Since it is January, I thought it would be nice to start it off with traditional Japanese new year tea!
Description: “Obukucha is a tea created by a monk named Kuya Shonin of Rokuhara Mitsuji Temple in Higashiyama, Kyoto.”
Instructions: 5 grams | 70° C | 90 seconds
Review: Obukucha may look familiar because I had this tea last year as well! There are variations of this tea – some are blends and others are separate ingredients. I personally like individual ingredients because it seems like a ritual to make the tea and put it all together.
This year’s Obukucha is slightly different since it has full plums compared to the powdered plums of the year prior. The green tea base is Obubu’s Sencha of the Wind (which is a variety from traditional Kabusecha). It also came with kelp and gold flakes.
Akky-san (the president) wrote an article, and I followed his recommendations. I heated the kyusu and while the tea was brewing, I added the dried plum and kelp to the cups. Once the tea was done, I poured it into the cups and added gold flakes on top.
The green tea was a bright yellow-green colour and had a grassy and savoury smell. The cup has a pretty layered look due to floating gold flecks, and the plum and kelp suspended in tea.
The taste of the liquor ranged from savoury and salted to fermented and vegetal. Some sips started off grassy and vegetal whereas others started with salty notes of the kelp or the sour notes of the plum. The kelp had a very faint taste and mostly had a gummy texture whereas the plum was a bit salty, sour and fruity.
The first time I tried this tea, I spent some time taking pictures and the salty notes overpowered the other flavours. The second time, there was more diversity in flavours as I sipped on the tea right away. I personally have not been eating as much salt lately, so I found this a bit salty for my taste but I like the range of flavours and the process of making it (3.5/5 rating).
- Type: Green tea
- Origin: Wakuza, Kyoto, Japan
- Caffeine: Unknown
- Ingredients: Green tea, plum, kelp, gold flakes
- Company: Kyoto Obubu Tea Farms
The question of the post: How do you celebrate the new year?
Edit: Happy New Year everyone! Nicole from Tea for Me Please kindly feature my post in her weekly round-up! Make sure to check out all the neat posts from that week!
