Review: Gold Mushroom Tea - World Heritage

Type: Powdered/Instant Herbal
Producer: World Heritage (?)
Origin: Hiraizumi
Brewing Parameters: 2 g of powder, 8 oz of boiling water
Appearance: Very light brown/beige colored powder with chunks of dried mushroom and flakes of gold
Rating: D | 64/100
# of Brews: 1

Tasting Notes and Thoughts
Very interesting tea today– apparently, a cultural tea from the area of Hiraizumi, Japan. I'm not really sure on the producer since my Japanese isn't that good (and the package is in all Japanese; really, the only things I could pull out were "use 2 grams of the powder" and "mushroom gold tea"). When I did brew this tea, however, I could tell that this was going to be a very different tea, to say the least.

Essentially, the dried powder smells like Funyuns or any other onion-flavored snack food with a bit of mushroom added. However, when it's added to water, the mushroom smell becomes overwhelmingly strong (to the point where I gag when I smell it)– and it lingers, too. When I got a bit of the powder on my hands, the smell wouldn't come off until I washed them very thoroughly twice. Oh, the packaging also had a cute little spoon that was measured for exactly 2 grams (if you only got powder), which was nice.

Now, to be honest, I'm not that much of a fan of mushrooms. This tea didn't help change my mind. While I'm writing this, it's hard for me to take even a second sip; I didn't like the first taste that much. It did get a little bit better when I kept drinking, though. The only thing I can compare it to is the broth of, say, tonkotsu ramen. It's a lot like drinking straight soup, with the mushroom taste lingering in your mouth and eventually permeating into your nose. The texture is very thick, and it leaves a slightly sweet, vegetal taste in your mouth very long after you drink. Now, I get that this is a historical tea and everything, but honestly, I can't stand it on its own. It might be good if you add it to food or use it in cooking, but it is not a tasty tea. You might like it if you enjoy mushrooms, but this is not for me.

Other Notes

Crunch time now! For the week, I'm going to rush through my summer homework so I can spend August relaxing (and studying) for the most part. I don't really have much to say here today since I did my updates yesterday. Come back later today or tomorrow for more reviews!

Today's album was Petal Port Music Vol. 2.
(I think I'll bring this back too, just because I thought it was a decent addition to the reviews)