Tamayokucha - Organic

10
Percentile
8 ratings
Picture of Tamayokucha
Brand:Two Leaves and a Bud
Style:Tamaryokucha (Guricha)
Caffeine:Caffeinated
Region:China
Loose/teabag:Sachet
Product page:Tamayokucha

This tea's info last updated: Feb. 2, 2016

Commercial Description

There's a reason this is our best selling green tea - it has a sweet, light flavor you want in a cuppa' green tea, without being bitter. How do we do it? These whole tea leaves are gently steamed as they dry. Tamayokucha has a beautiful green hue you'll enjoy seeing in your cup as much as savoring on your tongue.

Ratings & Reviews

Page 1 of 1 page with 8 reviews

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Reviewer pic67 Aroma: 7/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 2/5
(333 reviews) on

I actually found this tea to be refreshing and clean. It's simple, but not in a way that's bitter or at all unpleasant. I brewed it a short time at 175 °F and was pleasantly surprised by how very drinkable it is. The aroma is very light and the infusion is a pale green. Its a bit plain by itself, so I recommend drinking this one with food.

It's still overpriced (I bought a single pack for $2), but it's got me wondering about this style of tea. I'll have to be on the lookout for one that's similar but less price heavy.
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Reviewer pic57 Aroma: 6/10 Flavor: 3/5 Value: 3/5
(108 reviews) on

smells like asparagus...unique!! taste is very similar...medium-mild strength...unique and flavorful but not the best of tastes for my palate...might be quite good with sugar though!
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Reviewer pic63 Aroma: 6/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 3/5
(338 reviews) on

The aroma is very green and vegetal with a slight hint of citrus. More like orange blossoms than orange fruit though, so I can see it also being considered floral.

The flavor is also very green, and not in a bad way. Very light and also very bright! The taste is more like grass than vegetables, which is something I have run into a lot with Japanese greens. It feels like a tea I would want to drink after a heavy meal or anytime I would want to feel cleansed or refreshed.

I am only rating this tea as good because it is that, good and not excellent when comparing it to other Japanese green teas.
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Reviewer pic60 Aroma: 4/10 Flavor: 3/5 Value: 4/5
(21 reviews) on

I only had one teabag to play with, and I think I brewed it badly. I followed the instruction on the packet to brew it for five minutes. It didn't say what temperature to use, so I guessed 175F or so, which I think was a mistake.

Aroma-wise, the leaves were pleasantly citrusy, but once I brewed it, the aroma turned intensely vegetal. As for the taste, it had that 'umami' quality I've come to associate with Japenese-style tea, but entirely too much of it. The strongest taste was of seaweed, and not in a good way. It overpowered everything else.

I suspect if I had tried a shorter steeping time, or a lower temperature, it might have come out better. Moral of the story: don't always listen to the package instructions.
1 Comment

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Reviewer pic63 Aroma: 5/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 3/5
(142 reviews) on

I just had this tea with my lunch and was surprised to see all of the negative ratings about it. Like the description I found that it has a light taste and to me it was crisp and refreshing. It had a different flavor than most green teas I've tried and I feel like tangy was a good way to describe it, but I didn't encounter a soapy aftertaste. I only brewed this tea for 3-4 minutes.
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Reviewer pic57 Aroma: 4/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 3/5
(11 reviews) on

I am a big fan of green teas and tried this one today. It is a bit bland tasting, but that's kind of how green tea is in general. I thought it tasted better than it smelled. I would say this tea is about average. I would drink again, but not necessarily choose it if there were other teas to drink.
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Reviewer pic50 Aroma: 6/10 Flavor: 2/5 Value: 3/5
(11 reviews) on

I am not a big green tea drinker to begin with, so I can't say for sure if my review is based on my general opinion of green teas or this tea in particular. It is certainly a drinkable tea, and when you first taste it it has a nice, full flavor. But there's a weird, almost soap-like aftertaste that I didn't like. Definitely do not let this sit for too long, because once it's cooled that soapy taste gets stronger. Not a bad tea, but not a particularly good one either.
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Reviewer pic50 Aroma: 5/10 Flavor: 3/5 Value: 2/5
(1448 reviews) on

This is the only example of guricha or tamaryokucha that I've tried, so I have no idea how typical it is. It seemed a lot more like gyokuro than any other type of green tea.

I find this tea painstakingly difficult to brew in a way I like. Brewing with a very low temperature is essential...otherwise this tea acquires a strange aroma that is hard to describe but which I find to be quite unpleasant...it's a bit like spoiled or overcooked vegetables. Even when brewed with low-temperature water, however, this tea has some strange tones in the aroma that I am not a big fan of.

I find the commercial description to be way off...it is tangy with an odd edge to it, almost salty tasting. It's a bit thin, and has a mostly vegetal aroma, and with none of the grassy tones characteristic of many green teas. I wouldn't describe it as full or complex. It is enjoyable, but it also has a number of objectionable qualities, and I tend to prefer Two Leaves and a Bud's other offerings.

I recommend steeping with water that is about 140-160F, and letting it steep for a very long time (10+ min).

Even then, I don't like this tea all that much. In terms of Two Leaves and a Bud's other offerings, I prefer their white teas and black teas. I think their green teas are more of a weak point.
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Page 1 of 1 page with 8 reviews

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