Review: TeaGschwendner Japan Tamaryokucha

May 30

Review: TeaGschwendner Japan Tamaryokucha

Geoff’s Teaview Snapshot

"The infusion turned bright green almost instantaneously, much like Japanese teas of hither and "yawn". However, it didn't have the same fluorescent (read: radioactive) intensity in the color. That was fine by me."

Geoff’s Teaview:	8.5/10
Other Teaviews:	Brad gave it 7/10, Erika gave it 8/10, Jamie gave it 8/10
Your Reviews:	Add your review »

I read about tamaryokucha by happenstance while looking up different Japanese green teas. Up 'til then, I only knew of sencha, gyokuro, matcha, hojicha, kukicha, and genmaicha. Safe to say, less than half that list appealed to me. Matcha and gyokuro - as per their pricing structure - were the cream of the crop. Sencha was the middle-ground, rounded off by hojicha, kukicha and genmaicha. Kukicha - the "twig tea" - I could stand. Hojicha was just a little to burnt.

And I...hated...genmaicha.

Tamaryokucha was a new dimension entirely. Descriptions of the flavor profile ranged from "lightly roasted and floral" to "berry or fruit-like". This had me somewhat fascinated. Most Japanese teas - even their beloved gyokuro - possessed a pan-fried quality to it. Many preferred this added refinement, but maybe I was the one disheveled heathen. I liked my green teas with a bit of un-refinement. What sealed the deal with tamoryokucha was the added footnote that it was an unrefined sencha.

Sold.

I had yet to try a TeaGschwendner offering, regardless of the high praise paid to the German company. So far, there was little reason for me to go with the flock on praise. That is, until I noticed a tamaryokucha as one of their offerings. My only disappointment came from learning that their batch was pan-fried rather than steamed. From my reading, I garnered that the latter had more of the berry flavor to it, but I filed that under "nitpicky".

The loose batch indeed had a fruity scent with what I would call a shade of mint. It partly reminded me of licorice. The leaves themselves were a wide array of colors, ranging from dark green to...purple. (I'm always shocked when resorting to "purple" as a tea-ish description.) The site recommendation - per the American distributor - was to use one heaping teaspoon per 8 oz. of 176°F water, brewed for two minutes. To me, a heaping teaspoon sounded like a tablespoon, but I did my best to keep the scoop in the teaspoon-like range. Whatever that is. I did two in 16 oz. of temp-specific water.

The infusion turned bright green almost instantaneously, much like Japanese teas of hither and "yawn". However, it didn't have the same fluorescent (read: radioactive) intensity in the color. That was fine by me. Taste was the important factor here. On first whiff, I noticed it smelled very roasty; as one would expect from a pan-fried tea, kinda had me worried. Luckily, that didn't translate to the flavor, which lived up to the glowing profile. No sencha lawn-like taste, no roasted reverb, just mild fruitiness - like green apples - and an underlying feeling of burnt mint.

If I had one complaint, it would be that the stuff went straight to my head. Not sure how much caffeine was in the first brew, but the buzz was there. Sure felt like a lot, but no matter. The overall experience was a splendid surprise.

— To purchase TeaGschwendner Japan Tamaryokucha, or for more specific information on ingredients or the story behind this particular blend, click here to go directly to the manufacturer's web site.