Looking for a nice daily green.. (Teavivre? Mellow Monk?)
I’m looking for a nice daily green tea to drink, but there are so many choices! I was looking at Teavive which has a couple options – specifically their two Dragonwell’s. Does anyone know the difference between these besides price?
I was also looking at Mellow Monk, which has several green teas as well for a reasonable price. Does anyone have any experience with them? Sure wish they gave samples or let you buy in smaller sizes.
What are you favorite daily green teas to drink?
I personally love Teavana’s dragonwell. I haven’t really sat down and done a comparision to Teavivre’s. I would assume there’s probably a slight quality difference between Teavivre’s grading, but it’s probably not a big deal if you’re looking at a daily green. I’ve tried their Superfine, and it’s great.
Adagio’s Anhui Emerald Seed is also similar to a Dragonwell… I don’t know if I like it quite as much, but it’s still good.
Thanks for your feedback. I noticed Teavivre’s Superfine is Organic, whereas the premium is not. Not sure how much it matters, though.
Teavan’s Dragonwell is actually not that badly priced. What’s wrong with them? LOL.
Mellow Monk’s Top Leaf is really terrific and quite affordable. It’s also great hot or iced or cold brewed, it’s so versatile.
Have you tried any of their other teas or just that one? I was wondering how it compares to the Monk’s Choice.
I have tried both, and Top Leaf comes out on top. Of course it is also a bit more expensive, but worth the extra cost.
In fact, you can’t go wrong with any of the teas from Mellow Monk — great teas, at good prices. Excellent customer service and shipping add to the appeal of the company.
Best wishes,
sherubtse
Here are some brief information about the two different green teas:
Different production place: the Superfine is from Tianmu Mountain(天目山), Lin’an County, Hangzhou City, Zhejiang, and the premium is from Xihu(西湖), Hangzhou, Zhejiang.
Tea liquor:
Superfine: Soup presents tender a yellowish green color, tastes sweet and brisk; aroma lasts long in the middle and back part of the tongue.
Premium: Pale green yellow when brewed, it has a subtle, rich, orchid like taste and aroma, with no hint of bitterness
Appearance:
Superfine: Dry tea is shaped straight and pretty, with one bud and one or two leaves
Premium: Flattened tea leaves, with one bud and one or two leaves
Teavivre definitely has some good green teas: Hangzhou Tian Mu Qing Ding and Tian Mu Mao Feng are really nice. I’ve only had their Super Fine Dragonwell and it is excellent.
Verdant also has great green teas. I love their Laoshan green. Specifically the summer harvest, it’s more creamy.
Life in Teacup has some good ones too, my favorite from them is the Frosty Spring Yunnan Roast green tea which is rich and creamy.
Rishi has a few good ones. I prefer their Jade Cloud and Ancient Emerald Lily green teas.
Harney and Sons has some good greens, although I prefer their flavored ones.
You may also wish to try some of the teas from O-Cha, if you like Japanese greens. They have some fine teas at great prices.
Best wishes,
sherubtse
Of course!
You might try this one, a very nice middle-of-the-road sencha at a great price:
http://www.o-cha.com/japanese-organic-sencha.html
Or this one:
http://www.o-cha.com/green-tea/daily-sencha.html
Hope this helps.
Best wishes,
sherubtse
I noticed o-cha is having a sale this month and I came across this tea. Do you have any thoughts? I’m looking for a green that’s not too grassy or bitter and isn’t as finnicky when brewing.
Hi Rachel:
The kabuse-cha is not one of my favs from O-Cha, but is good quality nevetheless.
If you wish something mild, you might try this one:
http://www.o-cha.com/miyazaki-organic-sencha.html
Mellow Monk’s teas are also rather mild – Paul buys them like this for the American palate.
Best wishes,
sherubtse
Thank you very much for your input. I don’t mind grassy teas, but it’s really the astringency that turns me off. I’m trying not to spend TOO much on green tea because I know I’m a newbie, and I’m not sure if my palate is refined to appreciate the good stuff.
I am interested in trying Mellow Monk’s. I was waiting for a sale, similar to O-cha.
Also, does o-cha charge a currency exchange fee when you order from them? If so, I plan to use my CC that doesn’t charge a foreign transaction fee.
I am not sure when there will be sale from Mellow Monk, so I suggest you e-mail them and ask.
No, O-Cha does not charge a foreign currency conversion fee. In fact, no tea vendor does this, to the best of my knowledge. Rather, it is something that is imposed by the credit card company you use.
Perhaps the kabuse-cha from O-Cha would be a good choice for you, or the asa I mentioned above. From Mellow Monk, Top Leaf or Frosty Garden might fit the proverbial bill.
Best wishes,
sherubtse
Thanks for your help.
I didn’t know if I should expect a fee from the credit card, is what I meant. Wasn’t sure if O-cha does the currency conversion on their end or what.
I will try contacting Mellow Monk. I’ve tried other ways but they make it a little difficult to get ahold of them.
Try this page for contact info re Mellow Monk:
http://www.mellowmonk.com/contact.htm
It may take a few days for someone to get back to you, though.
Best wishes,
sherubtse
Thank you so much for that link. It finally worked and they responded. They also reactivated the coupon MELLOWREDDITOR for 20% off until December. Woot.
I don’t think they do samples, though. Bummer :(
No, Mellow Monk does not provide samples. In fact, almost all of the better companies selling Japanese teas sell only in 100g sizes.
Here is one notable exception:
http://shop.ippodo-tea.co.jp/kyoto/shopf/index.html
Best wishes,
sherubtse
I love Teavivre’s greens! Their jasmines like Jasmine Dragon Pearl, Superfine Downy Jasmine Dragon Pearls, and (cheaper option) Silver Jasmine Green are ALL great. They are my go to greens. I also have Huang Shan Mao Feng and Chun Mee, also good. I LOVE their regular DragonWell but I haven’t tried the more expensive one.
Harney and Sons Tropical Green is my favorite of their flavored every day teas.
O-Cha has some incredibly high-quality Japanese greens. Their everyday sencha is good too, but I’d recommend the Chiran Sencha if you like a deeper steamed fukamushi sencha, and the Uji Sencha “Musashi” if you like a medium steam.
I’ll also add Thes Du Japon to the list if you’d like some really neat, artisan green teas with unique flavors (as well as everyday teas). And if you don’t quite know where to start with Japanese greens, Den’s (denstea.com) is where you should start. Wonderful company with lots of good information and a great sampler.
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