ITD Tasting Club Notes 1/08: Koucha (Japanese Black)

[Thirsty Daruma]

Got the tea a couple days ago. It uh...it's been roughed up a little, but still brewable, methinks.

[Chip]

This is a very curious brew...I was first concerned that it might be smokey by the BBQ reference or that it might brew up a little rough due to the rather broken leaf.

But it has a nice dry leaf aroma and the heated dry leaf in my preheated pot is actually pretty good.

The brew is lighter than I expected given the appearance of the leaf. But it is a very curious flavor profile. If I do not know the honor of the Japanese, I would swear this is a blended tea consisting of Kenyan as the base along with Ceylon and some Chinese Conguo (more so than Keemun).

It is actually a pleasant black tea which did surprise me and JAPANESE! So that carries some added appeal to me. It is different enough to warrant a try, and this was an excellent opportunity without commiting to 100 grams.

Thanx again Space for hosting this sampling!!!

[skywarrior]

Japanese black tea -- and no one shared with me.

:sniffle, sniffle:

[Chip]

...sorry Sky, but you can jump on next month's tasting. See the Tea Tasting thread under ITD.

[Space Samurai]

Did everyone get their samples? I know bill didn't, because it came back, but I put it in the mail again.

Chip, I had some of the same thoughts as you. I would swear it is Indian tea, but I wonder if that's just because it didn't meet my expectations. I thought it would be something very different, like the difference between Indian and Chinese tea.

[Salsero]

It didn't seem Indian-like at all to me, certainly not like Darjeeling or Assam, at least not a good quality Assam. I don't have much experience with Nilgiri, but not like what little Nilgiri I have experienced either. I can sort see a tiny hint of Ceylon acidity, and the idea of a Kenyan or even Javanese tea seems pretty reasonable.

But honestly, it most reminded me of a Keemun or a Fujian Congou, without the complexity of the best of those Chinese blacks, but smooth and full flavored like them.

In any event, I was very pleasantly surprised: what I had expect to be a sideshow freak turned out to be quite decent black tea. Those Japanese!

[hop_goblin]

I never did recieve my sample.

[Space Samurai]

Bill, yours is the one that came back to me, I put it in the mail again a few days ago.

I did just get the shupu you sent, it was quite nice, I thought. Thank you. I've been wanting a goos shu for a while now.

[hop_goblin]

Bill, yours is the one that came back to me, I put it in the mail again a few days ago.

I did just get the shupu you sent, it was quite nice, I thought. Thank you. I've been wanting a goos shu for a while now.

NP, I am happy you enjoyed the shou. I like it as well. Cheers

[Thirsty Daruma]

I think I may have oversteeped it, since it came a little more granular than it should have, but I found this to be a freshingly good black tea. I mean, real solid. The fact that it came out of Japan is the kicker. Since the tradition of black tea there is so short, if present at all, I half expected this tea to taste terrible. But it was bold, slightly malty, with a nice black tea astringency. Remarkable? No. But remarkable for its Japanese origins. Nice find!

[Chip]

I am actually kinda getting the BBQ notes on subsequent attempts. It is interesting.

Thanx again Space for taking the initiative to get this Tea Tasting thing actually going and not just a thought or idea that we kept tossing around.

[Space Samurai]

your elcome, it was my plasure.

[Salsero]

Thanx again Space for taking the initiative to get this Tea Tasting thing actually going . . .

Word. Scruff and BHale are our no nonesense, take charge, just do it, step up to the plate, take the reins kinda guys.

Big thanks!

[Chip]

Thanx again Space for taking the initiative to get this Tea Tasting thing actually going . . .

Word. Scruff and BHale are our no nonesense, take charge, just do it, step up to the plate, take the reins kinda guys.

Big thanks!

I will have to think about that before agreeing. I will get back to you next month... I am learning in my old age, sometimes ya just gotta do it. Took me years of thinking to reach that conclusion.

[Salsero]

Interesting post yesterday by Nigel in RFDT about black tea in Japan. The short version: "one in four cups of tea consumed in Japan is black."

Date: Wed, Mar 12 2008 4:34Â am
From: Nigel

On Mar 10, 3:59Â pm, Salsero <tom2ant...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> Interesting, I didn't know that they drank much black tea in Japan.
>

We should not judge from stereotypes:

Tea import statistics for Japan for year 2007 (Jan to Dec) show -
Green tea 9,624 tonnes total (from China 9,015 tonnes), Black tea
37,718 tonnes total (from China 21,172 tonnes, from Sri Lanka 10,354
tonnes, from India 2,741 tonnes), Tea extracts 2,165 tonnes total.
Black tea importing is stable - in 2006 it was 36,842 tonnes, for 2005
was 36,175 tonnes. (data from F.O. Lichts)

With total tea imports at 49,507 tonnes, green and black, plus mainly
green local production of 99,500 tonnes (2006 data ex ITC) this would
indicate that one in four cups of tea consumed in Japan is black. Bow
low to the marketing power of Lipton Yellow Label !

Nigel at Teacraft