Green March! (Because despite the lovely brown color of the tea leaves and steep color, this is a green tea and thus counts in my book!) This is a tea that TeaSource offered during winter 2016, but then discontinued. It’s a shame, because I really like it… fortunately my friend bought a pound of it and shares with me when I get hard up. My stash has gotten a bit descented and I may have to be hitting him up for a fresher batch sometime soon, but it is still drinkable, if not as amazing as I remember when I first tried it. (I remember when he first brought me some, the maple scent was so strong our hotel room absolutely reeked of sweet maple! Aah, it was so nice… now, this just has a light, ghost-scenting of it left behind… so sad…)
I really like this tea as a breakfast tea because of the flavor, but its light caffeine-content makes it a handy evening sipper, too. The flavor is a bit like roasted nuts, with earthy notes of bark, and a sweet finish with some subtle caramel and molasses hints that linger on the tongue. This particular blend has added almonds and maple flavoring, but since my tea was descented, these flavors are a lot more subtle than they used to be; there are still some warm maple notes in the scent and a slight maple flavor and sweetness that lingers in the finish, but mostly what remains is the taste of the houjicha itself. The houjicha appears to be of good quality and has a nice flavor that holds up on its own. The tea itself has such a naturally nutty flavor, that the almonds don’t seem to add much here.
Full Review: https://teatimetuesdayreviews.wordpress.com/2017/11/28/tea48/
Flavors: Bark, Caramel, Malt, Maple, Molasses, Roasted Nuts, Toasty
Preparation
Comments
I’m a little sad the flavor isn’t as strong as it used to be, but that is my own fault for not storing it properly initially. I have better packaging for tea now so I’ll probably ask my friend to bring me another batch from his stash when I see him in May, and it should have a much stronger maple flavor; he says his store of tea still has a very strong maple scent! The base houjicha even with the much weaker maple is still surprisingly delicious, though!
Sounds delicious!
I’m a little sad the flavor isn’t as strong as it used to be, but that is my own fault for not storing it properly initially. I have better packaging for tea now so I’ll probably ask my friend to bring me another batch from his stash when I see him in May, and it should have a much stronger maple flavor; he says his store of tea still has a very strong maple scent! The base houjicha even with the much weaker maple is still surprisingly delicious, though!