Sencha Sakura

Hi everyone! just thought I’d drop in to say that I’m drinking this right now. This is the first cup of tea that I’ve had in a WHILE. I mean, I’ve been drinking tea and such, but I haven’t been logging it. I’ve tried Samovar’s Lapsang and Golden Buds, a tea from Palais des The, and a few others that I just haven’t had the time to input into my logs.

Sorry that I’ve been so absent! I miss you all!

I don’t have much time, but this one is pretty much delicious in every way. Take the smooth, succulent grassy notes of a deep-steamed sencha, then add a candied, floral sweetness explosion at the end of every sip. Refreshing without tasting fake or false or cloying. There are actual sakura blossoms in here, which let me tell you, make this tea one of the most visually pretty I’ve seen in quite some time. Herbaceous, light, the literal translation of spring in a cup.

Heart you all!

Rishi Tea just announced their arrival of this year’s Sakuracha!!!

I have been meaning to try this for ages now! I have tried the Sakura versions of other brands, and they have left me bitter (emotionally, not in flavour profile) due to the fact that they taint my delectable, pure Japanese teas with flavourings.

Rishi keeps it simple. Sakura blossoms and a high quality sencha. Beautiful! I completely love it!
In the past I have loathed sakurachas (probably due to how the artificial ingredients would bring back not-so-fond memories of cherry varieties of cough-syrup.)

The flavour is very difficult for me to describe because it is so unique. It is a very full, smooth Japanese tea. Very little astringency in comparison to others! Almost a creamy mouthfeel? Lovely. And beware, this tea must be FRESH, because it brews quickly! Lessen the recommended steeping time a bit.

Sorry I’ve been neglecting my Steepster account friends :) Work has taken over my life lately! But I’m going to make a comeback today ;) Hope everyone’s well!

Oh! And on Rishi’s site, they are selling a Sencha Sakura + Tsuki Teapot combo by the way! I didn’t need the Tsuki Teapot because I already own one, but for anyone looking for new teaware, I highly recommend it! My Tsuki Teapot is my favourite teapot that I own, and it’s not at all expensive. Perfect for Japanese greens!

I bought this after loving another Sakura Sencha and being out of it, I decided to try this one.

I’m not going to rate this numerically yet because I need to tinker with temps and times, clearly.

So far I haven’t gotten it right. Because what I’m getting is truly not good. It’s so far been a rather unpleasant acrid green flavor. None of the rich green and sakura flavor I was getting from my other one… nor any of the lovely buttery mouthfeel… Just mediciney yuck.

It got better as went into the third steeping and dropped the temp down to 150F, so I’m hopeful that all I need to do is fiddle with this one a bit.

I’ve tried a few sencha sakuras (this one, Den’s – quite awful version – and Mariage Freres) and this one is my favorite. The cherry blossom add an almost spice-like floral flavor, deep but pure.
I hope they’ll have it in stock soon.

I love this tea so so much. It’s my official “it’s time for spring” tea to welcome in the nice weather. I bought this tea last year, and I got 2 50 gram packets of it… so the second one I had been waiting to open up, which I did yesterday, and tasted as fresh and delicious as I remembered it last year. It’s a very good sencha with cherry blossoms, and there’s a light sweetness to it, and is tasty through the 3rd steeping. Delicious!

I made cold brew! Tea in a glass pitcher, fill with cold water and let sit in fridge for four hours. INTOXICATING!