Ito En

Steep Information:
Amount: 3 tsp
Water: 750ml filtered water brought to 195°
Tool: Breville One-Touch Tea Maker BTM800XL (Oolong, Medium, Auto start)
Steep Time: a little over 3 minutes
Served: Hot

Tasting Notes:
Dry Leaf Smell: vegetal, floral
Steeped Tea Smell: vegetal, floral
Flavor: floral, slightly (but pleasantly) bitter, vegetal
Body: Medium
Aftertaste: vegetal
Liquor: translucent honey yellow-brown

Purchased at Mitsuwa for $7.50

A good cup of tea, but not amazing. I’ll gladly enjoy the rest of this tea, but I can’t see myself craving it. I am also not a rose fan.

images: http://amazonv.blogspot.com/2010/05/ito-en-loose-leaf-oolong-tea-rose.html

It has been an insanely stressful couple of days, to help relax (and apparently celebrate Iced Tea Day!) I had an icy cold bottle of this today. As always, it is sweet, without been sweetened, the jasmine is subtle yet floral enough that you do not miss it. Overall, a wonderful tea, if you spot a bottle, I highly recommend buying it.

I have been drinking this for the past three or four days (multiple bottles, I admit) because it was the only non-sweetened iced tea available in the area. Imagine my surprise when I came on Steepster to see a fresh review of it…

The color is light, the aroma is faint jasmine. Enjoyed cold from the bottle. Drinking straight from the bottle interferes slightly with the bouquet from the tea, but I do not think it hurts the flavor. The flavor is faint jasmine but not obtrusive, it is light and airy, green tea, no vegetal just jasmine. The unsweetened is also very enjoyable, the jasmine brings enough to the slightly floral jasmine that it is all the sweetness you need without any additives. Overall, very good.

Tasting Notes:
Steeped Tea Smell: jasmine, vegetal green tea
Flavor: astringent, bitter, jasmine, vegetal
Body: Medium
Aftertaste: bitter, astringent
Liquor: honey yellow-brown

Served iced from the bottle, I think it’s a good prepared, store bought, iced tea.

I would buy it again as a pre-made, but not as a preferential to loose leaf.

images: http://amazonv.blogspot.com/2010/05/ito-en-company-bottled-green-tea.html

Oi Ocha + San Pellegrino Limonata = Arnold Palmer’s yummy Japanese-Italian cousin!

;-)

Down to one bottle.

I’m basicially alternating between buying a case of this, and a case of Honest Tea’s Honey Green on Amazon every month or so. The oi ocha goes less quickly (hubs discovered he likes the Honest Green too, but not this). I like this when I want something that is crisp, refreshing, unsweetened, and “healthy” tasting. (It has 100% DV of Vitamin C!)

I was thrilled to see this as an option at an otherwise unremarkable japanese hibachi place. I do think I like it better in bbottles. It tastes a bit dull in the can. I may have to buy acase of it on amazon again this year…

last bottle :( I will buy another case one of these days. For now, it’s nice to have a bit more fridge space (plus I’m finishing cases of Rooibee Red Tea and Izze soda still).

This tea isn’t one I drink everyday (although I probably could), but when I want it, nothing else does the trick. It seems to pair pretty well with any foods, maybe because it is neither sweet nor citrusy like most other bottled teas.