Tea notes: kukicha
Hadn't intended to open another new tea this soon, but was craving something more vegetal-tasting than anything i already had open. So it came down to either this or a sencha. Since i hadn't had kukicha in over a year, that's what i went with.
Kukicha is made of stems and twigs, rather than leaves, and is a byproduct of the process for making macha and sencha. So the color of the dry tea contains both dark green and light green pieces. It's very pretty! The roasted version is hojicha, which i also like; but kukicha is my preference of the two.
Generally, Japanese teas aren't brewed the way i prefer, is my understanding. So if you're trying this for the first time, use the package instructions.
The first brew came out with exactly the color i was expecting--a really pretty lighter gold-green--but the flavor is far less seaweed-leaning than my last batch. This one's more grassy than vegetal, though there are hints of that as well. Reminds me a little of being nearby when a new hay bale is broken open, but not quite that...dry? Late summer freshly mown grass, when it's been unwatered for a while and is less green-smelling than in the spring.
Second cup is only slightly darker in color, leaning a little more yellow-green. The flavor is less forward but otherwise unchanged, probably because i went a little short on the brew time.
Had the third cup with a nectarine so am unsure whether this is just a two-cup-limit tea or just too light to have with any food on third brew. It's definitely a much less striking version than the previous one i had. Nice enough; just not the vegetal/seaweed flavor i was in the mood for.