Cody

I’m pretty happy with this sencha. It’s very sweet, vegetal with undertones of soy beans and a smooth and mellow liquor with a pleasant astringency and a tad bit of bitterness in the first steep or two. However, the flavor is quite one-dimensional, and doesn’t evolve much between steeps, although it does grant several. Compared with the poetic description on Narien’s site, the flavor of the tea I received did not add up. The aroma is of fresh steamed greens and has a subtle acorn-like scent as well. My largest complaint is the amount of tea dust. After steeping, the liquor appears murky and looks as though it was infused with saw dust, and causes the liquor to have a thick and heavy, and almost milk-like mouthfeel. However, the wet leaves appears very even, are of a bright green coloration, and seem quite healthy. They also have a nice delicate, silky feel to them. It’s a nice tea to sip with a snack for a very cheap price, but if you’re looking for a unique tea experience, I would look elsewhere.

2012-07-02 11:58:51 -0400

170 °F / 76 °C

I Like This

2 likes

0 comments

People who liked this

Profile

Bio

I’m fanatic about all things tea-related. Lately, I’ve been fascinated with dan congs and Chinese blacks. I love all kinds of oolongs and particularly enjoy tieguanyin. I typically prefer unflavored/unscented teas, but I’m crazy about chais. Recently, I have begun to delve into the world of pu’er, and have started a small collection of sheng and shu cakes.

I love trying new teas and I’m always learning all I can about the world of tea. When drinking, I look for a tea that presents a unique experience, something that involves every sense and provides intrigue in every aspect throughout steeps. I search for teas with balanced complexity and something that makes me keep reaching for my cup. I yearn to find all the positives a tea possesses and every subtle nuance hiding among the leaves. I tend to steep most of my teas gong fu style in a small gaiwan if time permits, but I always try to taste a tea Western style before writing a review if a sample is large enough.

My reviews typically attempt to document my full experience with a tea, and are hence pretty lengthy (so thanks for reading all my rambling!). This being said, my logging can become sporadic based on when I have free time from school work.

My Trusty Brewing Teaware
Adagio UtiliTEA electric kettle.
For gong fu, a 100 mL porcelain gaiwan. Very rarely I use a ~12 oz Yixing pot dedicated to lightly oxidized oolongs.
For Western style, a 16 oz cast iron pot.