Infusin_Susan

Even though I only drank this yesterday, I decided I needed to have it again today. I thought it would go well with Sunday breakfast, homemade waffles and omelettes. This time, I had it with both sweetener and milk (well, half & half, to be precise). It was very good and I enjoyed it. However, I think I like it better without milk, because the flavors are stronger that way. I’m kind of wishing I’d ordered a larger amount of this; I can see this becoming a new favorite.

Yunnans and Assams are two of my favorite black teas, so I was eagerly looking forward to trying this tea. I’m happy to report, I was not disappointed. This is a full-bodied, yet refined, breakfast tea. Strong and smooth, with very little astringency. Adding a pinch of sweetener enhanced the flavor instead of covering it up. This is what a classic black tea is supposed to taste like. Satisfying and flavorful. I enjoyed it very much and look forward to my next cup.

No notes yet.

Tried Tangier again. Liking it even more. The flavors are just so juicy and natural. I guess I’ll have to order it.

Vegetal. Mild. Out of all the Den’s senchas I’ve tried, this one is the closest to being bitter. When I brewed it the suggested way, it was both weak and a tad bitter. So I experimented with brew temps and times, and found I got the best flavor when I brewed it for 2 min. 15 sec. at 150 F. When I brewed it this way, it was not bitter, and the grassy flavor stood out. The liquor is pale green in color. It’s a better quality sencha than many I’ve tried; however, it does not have the umami and depth of savory flavors I get from some other senchas, such as Den’s Fukamushi Sencha Yame.

I liked this so much, I bought a pound of it when Golden Moon had a sale. I drink it 2-3 times weekly now. It’s one of my favorite morning black teas, and it has a reliable, pleasant flavor. See previous note.

I’ve tried a lot of oolongs and I’m finding I tend to prefer the greener ones over the more heavily roasted ones. This is an oolong that I think anyone who likes tieguanyins would enjoy. It doesn’t have as many subtle nuances of flavor as a tieguanyin, but it tastes wonderful just the same. It’s kind of floral and grassy, a bit leafy/mossy, and very fresh, with almost a tingly sensation in the aftertaste. This tastes good any time of day, and has a bright, refreshing quality. I think it’s going to become a cupboard staple of mine.

Drank it again. Still love it (see previous notes). Need to buy more. If I could only drink one green tea for the rest of my life, this would be it.

Awful. So fragrant it’s like drinking floral perfume. All other flavors are overwhelmed by the floral perfuminess. Will never drink this again.

This gyokuro is on sale right now at Teavana for 75% off, so if you’re thinking of trying it, now is the time. Only $5 for 2 oz. I stocked up. This has always been one of my favorite gyokuros. I have branched out since I discovered this tea — in the past year or so I’ve tried a lot of different Japanese greens — but I still like this. If you brew it correctly it’s flavorful and gives you that really “green” green tea experience.

Just finished off the last of this. Still love it. I’m going to buy more when it comes around again in March.

I’ve decided this is my favorite Japanese green, and I’m upping the rating to 100 because I think it’s perfect. I like it even better than the Shinchas I ordered from Den’s this spring (as good as those are). It has such an incredible sweet, yet savory, buttery, brothy, thick flavor. I’m sure I need to sample more green teas from other companies, but it would be hard to imagine how they could top this.

The postal carrier delivered this to my doorstep this morning, and I wasted no time in preparing a cup in my new kyusu. I’ll write more later, but my first impressions are:
-This is a very GREEN, green tea. The liquor, the scent, the taste, everything.
-Thick, rich, savory, vegetable broth-like flavor
-Lots of umami.
-Sweet/tingly sort of aftertaste that lingers
-No bitterness, but a strong vegetal flavor.
-In comparison with the Hashiri shincha, this one is stronger and has more umami. Hashiri was flavorful but had a more delicate, hard-to-pin down sort of flavor. I like them both, and I think anyone who likes sencha and gyokuro would like both of these teas.

I will write more after the second steep….

I just love this tea. Such a creamy, delicious flavor. I want to buy a pound of it and drink it every day.

