Wednesday, December 21, 2016

Tea Review: Ishizuchi Kurocha/Tengu Kurocha (Satsuki-kai)

Advent Tea Calendar Day 10

Ishizuchi Kurocha/Tengu Kurocha
Satsuki-kai/さつき会
Type: Dark
Origin: Japan, Ehime Prefecture, Saijo
Product Description: Not provided.

Temperature: 208° F
Amount: 3 grams
Steeping Time: 3 minutes

The dry leaves have a sweet, pickled aroma.

The golden infusion has a tart, pickled aroma with a moderately tart and sweet taste and a dry finish.

This was my second experience with Ishizuchi Kurocha and it reaffirms my first impression that the pickle-like aroma is more pronounced in this tea than it is with Awa bancha.  The best results are produced in the first infusion as subsequent steepings were noticeably lighter in flavor.

I prepared this tea with a cupping set and again with the traditional method by bringing 12 ounces of water to boil, adding 4 grams of tea, and simmering for 2 minutes.  This produced a darker liquor with a slightly mellower flavor than the western-style infusion.

This Ishizuchi Kurocha was a gift from Noli Ergas of Sugimoto America. 




1 comment:

  1. SO MUCH WANT! Ricardo wrote about both of these, and now I want them. In my mouth. And belly.

    ReplyDelete