Sencha Fuka-midori

This is one of my favorite senchas and that’s saying a lot. I got this in a generous sampler from Den’s Tea. Sadly it’s already gone. The tea is rich and brothy with a wonderful vegetal flavor that isn’t too dry or dusty. It’s sweet too with an almost brown sugar quality. Most senchas are nice but rarely are they robust enough to interest me. This one however really stands on its own without tasting like a salad. It’s like a cooked salad with something caramelized on top. Very nice.

This is the first tea I’ve ever tried from Den’s Tea! I bought the Green Tea Sampler for novices, a really cute kokoro (kyusu) teapot, and the sakura sencha gift set. I must say, I am so impressed with this sencha fuka-midori. ! I steeped it according to Den’s recommended brewing instructions. Delicious! I steeped it twice and shared it with my boyfriend, who is starting to like greens!

A great way to enjoy the mornings. There is enough in the sampler to make 2-3 pots!

My first taste of Sencha and I really enjoy it. I have to say it is unlike any other flavor I have had with a tea. I am looking forward to trying other Japanese green teas from Den’s Tea. The best $3 I have spent in 2010. Can’t beat this sampler pack.

I’m very glad I decided to try Den’s Tea’s sampler, as it has been exposing me to a nice variety of high-quality green teas, ones that are clearly far more complex than what I’m used to drinking. It’s also encouraged me to try writing more formal/informed tasting notes, so please bare with me if I sound inexperienced!

Each time I’ve had this, I’ve oversteeped it slightly on purpose as I tend to favor strong tea and this one in particular works well when it’s strong, despite being a green. This is definitely a good pick for people who are like me in that respect and/or who tend to oversteep by mistake.

I don’t notice a strong aroma coming from the leaves or liquor, but I’m inclined to blame that on my stuffy nose rather than the tea itself. What I can smell reflects the flavors of the tea very well — no surprises here! It’s an attractive tea, too: the leaves are a bright, deep green and the liquor a saturated green shade as well.

The flavor profile is notably nutty and grassy from the moment it touches the tongue to the moment it slides down the throat, but I also notice a buttery edge that really sets this apart from cheaper greens. There’s also a notable aftertaste, one that is reminiscent of these main flavors but with more of a sour or bitter punch — not overwhelming in the least, and I tend to shy away from bitter flavors.

I’ve also found that this can be resteeped once for a cup that’s nearly as good, and again for something that’s drinkable but reminiscent of much less exciting teas.

It’s a great combination of tastes that really captures some of my favorite qualities to find in a green tea. I’m definitely planning to purchase a bag of this now that I’ve finished up my sample.

This was the first sencha I ever tried that wasn’t one of those prepackaged loose leaf variants from the local Japanese markets. I was looking to taste a higher quality sencha (but not spend too much at first) to see what I had been missing, and after lurking through various tea forums, Den’s tea appeared to be the best in value and quality. So I ordered 2 oz from Den’s and received the tea nicely packaged in a sealed air tight foil bag with an oxygen absorber inside. I really liked how Den’s pays so much attention at preserving the tea’s freshness and the detailed presentation of the package, containing all the information and instructions needed about the tea you just bought.

The tea itself has a very nice sweet grassy aroma and the leaves had a vivid dark green color to them. Compared to store bought senchas, you can definitely smell the freshness of this tea, like recently picked leaves. The dry leaves were mostly made of long and short broken needles.

I prepared this tea using a Japanese Kyusu and following the suggested brewing guidelines of 180F water and 1 min steep time for the first brew (the second brew I used boiling water and 15 sec steep time as directed by Den’s).

The first brew gave me a bright green cup with a fresh “green” aroma. It reminded me of freshly cut grass with a hint of seaweed in the mix. The taste was very enjoyable. It had a refreshing grassy flavor, sweet, and slightly astringent. The second brew was done with boiling water and I steeped it just for 15 seconds. The tea came out with a much darker opaque green color. The aroma remained the same, but the taste became a bit heartier with more a pronounced astringent finish. I only brewed this tea twice.

