This is the Ocha no Igeta Strawberry Wakōcha.
The dry leaf featured black tea from Shizuoka Prefecture blended with raspberry chips and strawberry leaf. The dry leaf offered gently fruity strawberry notes.
Prepared using a 2.5 g tea bag infused in 150 mL of water at 80°C for 1 minute.
The infusion presented with a transparent red-brown hue. Aroma opened with fruity black tea notes, supported by mellow berry sweetness.
Initial contact delivered soft red berry notes with gentle sweetness alongside a light-bodied liquor. While the aroma suggested a vibrant fruit profile, the strawberry proved comparatively restrained on the palate. Through the mid-palate, the wakōcha base steadily developed, its fuller body and robust black tea character progressively overtaking the delicate berry notes. Mild bitterness emerged before giving way to a leafy mineral dryness towards the finish. The liquor remained smooth throughout, but the fruit never regained prominence. Aftertaste carried mild bitterness and lingering astringency with only faint traces of berry sweetness.
Overall, a flavoured black tea with a receding flavour progression and a smooth but increasingly drying mouthfeel, resulting in a tea where the black tea base ultimately overshadowed the advertised strawberry character.
This Ocha no Igeta Strawberry Wakōcha contained 7.5 g (2.5 x 3 tea bags). The tea was sourced from Japan, packaged in [country] and purchased in Sendai, Japan in 2024.