Comparing Matcha Cultivars with Yunomi
As most regular readers and social media followers will know, I love matcha…a lot. When I had some credits to use towards a purchase at Yunomi, I knew exactly what I would be picking up. A tasting set of matcha made from three different cultivars, all from the same producer in Uji? I’m in! I usually don’t write about a product if it is sold out but this experience was just cool to not to share. In case you didn’t know, their site has a neat feature where you can request to be notified if something you’re interested comes back in stock. I definitely suggest signing up for that as well as their…
Yunomi Obubu # 12: Hojicha (Dark Roast)
Country of Origin: Japan Leaf Appearance: dark, twig-like Ingredients: roasted green tea Steep time: 1 minute Water Temperature: 195 degrees Preparation Method: kyusu Liquor: dark amber Although it doesn’t look much like it, hojicha is actually a green tea. Due to the roasting process it is very low in caffeine. In Japan it is often given to babies and the elderly for this reason. Hojicha is not often my go to but on a rainy day this offering from Yunomi really hit the spot. I was excited to see that it was from Kyoto Obubu Tea Farms, home of the famously wacky Aki-san. It was included as a sample with a recent order and although I…
Yunomi Dobashien No. 08: Hojicha (Roasted Green Tea), Wa
Country of Origin: Japan Leaf Appearance: light brown, twiggy Ingredients: green tea Steep time: 3 minutes Water Temperature: 180 degrees Preparation Method: stainless steel infuser basket and ceramic teacup Liquor: very dark amber Hojicha doesn’t taste or look much like a green tea, especially when compared to other Japanese teas like sencha or gyokuro. It is generally low in caffeine thanks to older leaves, an abundance of stems and roasting. This type of tea can usually take higher temperature water but I went with a slightly conservative 180 degrees. This one was particularly dark, making it perfect for a chilly fall night. The taste was roasty and sweet with hints of dark cocoa and…
Yunomi Higuchi #3: Black Oolong
Country of Origin: Japan Leaf Appearance: dark, somewhat twiggy Ingredients: oolong tea Steep time: 3 minutes Water Temperature: 190 degrees Preparation Method: infuser basket and ceramic teacup Liquor: reddish brown Japanese oolong! I couldn’t resist picking up some of this tea when I ordered some sakura blossoms from +Yunomi.us earlier this year. There weren’t any steeping directions so I played it a bit on the conservative side. It brewed up fairly dark. If I didn’t know better, I would almost think that it was a black tea or Wuyi oolong. The leaves showed that they were indeed an oolong after steeping as there were green bits and visible oxidation. It started out with the…
Yunomi Chakouan – #14 Ureshino Gyokucha: Ochatama
Country of Origin: Japan Leaf Appearance: deep green, large balls Ingredients: sencha green tea Steep time: 1 minute Water Temperature: 160 degrees Preparation Method: glass test tube steeper Liquor: pale, greenish I received this tea as part of a shipment from Yunomi’s Tea Club. It is definitely one of the most unusual green teas that I have come across. The leaves are rolled into balls as a by-product of sencha processing. I’m reminded of Cha Tou, or puerh nuggets, which are also a by-product of tea production. I have a feeling that these will taste much nicer though. The taste fell somewhere between gyokuro and sencha. It was delicate and light but still…
Yunomi Takeo Autumn Houjicha
Country of Origin: Japan Leaf Appearance: larger, varied in size, twiggy Ingredients: roasted green tea Steep time: 3 minutes Water Temperature: 180 degrees Preparation Method: kyusu Liquor: dark amber I received this tea as part of shipment from +Yunomi.us‘s Tea Club. The dry leaves of this tea were interesting because they were larger and quite a bit more twiggy than other houjichas that I’ve tried. Houjicha is green tea has been fire roasted. This one was a particularly toasty and comforting cup. Earthy and mellow with an almost maple syrup-like sweetness, I couldn’t help drinking cup after cup. One of the best things about this type of tea is that it is very economical.…
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