The wet leaf had a very seaweedy smell with cooked veggies in between. The leaves also had a very nice bright green color.

Overall, I found this tea quite enjoyable and love to pair it with Japanese food. Loved the freshness this tea offers compared to the store bought versions. I enjoyed the first brew better than the second as it was slightly sweeter but still, I appreciated the robust flavor of the second.

From the sampler Den’s offers to new customers.
This was super yummy. We used the whole thing on 500 ml of water (per package directions – it’s the one thing about a Breville I wish I could change because Japanese teas just aren’t meant to be made all at once at that kind of volume) and got two steeps out of it.
Now, I love green teas. I think they are just amazing, simple teas that pair well with just about any food. This one was no exception- the leaves smelled so vegetal and fresh, and the tea itself was very smooth and…well, green. I honestly could drink this for dinner every night. So, apparently, could my boyfriend, who seriously gushed over the first infusion.
I steeped the second infusion for longer (1:30) than the first one, which went against the parameters (and I just realized that now, so…too late!). This infusion was bitter in a not-so-nice way, but that was my fault and not the fault of the tea. I still liked it very much, despite the human error.
So this one’s definitely on my shopping list. I wonder how the next three samples are going to be in comparison..

So first let me say that I don’t have the supplies to brew this tea properly using the traditional guidelines. I did my best to approximate, using a heaping teaspoon in 8 oz of approximately 180 degree water, steeped for 90 seconds.

This smells FANTASTIC. Like toasted rice or savory popcorn. The color is a light greenish-yellow. Based on the color and short brew time, I was worried that it would taste weak. Not at all! It tastes like hay and toasted rice (in a good way, I promise). Spinachy. I’m not picking up on any sweetness or astringency. Just nice and savory and a great complement to dessert. Or after dessert. Or on a cold rainy day when you’ve come home late during a thunderstorm and your suit is soaked and you need something warm to relax.

This is the first of the green tea sampler that Den’s Tea sent me. I really hope the rest are as good as this one. If they are, I expect I’ll be making purchases from them soon.

Oh my god. I opened the package and a grassy and seaweedy smell assaulted me immediately. This is one of the better senchas I’ve had. It’s green, grassy and full-bodied. This is the sencha I have been searching for. I can only imagine what the “premium” senchas would taste like. This is seaweedy, Japanese green tea heaven for me. The tea is buttery, seaweedy and delicious. Do yourself a favor and take a sip of this.

I’ve never logged this tea! It was one of the very first green teas that I ever had.
I recently bought some, because I had only had a sample of it very early on. I’ve had a cold recently, so that may have affected my opinion some . . .
However, this is a great, everyday tea. I kept thinking I wished it was slightly more roasted tasting, than umami or sweet tasting (it is none of those in a strong degree, but leans slightly more toward umami or sweet).

But anyway, it is well balanced and though not my favorite from Den’s Tea, I’d enjoy a cup of it anytime.

Wow, this one was my favorite so far. Pre-steeping, I noticed that the leaves were darker and more delicate than the macho Mecha. My first cup was delicious and the first one I’d tried where I could really appreciate the “sweetness”. My second steeping was not quite as good as the first, but still good.

I’ll definitely be ordering more of this one. It has me excited to try Den’s Gyokuro next, which I’ve been holding in reserve.

This is from the Den’s sampler. I ordered one for myself and sent one to my father. I already have some Den’s green teas, so I gave most of my samples to him and this is one of the ones I kept. I thought it would be a good choice to help me unwind and get to bed albeit at an already ungodly hour.

The leaves really are cool-looking, kind of like dark freshly-cut grass. I used the steeping parameters suggested in the booklet, and I definitely agree with them. I don’t like the scent of this once brewed, but it really is lovely upon the first sip. It’s smooth and light and kind of buttery. I wouldn’t have described it as tasting like roasted vegetables on my own, but after reading that I think it’s quite accurate.

