Country of Origin: Japan
Leaf Appearance: dark, flaky
Ingredients: green tea
Steep time: 3 minutes
Water Temperature: 212 degrees
Preparation Method: clay teapot
Liquor: amber
This is the first tea that I’ve tried from Tealet as well as my first Kyobancha. It is a unique green tea that is made from leaves and stems that matured over the winter months. I thought that the flaky appearance of the leaves resembled fish food or dried seaweed. The flavor was mellow and refreshing with a pleasant roasted quality. It had a natural woody sweetness to it as well. There was no astringency at all. The taste was so light that I would strongly recommend against using any type of sweetener. As Elyse explains in the video below, Kyobancha has very little caffeine. I wasn’t feeling very well the day that I sampled this tea and it was just what I needed. If the rest of Tealet’s teas are anything like this one I will be a happy camper. I love how they photograph their teas to simultaneously show the dry leaves, wet leaves and liquor.
You can find out more about this tea here.