Organic Ku-Ki Cha Kamakura (TJ34)
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From Upton Tea
This is an organic green tea from Japan. It is a "twig tea", made of stems, stalks, and twigs. The dry tea has a fresh aroma a bit like straw.
When brewed this tea has a light golden-greenish color. There are a lot of straw-like tones in the aroma, and some woody tones, as well as a faint hint of the fishiness that most sencha's have. The flavor is surprisingly bitter, and rather astringent, even when brewed at a low temperature and for a short time period. Very crisp and cool tasting.
I've tried brewing this one at different temperatures. Interestingly, at a higher temperature, it seems to get more bitter but the complexity of the aroma is intact. I prefer brewing at lower temperatures--it is less bitter and astringent. Most of the aromas, however, come out in the first couple minutes of brewing. If you brew a second cup, it will be bitter and astringent, but with a weak aroma.
This is a bit of a peculiar tea. It's nice for a change of pace. I've found that some people who dislike most green teas rather enjoy this one. It's not my favorite tea though. The price is very reasonable, however; although it's not the most inexpensive tea out there, you don't need much of the tea for brewing so it goes very far.
http://www.uptontea.com/shopcart/item.asp?itemID=TJ34&from=cazort.net