I wasn’t sure if I’d like this tea because sometimes teas that have a lot of flavors, especially caramel, come across as too sweet, or you can’t taste the tea for the flavors. Wow, am I glad I decided to give it a try. This is the best vanilla tea I’ve ever had. It is intensely flavorful but you can still taste the black tea. The flavors all blend together beautifully. The caramel gives the vanilla extra depth. I didn’t detect as many of the cream notes, but perhaps if I try it iced I will. Thank you, Rachel, for creating this delicious blend that caters to my sweet tooth without adding any extra pounds! I will be back to buy more.

This review is for the newly-released 2012 Hashiri Shincha, which I just received from Den’s. I’m so glad I pre-ordered this. For some reason it really tickles me that the leaves I am brewing in Chicago today were still on the tree in Japan so recently.

Upon opening the bag, there is the unmistakable, intoxicating scent of fresh, grassy, sweet sencha. I followed the brewing instructions (160 F for 90 seconds) and was rewarded with a yellowish-greenish liquor. My first impressions upon sipping it were of buttered green vegetables, but the “buttery” sensation soon dissipates and shifts to a sweet vegetal sort of flavor. Grassy, but not bitter. Brothy. Savory and sweet at the same time — how does it manage that? The flavors are really strong and keep shifting from vegetal and grassy to sweet and almost herbal, and the flavors are long lasting; I can still taste this tea (in a good way) several minutes after drinking it. It’s delicious; like springtime in a cup.

The first time I brewed this I let it sit for just one minute too long and it came out a tad astringent, so I would say this is a tea that is, indeed, fussy about brew times. But if you follow the directions on the package, you’ll be rewarded with a remarkably sweet and flavorful cup.

This is one of my favorites when I want a strong, flavorful black tea to help wake me up. I get notes of raisin, chocolate, cola caramel, and sort of a baked-goods kind of feel from this tea. I find that adding a pinch of Truvia helps bring out the flavors. This is a full-bodied, well-rounded tea.

Yes, I drank this yet again. A whole pot of it. And I’ll probably have some tomorrow, too. See previous notes.

This tea is just so good. It never disappoints. Upping my rating.

This is the best sencha I have ever had. Delicious! Rich and almost savory, as others have mentioned. Vegetal, buttery, grassy, thick. No bitterness or even a hint of astringency. It doesn’t taste like vegetable soup, but it gives a similar effect.

I realize this tasting note is short…I will update soon, when I have time to drink it, savor it and record all of my impressions. But seriously, if you are thinking of buying this, you will not be disappointed. I think even those who aren’t big fans of Japanese greens would like this. It’s that good!

This is delicious! So creamy and milky, and not overly floral. The milk flavors do not cancel out the taste of the oolong tea. Smooth and calming. Not too sweet, but not at all astringent or bitter. Full of flavor.

I will write more later, after I’ve had a chance to resteep this. My very first thought is this tastes almost identical to American Tea Room’s Milk Oolong. It even smells and looks like it.

Thank you, Todd & Holland, for the sample! I’ll be back to buy it.

No notes yet.

As directed by Den’s, I brewed two bags of this, in ice cold water, in their $3 special “Reicha” plastic iced tea pot. I let it sit for about two hours, shaking it a few times throughout. This turned out much better than expected. It’s certainly not the strongest sencha flavor I’ve ever experienced, or the most nuanced, but for iced green tea it’s quite good. What really struck me was the complete lack of any bitterness or astringency – there’s not even a hint of anything unpleasant. This tea is slightly vegetal and grassy, but also almost sweet, even though it contains no sweetener. It’s just a clean, crisp, green tea taste — and you couldn’t ask for a more convenient brewing method. This is going to be great as the weather gets warmer.

A big thank you to Dinosara who sent me this tea. This is a flavored black with bergamot and mild fruit flavors. I’m not getting a lot of the honey flavor. Overall, I find it similar to Harney’s Paris but not as fruity. I was worried it would be too Earl Grey-ish (I’m not a big fan of Earl Grey other than in lattes) because of the bergamot, but it’s not. I agree with the other reviewers who compare it to Kusmi St. Petersburg.

More thoughts later after I have a second cup…