Tea: Organic China Ku-ki Cha
A Kukicha from Upton Tea Imports - 
Organic
This tea has been retired/discontinued.
| Brand: | Upton Tea Imports |
| Style: | Kukicha |
| Region: | China |
| Caffeine: | Caffeinated |
| Loose? | Loose |
| # Ratings: | 1 View All |
Reviewer: Alex Zorach
✓ 1448 teas reviewed
✓ 6 of Kukicha
✓ 219 of Green Tea
✓ 173 of Upton Tea Imports
✓ 381 from China
Review of Organic China Ku-ki Cha
January 18th, 2012
| Aroma | Flavor | Value | Total |
| 4 of 10 | 2 of 5 | 2 of 5 | 40 of 100 |
| Mediocre | Mediocre | Overpriced |
I was solidly disappointed with this one. Upton's offerings of Japanese styles of tea produced in Japan have been hit-or-miss for me; this and their Sencha were pretty poor, but their Chinese Gyokuro (ZG81) was a pleasant surprise.
Fairly twiggy, mostly stem. Too much astringency and sourness for me. I tried using more leaf, a shorter brewing time, and a lower temperature, in an attempt to reduce the astringency, but the result was similar. Aroma is a bit flat...actually resembles the low grade of some Chinese pan-fired green teas more than it does a steamed Japanese tea to me.
Not that exciting to me. Among my least favorite of kukichas that I've tried. I'd recommend Upton's TJ34, a kukicha produced in Japan, except they are out of stock.
