Tea Review: Makibi Kancha Firewood Winter Green Tea (Yunomi/Mitocha)

Makibi Kancha Firewood Winter Green Tea (Aged) 薪火寒茶
Mitocha (みとちゃ農園)/Yunomi
Type: Green
Origin: Japan, Nara, Yamazoe Village
Product Description:

An extremely rare tea that few producers adopt these days, this tea lends itself to long term aging, changing little over time.

Learned from farmers in Asuke Village, in the mountains of Aichi Prefecture, farmer Yuki Kayashita harvests whole branches of leaves and steams it in a steamer made from wooden barrels placed over steam created from boiling water with firewood. After steaming for an hour, the leaves are easily separated and removed from their branches. They are then laid out to be dried in the cold, dry winter air and sun.

Temperature: 205° F
Amount: 3 grams
Steeping Time: 5 minutes

The dry leaves have a sweet aroma with notes reminiscent of caramel and nuts.

The golden infusion has an aroma of pepper, nutshells, peat moss, and a hint of mint.  The taste has notes of nut shells, walnuts, wood, and a long, sweet, woody finish.

This tea was unique from any other tea I've tasted and curiously compelling.  It produced three full-flavored infusions and I drank every last drop.  The flavor and aroma notes brought back memories from my childhood of eating the walnuts from the trees growing around my great grandparents' home and climbing the mossy trees near my own home.

This tea was purchased by me.

Tea Review: Wazuka Sannen Bancha (Uejima Tea Farm/Yunomi)

Wazuka Sannen Bancha, 3-Year Aged Roasted Bancha Tea/京都宇治和束茶 三年番茶
Yunomi/Uejima Tea Farm

Type: Green
Origin: Japan, Kyoto Prefecture, Wazuka Village
Product Description:

Perhaps you have heard of bancha but what exactly is a sannen bancha? Taking spring bancha, first flush tea leaves harvested after they have grown large (late flushing spring leaves), Uejima-san processes them into dry leaf, then puts them into storage for at least 3 years. After pulling the leaves out of storage, they are then roasted. A tea that is considered to be friendly for all ages because; in comparison to sencha, it has less caffeine and tannins, which can be stimulating for some. A tea that can be enjoyed hot or cold, and don't forget to appreciate that it was sleeping (i.e., in storage) for 3 years!!

* Generally, Japanese tea (i.e., sencha) is made from harvesting, steaming and processing the new buds of tea bushes. These types of teas are considered best when drunk fresh. However, sannen bancha is a little different in that it comes from bushes that have been uncut for three years or from stems and leaves that have matured for three years.

Temperature: 195° F
Amount: 3 grams
Steeping Time: 2 minutes

The dry leaf aroma has notes of roasted nuts, pepper, and dry autumn leaves.

The golden liquor has a tart and peppery aroma with notes of charcoal-roasted nuts and nut shells.  The taste has notes of roasted nuts, and caramelized sugar with a long roasted nutty finish and a hint of sweetness that reminded me of caramelized sugar.

Preparing this tea with water at 195° F and a consistent 2-minute steeping time resulted in a deliciously roasty results throughout three infusions with the promise of more.  I was reminded of crisp autumn leaves and freshly roasted nuts and there was something in the finish that reminded me of crispy snack pretzels, an unexpected tasting note.

This tea was purchased by me.

Tea Review: 2015 Jangheung Joongjak Wild Grown Aged Cheong Tae Jeon Coin Tea (Teas Unique)

2015 Jangheung Joongjak 100% Wild Grown Aged Cheong Tae Jeon (Coin Tea)
Teas Unique
Type: Dark
Origin: South Korea, South Jeolla Province, Jangheung County
Product Description: This jaksul ("sparrow's beak") joongjak (third pluck) Cheong Tae Jeon (Coin Tea) was hand harvested from 100% wild-growing tea plants found in the forested mountains in Jangheung county, South Jeolla Province, Korea after Ipha (the first day of the summer season). The tender leaves are then hand processed -- wilted, oxidized, steamed, dried, molded and aged for over two years. This tea improves with age. Three coins are packaged in a traditional Korean cloth coin purse.

Without Roast:
Add to 1 liter boiling water, simmer 10 minutes

The dry leaves have an aroma of warm hay, sweet oats, a touch of smoke, and a hint of pepper.

The golden orange infusion has a mildly sweet and smoky aroma with a sweet taste that reminded me of caramel and a hint of cinnamon.  Following the first infusion the color, aroma and taste mellow while retaining a pleasant sweetness throughout.  

With Roast:
Roast in oven at 170° F for 7 minutes
Add to 1 liter boiling water, simmer 10 minutes

The dry leaves after roasting have an sweet aroma of warm hay and I was reminded of a compressed heicha.  

The copper orange infusion has a rich and toasty aroma, sweet, with a faint medicinal note.  The taste is mellow and sweet with surprising caramel notes.  The finish reminded me of the distant echo of a baked fruit tart some time after it's been eaten.  

Final Thoughts
There are several ways to go about roasting this tea, including the oven method I used.  
Nicole Martin describes her experience using the stove top method at Tea For Me Please.  
Geoffrey Norman takes us through his experience roasting the tea over an open fire at Steep Stories.
Cinnabar describes a traditional charcoal roasting method at Gongfu Girl.

I definitely recommend roasting the tea before boiling because it allowed the leaves to loosen and open up, developing more flavor.  Letting the roasted tea float loose in the pot while it boiled may also have contributed to the improved flavor.  Unroasted tea in a large infuser still retained much of its coin shape after a 10 minute boil.  Have no fear!  If you're like me and forget purposefully skip the roasting step, you can still look forward to a nice brew.  

After straining out the tea leaves, I also recommend allowing the liquor to rest for a few minutes before drinking, as it seems to develop a deeper, richer flavor.  The first cup fresh from the boiling pot was nice and the second cup from the same batch that had been sitting for ~5-7 minutes was even nicer.  

This tea was provided as a free sample without guarantee of a review.

Tea Review: Iron Buddha Aged Traditional (The Chinese Tea Shop)

Advent Tea Calendar Day 15

Iron Buddha Aged Traditional, 20 Years Old, Charcoal Roasted
The Chinese Tea Shop
Type: Oolong
Origin: China, Fujian Province, Anxi
Product Description:  This rare and traditional Aged Oolong tea comes from a farmer’s private stock. As is common in the tea business in China, it took me many years of buying teas from him and many visits to his farm to convince him I was an earnest and worthy buyer. This tea has been stored since the early 1990’s and unlike inferior varieties roasted by machine, this tea has been carefully re-roasted by hand over charcoal every 3 years to enhance the aged flavour. The tea leaves are a semi-ball shape and are a dark brown colour.

The rinse has a bright pink/reddish colour. The first infusion has a light smoky flavour with an incredible chocolate taste that just has to be experienced! The aroma is rich and complex with deep fruity tones. Then an amazing, mouth tingling sensation bursts out from both sides of the tongue and also from the back of throat. Immediately afterwards, a strong sweet after-taste develops which moistens the palette.

Temperature: 195° F
Amount: 3 grams
Steeping Time: 3 minutes

The dry leaves have an aroma of smoked wood, warm hay, and molasses.

The infusion is golden and pink with an aroma of smoky wood and a sweet hint of cocoa.  The flavor is smoky with notes of caramelized sugar and a broth-like quality.  The finish is long, a little sweet, and mouth-watering.

I got three very good infusions from this tea and could expect at least a couple more that would continue to produce a light and pleasant taste and aroma.  It does make the mouth water a bit at the end with a hint of sweetness.