I’m liking it more the further I go. It’s nice to have something so mild and soothing.

OK, now this (a sencha) I have experience with and I can tell you I have a new favorite Sencha. I don’t have a 180F setting on my Zojirushi and so I had to catch it at 180 as it was cooling off. The resteep will be at 175 too, but Den’s recommends boiled? I have never had Sencha right off the boil and am interested if anyone has tried this and what they think.

Anyways – on to the tea. Much less bitter than any other sencha I have tasted, just a very slight taste of it at the end of your sip to offset the sweet zucchini-like taste. The second steep had all the color and particulate matter of the first but the flavor fell off quite a bit, maybe because I didn’t prepare it like Den’s told me to – off the boil for 15 seconds. Drinkable and still better than any other brand I have had in the past.

I got this from Den’s sampler pack when I went to buy some green tea for my mom. I only chose Den’s because it happens to be a few blocks away from my house, so I can just go pick up my orders instead of waiting for shipping. I was really happy to find out that the tea is quite good!

I brewed this with only 3 oz of water, like Den suggests. Such a small cup of tea, but I like the strong taste. It’s just the right amount of bitter, with a bit of that sweet vegetal taste that green tea has. I find it very refreshing. A yummy way to start the day.

The leaves are a deep dark green. It brews into a pale green liquid with floating sencha dust that smells delightfully nutty and has a light sweet taste.

I’d say this tea ranks better than other senchas in its price range or even more expensive. I have tried many other senchas, some more expensive than this one, and none are this good. I have, mostly, been a Chinese tea drinker who, somewhat recently, started experimenting with Japanese greens, and after trying this one I have to say I am leaning more towards the Japanese greens.

As soon as I opened the pouch I was greeted by shiny, bright green leaves and a very noticeable floral smell. I’ve been brewing this tea as suggested by Den’s and both infusions are outstanding, no loss of flavor. The tea tastes very well, a full body cup with just the right amount of bitterness. There are very noticeable hints of pine, and the scent is fresh with that characteristic pungent “seaweedy” scent I’ve come to expect from sencha.

I’ve been referred to Den’s tea several times for the best Japanese green available in the U.S. and I was being stubborn. Now that I tried their most basic sencha and was blown away by its quality I have to say I’m converted. Definitely worth each penny and I may be buying it by the pound soon, but first I want to experiment with the other sencha teas from Den and finish up a lot of teas in my cupboard because I have no room.

I love this tea-just had another cup, it is refreshing and you makes you feel like you have just had a cup of health! It especially tastes great in my new tea cup with strainer and lid! The leaves are a deep green and this is of course a first flush, which I could tell as I sipped away…

Extremely fine, dark leaves on this one. Has a very nice, subtle vegetal taste. Definitely a good quality Sencha. Fairly complex as well. Has a strange, and oddly familiar aroma that reminds me of something unrelated to tea. Not an overload of sea-weed taste, has a deep sweetness to it that’s hard to describe.

YAY! My Den’s sampler came yesterday! Unfortunately, the first tea I tried (this one) was expressly the type of green tea I DON’T like. :( It just tastes too vegetal for me, with some bitterness I’m not a fan of. I can tell, though, that this is high quality stuff. It’s just not the type I like.

Oh well. On to the next cup!

Beautiful in all respects. & I love the peaceful look of good green tea in a nice cup.

Brewed like Den’s website suggests: 1 tsp/3 oz water. First infusion at 180 degrees for a minute was great, but the second, done at boiling for just 15 seconds, was just awesome.

The mental well-being this tea produces is amazing, too. Made me smile without even realizing it :-)

This was my first real sencha, so I can’t compare it to others but I can say it was quite good. I got four good infusions out of it (60s, 20s, 30s, 60s). All were pretty consistent, although 2 and 3 had a stronger flavor than 1 and 4. This was also my first order with Den’s, and they sent me all kinds of tea catalogs and brochures and information. Very nice.