Kimberley's Kyusu

Every once in a while I come across a tea that has such a incredibly unique set of tasting notes that there is not an ounce of doubt in my mind that I need to post about it, so I can ensure that as many people as possible know about said tea and hopefully get the chance to experience it for themselves.

Miyazaki Sabou’s Kamairicha (Yabukita Single Cultivar – Reserve) is one of those teas. Initially, I was just going to do an Instagram review & art pairing for this but I simply had too much that I wanted to say that wouldn’t have fit within that character limit. Below are my lasting notes complained through two session with this and and at the end of the post you will find the art pairing.

The dry leaves of this tea range in size from small to medium, they are a mixed palette of greens from dark bottle green to light bright green. Some of them are straight, while others are rolled and slightly curled, all of them matte in texture.

Within their aroma are some pretty unique notes including: Malted Milk biscuits, pan fried baby corn, peach juice, honeydew melon, canned peaches and icing sugar. Throughout the session, the liquor of this tea went from a pale and slightly cloudy yellow green, to a much more vibrant green and less cloudy pale yellow with a green undertone for all steeps after. 

Luckily, a lot of those initial aroma notes are also present within this teas flavour profile, with some additional notes emerging along side them. The most prominent note is that of pan fried baby corn coated with melted butter and sprinkled with just a little seaweed salt.

However there is also a sweetness in this, with those white peach and honeydew melons still present, they are subtler when the tea is hotter but become much more prominent as it cools. In later steeps, notes of sliced pear slightly lightly dipped in icing sugar, toasted rice and buttered greens were present.

Texture wise, it is such a dream to sip on and still incredibly transformative. It is for the most part light, smooth and refreshing, with only an ever so slight sharpness that dissipates quickly, leaving behind refreshing juiciness. Alongside that is a long lasting refreshing finish, composed of vegetal notes and a juicy pear sweetness, rounding the session off in a fantastic way.

Art Pairing: A Picnic Party at Hagidera – Katsukawa Shunchō Japanese – Edo period (1615–1868) – Medium:  Diptych of woodblock prints; ink and color on paper. Current Location: The Met (Not on Display)

For this particular pairing. I knew I wanted to both represent Japan and also art, and also tie in the flavour and aroma profiles of this tea along side it’s colours and the things I feel when I drinking it. With those things in mind and set out in search of the perfect pairing and when I came across this particular piece while using the Met’s research archive, I knew I had hit the nail on it’s head.

There were others I considered but none of them encapsulated everything I wanted to from my sessions with this tea as well as this one did. From the colour palette mirroring not only the colour of the leaves but also the colour of the liquor, but also the setting, teapot and picnic items featured being a great showcase of the unique and transformative nature of this tea and finally the happy, relaxed and fun energy I feel is encapsulated within this piece mirrors the way I have been left feeling after both of my sessions with this tea.

Should you want to try this tea for yourself, you can purchase it over on the Yunomi Website here & don’t forget to use my code INFKKYU when you order to get 1000 yen off and order of 5000 yen or more.

Until next time. Happy Steeping – Kimberley