his is actually my first post on this forum. I've been lurking around for quite some time, but now decided to join in in the discussions.
My most recent purchase was a Tamaryokucha (not sure if it's pan fried or steamed) from a new seller, and the taste was totally different from the Tamaryokucha I had before, from another seller..
Let me make a profile comparison of both teas quickly, before I get to the main point.
- "previous seller"
- Dry leaves: green color, a lot of leaves are broken/crushed, almost ground-like. Almost no smell
- Taste: when brewed at 60°C, not so much astringent, but it's still there, light taste, very easy drinkable
- "new seller"
- Dry leaves: more deep green color, leaves appear bigger (maybe because there are very few broken ones), the smell of dry leaves is really strong, fruity-citrus-fresh grassy like
- Taste: ... now we've come to the subject where I can't really put my finger on.. the taste is strong (brewed it also at 60°C), with an aftertaste that becomes more apparent on the exhale-it's a familiar taste and it got more apparent (sorry for the lack of vocabulary atm) on the later, 4th and 5th brew. (maybe I shouldn't have raised the water temperature all the way to 80°C on the last brew)
- wet leaves on the later brews had a slight fragrance of watermelon and fresh cucumber lol, which weren't apparent at all in the tea taste to me
The thing is, I can't figure out what the taste reminds me of. I have it at the tip of my tongue, but for the life of me I can't figure it out and it's been driving me crazy xD
So please, if there are any Tamaryokucha drinkers out there, describe the taste of the tea, what it reminds you of, and help me out of this misery xD
Quick edit:
I tried the tea again, and somehow it came to me, the taste I couldn't remember was chestnuts! The tea had such a prevalent taste of chestnuts I couldn't believe it.
Anyway, I tried brewing it differently. Temperature 80°C, around 75s, and finally, there was that 'green' taste and a lot less of chestnuts! Great flavor, very interesting, still no bitterns at all. I did the second infusion for 30s on 80deg C as well, but now I think I might have over-brewed it. Next time, I'll go for 75°C and same steeping times and see how it goes
I'm still interested to hear your experiences as well, about the taste/ maybe some tips on how you brew it (temperature, times,..)?
Oh, if anyone knows which one of the two types of Tamaryokucha this one is, please let me know