This tea is really strange. I brewed 1 tsp at 190 for 1 min. I think that might be too much tea since the rolled amounts say to use only one or two sticks. It’s hard to tell with the loose leaf. It has a real bite with lots of bitterness that hits the tip of the tongue and as it rolls to the back there’s a sweetness. It’s also a bit astringent like a green tea.
I just have a hard time getting past the bitterness. As the tea sits it seems to become even more bitter.
Flavors: Bitter
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Kuding is an medicinal herb that is the leaf of Holly Ilex. It tastes terrible, LOL, extremely bitter, no matter how you brew it, although if you start with 1 spike & very short time, you’re supposed to get used to it after awhile, & the ‘after sip’ is supposed to be sweet.
Over Christmas I worked with a Chinese international student who talked about Kuding; she said it was a household staple for her family and a lot of people she knew – but not for the taste but because it’s believed to make you look and feel more youthful.
it’s also suppose to be good for respiratory problems & as a detox. I have some, but have only drank it once, so far.
I could use it for my respiratory problems. I’m always congested from allergies but this tea is really hard to get used to.
So Uba, maybe we should both agree to drink a cup a day, starting with 1 spike at say 15 seconds? It can be a joint operation to built up our sensitivity to bitterness, LOL
I don’t have it in spikes, only loose and not sure I could follow through on that. I might be willing to try if it really helped my lungs!
I can’t believe this was my 400th tasting note and I never even knew. On top of that I wasted it on Kuding tea! LOL
Bitter Needle or bitter nail I think is how it is translated.
Congrats on 400!
@mrmopar, yup!
Kuding is an medicinal herb that is the leaf of Holly Ilex. It tastes terrible, LOL, extremely bitter, no matter how you brew it, although if you start with 1 spike & very short time, you’re supposed to get used to it after awhile, & the ‘after sip’ is supposed to be sweet.
Over Christmas I worked with a Chinese international student who talked about Kuding; she said it was a household staple for her family and a lot of people she knew – but not for the taste but because it’s believed to make you look and feel more youthful.
it’s also suppose to be good for respiratory problems & as a detox. I have some, but have only drank it once, so far.
I could use it for my respiratory problems. I’m always congested from allergies but this tea is really hard to get used to.
So Uba, maybe we should both agree to drink a cup a day, starting with 1 spike at say 15 seconds? It can be a joint operation to built up our sensitivity to bitterness, LOL
I don’t have it in spikes, only loose and not sure I could follow through on that. I might be willing to try if it really helped my lungs!
I can’t believe this was my 400th tasting note and I never even knew. On top of that I wasted it on Kuding tea! LOL
Bitter Needle or bitter nail I think is how it is translated.
Congrats on 400!
@mrmopar, yup!