Top Leaf

I really enjoy green teas, and I’ve been meaning to try this for a while now. I was pleased with the light flavor of the tea. In the family of green teas, the lighter ones are definitely my favorites. I am a little curious about why the leaves from this pot seem so broken up, but it could be because I’ve had the tea for a while and it’s moved around a bit.

Although only slightly more expensive then Monk’s Choice, it is drastically different in taste. It’s creamy and I can defiantly taste a fruity overtone of some sort, but it lacks full-bodied/grassy taste that I’ve become fond of. When I steeped it in my new glass infuser I was really surprised how green it actually was.

Samurai TTB #27

Japanese green tea tends to be too aggressive for me, but I’ve been on a roll with the green teas in this TTB, so I decided to give this one a shot. The flavor is very fresh and grassy without the bitterness or seaweed quality I try to avoid. However, there was an astringency at the end of the sip that marred the experience somewhat for me.

‘Samurai’ Traveling Teabox – Tea #15
One of those green teas that looks like lawn clippings!  Always appealing to this tea fiend.  It’s pleasant to have a refreshing green tea once in a while.  I don’t have them often enough.  The flavor here is lovely and delicate.  The second steep somehow tasted like mango and I know there wasn’t any flavor contamination on a second steep.  This type sometimes tastes fruity to me but I can never tell WHICH fruit.  Earthier on the second steep but also a creamy element.
Steep #1  // 1 teaspoon for full mug // 43 minutes after boiling  // 1 minute steep
Steep #2  // 46 minutes after boiling //  2 min steep

I’m actually pretty excited to try this green tea. I was going through some of my green tea stash to share some for work and this is one I chose. My coworkers thought it smelled floral, like potpourri, but I am getting more of a roasted aroma. No honey today. And gladly, it’s not bitter! Maybe there’s hope for me and green tea yet!

Second Steep
6 ounces water + 1 minute

Lighter but still with some flavor. Probably won’t try for a third cup.

I’ve been looking for a good daily “sencha”, and I think I found one. The leaf is primarily straight; however, I note some curls within the bunch. The green tea gives off an amazing umami scent with some nice seaweed, milky creaminess, and vegetal base. I can also hint at the slightest honey sweetness on top. I grabbed my kyusu and began my brewing. The directions tell for light brewing, so I hit it at somewhere around 176F. The brew is delightfully jade green with smooth deep grassy notes. My mouth fills with umami and a nourishing green bean base. The brew is smooth with a slight dryness alike dandelion. I enjoy this tea, and I can drink multiple pots in one sitting.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BTT3hHBgR1f/?taken-by=haveteawilltravel&hl=en

https://www.instagram.com/p/BTY_84cAoV_/?taken-by=haveteawilltravel&hl=en

I’m a big fan of Mellow Monk, but this tea underwhelmed me. I have read the accolades it has received, and have what I believe to be a decent tea tasting palate, but it just didn’t do it for me. Not to say it is bad, it certainly isn’t, but it just isn’t nearly as good as everyone says. Sweet, round, and vegetable flavors coat your mouth.

I think I received this in a swap from Cameron B. If yes, thanks so much!

Brewed in a shudei kyusu. Japanese green teas are so finicky for me and I was impatient today, so the temperature is rather high (I heat water in a saucepan), but each steep was only a few seconds long. I got good results.

The wet leaf smells delightfully of ripe persimmons. The liquor is dark neon green, thick, and full-bodied. A sweet and buttery feel with notes of squash, pumpkin, and a hint of clementine.

This is a sencha to drink after dinner – no bitterness or vegetables in this one!

Thank you so much Cameron B for the sample! :D

I like to drink this type of green on the weekend when I am home where my kyusu is!

This is VERY nice buttery sweet green tea. Reminds me of gyokuro. Need I say more?

Hooray, it’s here! Miss Mandy mentioned in her note that Paul from Mellow Monk was looking for more people to try and review his teas, so of course, I sent him an email and he sent me this tea! Thanks Paul! This tea is described as being a “honcha”, which means it’s a traditional green tea. I tried to find more information on this type of tea via Google, but I didn’t come up with much in the way of useful information. C’est la vie!

The small leaves of this tea give me the impression that they were allowed to shape themselves naturally while drying. Some of them are rolled into tubes, some are slightly curled, and I even found one that had rolled itself into an oolong-style pellet. Their color is a dark and rich green with a touch of blue, and it reminds me of evergreen trees. Dry scent is quite sweet and gives me impressions of dark grass and hay with a light saline seaweed note. I did three steeps with this tea – 2 minutes, 45 seconds, and then 1 minute. I used 8 ounces of 175 degree water each time.

The first steep (2 minutes) smelled very buttery and creamy with sweet steamed spinach, seaweed, and light citrus notes. Tasting it, I was amazed by how richly creamy and buttery this tea is! It’s silky in the mouth, with mild and sweet steamed spinach, butternut squash, and seaweed flavors. I could detect a light citrus note, and it was especially apparent in the aftertaste (the tea’s description mentions grapefruit, and this seems accurate to me). There was just the slightest hint of bitterness that really served to prevent this rich and creamy tea from becoming cloying and overwhelming.

The second steep (45 seconds) surprised me with a more vegetal aroma of spinach and seaweed and less creaminess. And then I was surprised again by the sweet and mellow taste of honeydew melon. Overall, the flavor was milder with this steep. There was still some of that spinach and seaweed combination in the aftertaste, and I found it to be mildly astringent, making me want to drink more.

The third steep (1 minute) had a similar aroma to the second, but was milder in intensity. Overall, I found this steep similar to the second. It still featured that sweet and lovely light honeydew melon flavor, with just a touch of mild spinach. It was also slightly more astringent than the second steep, and a touch too mild in flavor for me.

Overall, this is an extremely delicious tea! The mouthfeel is amazingly silky and the sweet and creamy flavors pair with it beautifully. I did notice a touch of astringency that developed as I continued to steep, but even at its zenith, it was still very light and inoffensive to me. Thanks so much to Paul at Mellow Monk for giving me the opportunity to try this tea! I have already promised a sample to one other Steepsterite, and any others curious about this tea are welcome to one as well!