Tamayokucha Extremely Green Tea
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From Two Leaves and a Bud
This is a green tea, available both loose and in teabags, and the teabags are presumed to contain the same tea as the loose tea, but I have only tried the teabags so I can't say. The leaves are large broken pieces and are a very deep green color. The picture in the link does not seem accurate; the tea I drank had flatter, and less wiry leaves, even before it was brewed.
The tea brews a very clear, golden green color. The aroma is typical of a green tea...less fishy than most Japanese green teas, and having some of the warmth of the pan-fired Chinese green teas without the smokiness or acidity. This tea is very clean tasting and has little astringency or acidity, although it has some bitterness. It is marked as "lightly caffeinated" but I found this tea to be quite highly caffeinated as green teas go.
I brewed this with water that had slightly cooled down from boiling, and it came out just fine; I have not experimented with different temperatures. I used 12 ounces of water for the teabag and brewed it for three minutes, and the tea was too strong for me. I would recommend at least 16 oz (two cups) per teabag, or making two infusions, one a very brief one (1-2 min. or so) and the other slightly longer.
Bottom line? My experience with this tea has been similar to my experience with other teas from Two Leaves and a Bud: good, but overpriced. A good choice when you see it for sale in a coffee shop, but I would not order it for my home (or if I were the coffee shop owner!).