Den's Tea Houji-Kukicha Revisited

I first tried Den's Houji-Kukicha about a year ago and enjoyed it. Later I tried Hibiki's Houji Karigane but didn't care for it as much. Now I am giving Den's another try and I sill prefer it.

Its simplicity appeals to me. Add a heap of leave with some boiling water and lett it sit for a minute or two or three, whatever, and you have a cup of warm, roasted goodness. Nothing fancy but pleasurable.

If you are looking for a roasted kukicha, my advice is to go with Den's.

Adagio's Keemun Rhapsody

Spring is here, and with it soon comes the new harvests, particularly shincha--I am making my last bit of sencha stretch as long as I can. So in the mean time I continue to dig through my dwindling tea stash.

This is another one of the four new hong cha that Adagio released some months back.

The leaves smell...like keemun. The aroma reminds me of BBQ sauce. Kind of sweet, not smokey...hickory? I am pulling hickory out of my ass, as I have no idea what that smells like. Let's go with it.

The liquor is a clear, cola-brown. No hints of red.

The tea is pleasant enough. A some what mild keemun. Not bad, though I don't see myself ever yearning for a cup.

I am so off my game today.