have been going nuts trying to find out what was wrong with me, and I've been, and am still, on all sorts of meds. My immune system has been down the drain and I was sick so frequently I didn't trust my nose to know what tea tasted like anymore. If you're curious, I have Lyme disease. It's a disease that's worth knowing about because it isn't well known yet and most doctors don't know how to treat it. I'll spare you the details, but if you have it, you're not crazy, even if your doctor tells you it's all in your head. You gotta find an expert if you highly suspect that's what you have, they know how to test it properly, but it's not cheap. Even in Canada, some tests are not done here, and there's no coverage if done outside of the country (in my case, Germany). That's how little research there is on the subject in North America. I normally don't share much like this about myself, but I think there's a need for traction in the research department. So I'll recommend 2 things, 1st, a wiki link on it: Wiki link here, and also, a link to the documentary about the disease (note that most cases in this movie are extreme, I mostly only have arthritis and severe fatigue): Under Our Skin. There's also a sequel.
I'm better so I thought I'd give tea cupping another try.
Also the first one of the year, yay!
I received this sample from Yunomi and I've been eager to try it out! I was not disappointed. As a matter of fact, being away from tea for so many months, I was shocked that I did not need my trusty book on flavours to help me orient what I'm tasting and smelling. I think I have improved and it makes me very very, oh so very happy~.
This tea is sold by Yunomi (click here for the Creha tea page). The Creha (Kureha) Tea company also has a wide array of Japanese black teas, some flavoured (cinnamon, yum!) and some straight. Considering what a treat this tea was, I am definitely interested in trying them all.
This tea originates from the Kawanehon (川根本) village, Haibara district, in the Shizuoka prefecture of Japan, farmed by Etsuro Masui. At least that's what the package says, I think Mr. Etsuro Masui is a producer.
Creha Tea
Mirai First, Japanese Black Tea
Recommend steeping: 5 grams ¤ 2-3 minutes ¤ 90C°/194F° ¤ 200-300 ml of water
What I did: 5 grams ¤ 2.5 minutes ¤ 90C°/194F° ¤ 200 ml of water in a small glass teapot
Dry Leaves
I had a hard time capturing the true colour of this tea as my camera would show it as forest green rather than the dark brown I saw. Truly, it is a dark green, but at normal light, these flat tea leaves look brown, almost black. There are a few stems of dark green and copper in the mix, but mostly it's all broken flat parts.
The aroma was rather pleasant, malty and jammy (peaches, currant, blackberries) and bread dough.
I had a hard time capturing the true colour of this tea as my camera would show it as forest green rather than the dark brown I saw. Truly, it is a dark green, but at normal light, these flat tea leaves look brown, almost black. There are a few stems of dark green and copper in the mix, but mostly it's all broken flat parts.
The aroma was rather pleasant, malty and jammy (peaches, currant, blackberries) and bread dough.
Wet Leaves
There wasn't much difference in appearance with the wet leaves compared to the dry ones, aside from being slightly engorged with water. Whiffs of malt & sweet brioche, currant, shellfish and hyacinth came at different intervals. As I was about to go for the liquor, I even caught some hints of citrus and spices like cinnamon.
Liquor
What a beautiful dark burnt orange colour this cup yielded! Silky, thick and almost clear, I could not wait for the first sip. Aromas of apricot jam enveloped in a comforting and warm brioche were telling me this was going to be good.
1st steeping (一煎目)
As there were no instructions for subsequent infusions, I tried to steep it again for about 2 minutes but it yielded a very weak tea, so I'm guessing this tea is only meant for a single steeping when made with the teapot method. Maybe a gaiwan would yield more infusions, but today you get the experience of a single steeping.
At first, it seemed like a strong almost bitter attack but was quick to mellow as to offer no unpleasantness. To the contrary, the promise of delicious apricot jam came back on a nice slice of brioche but didn't linger too long. There wasn't much asperity although it did build up in strength with the next sips but never gave any harshness. The liquid felt silky, with a hint of maltiness and a tip of sourness. The finish was earthy with a little wink of spices like cinnamon.
This tea gets a 4.8/5 stars. I took .2 points out for sourness, not that it was persistent or really displeasing, but it's not my favourite and this is based on personal preferences.
But hey, 4.8, that's excellent. I would buy this again. This was a treat in all aspects of the tea cupping experience.
But hey, 4.8, that's excellent. I would buy this again. This was a treat in all aspects of the tea cupping experience.
Japanese tea, that must be semi expensive. I wonder how it compares with Chinese tea prices. Some teas are more expensive then others though. I do like a tea with floral hints.
ReplyDeleteYunomi has pretty good prices and only does Japanese teas. Here's the link to the Creha tea that was reviewed. ;)
ReplyDeletehttps://yunomi.life/products/creha-tea-mirai-first-japanese-black-tea