Buddha Teas open my eyes to a Japanese black tea with cherry blossoms!

Buddha Tea is an interesting company with lots to offer! They knew I was interested in exploring Japanese black teas and sent me their 'Sakura and Japanese Black Tea' blend. When I say 'blend' all I mean is a black tea with cherry blossom pieces, that's it. I didn't quite 'get it' the first time I brewed it. I didn't follow instructions, I just gongfu'ed the heck out of it and it was not the eye-opener I have since found it to be! tonight I tried it again and I finally just did what I was told on the package and the website although to my mind it was an insanely small amount of tea at only two grams for a very big amount of water, my 250 ml gaiwan! I mean, it looked silly in that big gaiwan! I was tempted to add another gram.....so I did. Aside from that I followed the instructions perfectly though, water temperature was around 175f, and I steeped it for a full two minutes. I never steep anything that long, ever! I was a bit nerve-wracking. Prior to that first two minute steep I did do a ten second rinse though I am not at all sure that is the way of Japanese black teas. I didn't not drink the rinse, but that first and second steep were crazy delicious!

( Not the prettiest steeps with the small pieces in the large vessel but the taste? Lovely!)

This 100% organic black tea is not the easiest thing to use in a gaiwan and I clogged my strainer more than once with my less than nimble hands being unused to using the huge 250ml gaiwan, but pretty or not, this was a wonderful brew. So nice to have that cherry blossom taste just so subtly on the roof of my mouth!

(I wish I could describe the heavenly scent coming out of the gaiwan as I take this photo!)

Buddha Tea tells us..."If you’ve ever stood underneath a Japanese cherry blossom tree, you’ll understand the almost magical quality that has made these delicate blooms a subject of fascination in Japanese culture for centuries. Known in the Japanese language as “sakura”, the cherry blossoms are revered in art, poetry and song. Now, you can enjoy these mystical flowers yourself in the floral blend of sakura Japanese black tea.

This blend combines crisp leaves of Japanese black tea with fragrant sakura petals. The result is a tea with a deep, earthy base, accented with sweet floral notes to capture your senses from the first sip to the last. Elegant and inviting, this Japanese tea blend is a luxurious delight to even the most seasoned tea drinkers."

Check them out at www.BuddhaTeas.com and tell them Buddha-Mom sent you!