Sencha

This is a sencha sample I got from Harney and Sons so I thought I’d check it out this morning since I’m in the mood for a green tea again. I got the loose leaf sample and not the teabag version.

This was steeped via regular infuser mug method for about 90 seconds, I find the flavors of sencha are more enjoyable for me if I keep the steeps short and then they can be steeped 2-3 times.

A very vegetal steeped leaf that smells like spinach is what I encountered in this cup. The spinachy flavor continues in the tea, which is light and sweet but also has a tad bit of bitterness in the finish, and yes, seaweed in particular a bit of wakame.

I much prefer the Ichiban sencha from Harney over this one but it is also 3x as expensive!

This is a good choice for an everyday green if you don’t mind a bit of bitterness, I am sensitive to it due to my acid reflux issues. I personally prefer the milder Japanese greens like gyokuro and fukamushi senchas… but I will certainly finish off the sample that I have. :)

Another sample sachet from my Harney order. I was prepared to be completely underwhelmed by this one. I don’t really know why, maybe I just have a low opinion of most senchas used in flavored tea bases, so I figured this one would be just as boring.

I have to say I was pleasantly surprised! When I smelled the brewed tea it smelled green and buttery and a touch savory. The taste was smooth… Yes, vegetal, yes a touch sea-weedy but also very buttery and comforting. No bitterness, no unpleasantness. An easy to drink green tea that would be nice with meals and when you want a simple, tasty tea.

Very sweet, buttery, vegetal fragrance in the sample packet. Leaves are a vibrant, shiny, jade green color.

Made in the Breville. The liquor is a pale, greenish yellow with particles afloat in it.

Wow, this has a surprising amount of flavor for not having a very strong aroma. It’s sweet, with a very mellow, mild vegetal flavor, that, while it is mild in taste is rich in flavor if that makes sense. It’s got a freshness and a juiciness to it. No bitterness that I can detect, and gentle on the throat and stomach.

Very nice for a sore-ish throat and a sinus headache. I’m liking it quite a bit. It’s been a while since I had the Den’s organic but I’m moved to rate this the same. I may find myself adjusting later, though.

Went to class and stopped by one of the dinning areas that sells Harney and Sons sachets and picked up this. After having a terrible tasting Chinese green this morning and a mild gyokuro later in the morning I decided I wanted this as I wanted the smooth but bolder taste of Japanese green tea. This really hits the spot and fulfills the craving I was having for Japanese green tea. Makes me mostly forget about this morning with not so great teas.

Jaime noted earlier in the reviews that it’s like fresh cut grass that’s still wet with dew and that is what I’m smelling of the dry leaves. The wet leaves smell like buttered greens. The brew is a nice bright clear green color and smells very buttery. The taste is wonderful. Buttery, grassy and sweet with notes of seaweed. It has a rich flavor, this is exactly what I wanted.

Not too long ago I found this tea to be too vegetal and a bit bitter for my tastes. Now I brewed it at a lower temp for shorter time and I now wish to added this to my cupboard, it’s so much better than that gyokuro I had this morning. Next time I order from Harney this is going on the list.

I’m drinking this from a cafe in Birmingham, MI called “Java the Hutt.” As you can tell by the name, they mostly do coffee, and all the tea they have is in bagged form. I haven’t yet met a mind-blowing sencha, but I haven’t met one I didn’t like either.

Free sample from Harney and sons.

Bagged tea.

This is a delicious sencha. I was quite impressed.The smell of the dry tea is vegetal and creamy. The colour of the tea liquor is bright, light yellow-green. Smells vegetal, smooth and creamy. The taste is buttery, creamy, smooth, with just a hint of saltiness.

This is going on the shopping list.

I thought Matsuda’s sencha would spoil me for this standard, more affordable Japanese sencha, but no, I love it! I would describe it as buttery and vegetal with some sweetness to the aroma. The flavor is strong and that first mug easily becomes bitter when brewed over a minute (which I did. Sorry, Sencha). The liquor is clear, vibrant green-yellow, with lots of little particles at the bottom of the mug. Yummmmmm.

Smell: Grassy sweet and Oceanic
The taste is sweet and buttery.
Probably an older bag as it is quite flat and ghostly.

This brewed a little bitter, I’m think next time I’ll only brew for 2 minutes

This is the very first sencha I tried, and it remains one of my favorites to this day because it is a good quality sencha for the money. This is what got me hooked on the buttery, vegetal taste of a good Japanese green. In my opinion, this is the best sencha for everyday drinking. Recommended.

Another bag from my coworkers. Again, who knows the age of these bags.

Brewed bag smelled like fresh-cut grass. It’s the smell that happens when you cut grass that’s still wet with dew. Not bad, just not what I was expecting.

Tea itself is very buttery, with a mild grassy taste. It actually tastes very similar to sauteed poke. Probably not something I’ll run right out and buy, but nothing I’d really say no to.

A classic Japanese vegetal green tea.

Had this at a meeting in tea-bag form recently. Really nice simple green tea, kept me going all day. I’ll have to try some at home so I can play around with steeping times and temperatures, but it stayed pretty good even in the steeping-forever-not-paying-attention fashion that is meetings.

My tried and true friend. With me daily, consistent quality from Harney’s (I can say this about all of their teas I enjoy), a sweet vibrant nectar I adore both tasting and looking at. Life exists for moments with this tea.

I’ve had this tea a few times before and just received a sample of it with my latest Harney order.
One of my favorite green teas, it has a very buttery taste and still holds the taste of green tea.
The main thing to note about this tea is that you have to be careful about the time and temperature that you steep it at. Many times I’ve had this tea steeped too long or too hot and it’s tasted very bitter. Steep for no more than 2 minutes and then check the taste and and steep longer if necessary. I brewed mine with instanthot water so i let it cool down a bit first.

Really good for bagged tea.

I went to a coffee shop and ordered this, I expected a loose tea but they just threw the bag in the mug. I was disappointed at first, but I was quite satisfied.

The tea came out a very lovely green color. Which is really nice, most of the green tea I drink comes out a light amber. It tasted vegetal and smooth like a good Sencha should, but also went along really well with the muffin I ordered, with almost a buttery aftertaste.

It’s certainly not the most interesting tea you could get, but probably the best bagged Sencha I’ve had.

Smells a bit sweet and tastes almost sweet. It’s very light and slightly astringent.

Solid Japanese tea commonly served at Japanese restaurants.
vegetal
grassy
fresh
solid yellow-green
full-bodied
reccomended

Mild

I buy the tea bags and use this at work. I fill up my cup part way with water from the hot water dispenser and then add about an inch of cold water. By the time I get back to my desk, my tea’s done steeping and I’m good to go. I reuse the tea bag a few times, so one bag takes me through the whole day.