Nannuo Mountain Pu'er

This loose-leaf raw Pu'er is from a 400-year old tree or trees in the Ban Po Lao Zhai village in Nannuo Mountain, Yunan Province, China.   The age of the tea itself is unknown but it is quite distinguished when comparing with a Pu'er from younger trees.   A Pu'er collected and made from old trees is reputed to possess abundant Cha Qi or tea life energy.   May the force be with you.



Nannuo Puer

 Type:  Pu'er  Producing Country: China      Preparation:  95°C 4 Min

Dry Leaf:  This Pu'er has very long and dark wiry leaves, which have a familiar barn yard or musty smell.
Wet Leaf:  The leaves are like Chinese herbs with a spritz of eau de moo cow. 
Liquor:      The bright amber tea is smooth, sweet and pleasant.  It is herbaceous and thick in the mouth.   

Tee Score: 5 out of 5

Ruby 18 Brandy Oolong

Brandy Oolongs are highly oxidized teas, from 85-90% oxidation.   Ruby 18 Brandy Oolong is made from Taiwan's unique cultivar TTES 18, which is also the source of Red Jade black tea.  Not surprisingly, Ruby 18 brews a liquor almost like Red Jade.   It has a rich caramel color similar to a fine aged brandy.  Some tea connoisseurs even savor the tea from brandy glasses.   Does combining chocolate milk and Ruby 18 equal to a Brandy Alexander? 

Brandy Oolong

Type:  Oolong     Producing Country:  Taiwan    Preparation:  90°C 4 Min

Dry Leaf:  The sugar sweet and fruity aromas are intense from the dark wiry leaves.  There are also notes of raisins, cocoa and strawberries.   

Wet Leaf:  The large leaves are spicy and fruity.    

Liquor:      The tea is golden brown.  It is complex and long in the mouth.  Its flavor profile includes sugar, caramel, cocoa and cinnamon.   It could be mistaken for a black tea. 

Tee Score:  4 out of 5





Aracha Tokusen

Brewing this tea is akin to learning Japanese.

Cha - tea
Aracha - Crude tea
Fukamushicha - deep-steamed Sencha
Konacha - powder tea
Kukicha - twig tea
Tokusen - specially selected

In general, Aracha is a unsorted tea, awaiting further processing and grading, that comprises leaves, twigs, stems, buds, etc.  However,  the description on the package of this Aracha tea states that "this is a presorted blend of first picked tea.  It is Fukamushicha blended with Kukicha and Konacha."   It sounds like reverse engineering!

Aracha

Type:  Green     Producing Country:  Japan     Preparation:  85°C 2 Min

Dry Leaf:  The blended stems, powder and leaves have pleasant notes of seaweed. 
Wet Leaf:  The brewed leaves certainly remind one of chicken liver pate.  
Liquor:      Seaweed and astringency would be the words to describe the olive green brew.  It is bold.  

Tee Score:  3 out of 5

Hojicha Bancha

Bancha or 'common' tea is a late harvest green tea.   Hojicha Bancha is Bancha tea roasted.   Bancha is less expensive; thus, it is quite popular in Japanese households.   Children can drink this tea due to Bancha's lower amounts of caffeine.     



This particular Hojicha appears to be heavily roasted. 

Hojicha Bancha

Type:  Green     Producing Country:  Japan    Preparation:  95°C 30 Seconds

Dry Leaf:  The brown chunks of leaves and some large twigs have the aromas of deep roasted grains. 
Wet Leaf:  The wet leaves are very dark and smoky or leathery.   
Liquor:      The tea is smoky instead of roasty, and is a bit flat. 

Tee Score:  3 out of 5

Hojicha Karigane

Hojicha Karigane is roasted twigs and stems of Gyokuro.   For those people who prefer a more robust and less vegetal green tea, this is a nice alternative.  It also contains lower levels of caffeine in addition to being tasty.   



Hojicha Karigane

Type:  Green     Producing Country:  Japan    Preparation:  95°C 30 Seconds

Dry Leaf:  The leaves are darker than the stems.  The nose is roasted barley.  
Wet Leaf:  The wet leaves smell somewhat like a cigarette. 
Liquor:      The dark brown tea is sweet, smooth and has a roasted flavor.  

Tee Score:  4 out of 5

Karigane (Kukicha)

Kukicha or Bocha is a tea made mostly from twigs.  Kukicha from Gyokuro stems and twigs is often referred to as Karigane.  This Karigane is from Uji, Japan. 

Karigane or Kukicha has less caffeine than other Japanese green teas.   It is suitable for evening sipping or for drinking to vegetate all day.        



Karigane

Type:  Green     Producing Country:  Japan    Preparation:  75°C 2 Min

Dry Leaf:  There are light green tea stems and some darker green leaves, combined to give out the aroma of seaweed. 
Wet Leaf:  The wet leaves are vegetal (freshly cooked spinach).   
Liquor:      The tea is pale lime/yellow green.  It is smooth, fresh, savory and not at all astringent.

Tee Score:  4 out of 5

Genmaicha

The legend about the origin of Genmaicha is too gory for such a mellow tea.   The condensed version:  A samurai beheaded his servant for accidentally dropping some toasted rice in his cup of green tea.  When the samurai realized how delicious the tea turned out to be, he was remorseful and named the tea after his deceased servant.   The believable origin was likely from peasants' attempt to stretch the tea further by adding toasted rice.

Gemaicha is also known as popcorn tea.  It contains sencha and roasted rice to brew a mild drink.  Its lightness could be the reason why it pairs so well with Japanese dishes.



Genmaicha

 Type:  Green     Producing Country:  Japan    Preparation:  80°C 1 Min

Dry Leaf:  This tea is split almost 50-50 between sencha and rice.   Its aromas are predominantly roasted rice.   
Wet Leaf:  Again, roasted rice dominates. 
Liquor:      The pale lime green tea is soft and mild.  It has a nice flavor of pop rice.   

Tee Score:  3 out of 5

Konacha

Konacha are fannings or pieces of tea left over from producing Sencha or Gyokuro.  It is dark green in color and has a strong flavor; therefor, it is great for use in baking and cooking.   Some may associate Konacha with sushi restaurants.     



Konacha



Type:  Green     Producing Country:  Japan    Preparation:  85°C 1 Min

Dry Leaf:  The pieces of leaves are almost powdery but lack any aromas. 
Wet Leaf:  The wet leaves look like macerated spinach.   
Liquor:      The tea is olive green, quite astringent and highly vegetal. 

Tee Score:  2 out of 5