Tea-Guy Send Message

Bancha is used as a base for so many different teas. We see it in stuff Frank over at 52teas makes. We see it in most bagged green teas. We even see it in iced green teas and as a base for blended greens like Genmaicha. This Bancha from Harney & Sons is a nice quality brew.

The thick gritty looking green leaves put off a nice grassy smell. The flavor is a bit more astringent than I expected, but contains notes of collard greens, steamed brussels sprouts and a vegetal smoothness similar to artichoke.

I recommend this tea to fans of any Japanese green tea, be it Genmaicha, Hojicha or Spring Rose tea. Fans of the more shade grown teas from Japan such as Gyokuro or other Fukamushi style teas may find this tea hit or miss.

This mildly spicy, but smooth tasting brew sits easy on the palate and the aroma pleases the senses.

The leaves are clearly a mound of red rooibos. Large coconut chips, ginger bits, apple chunks, black peppercorns and almonds create a menagerie of fun colorful activity. The dry aroma carries the peppercorn, cinnamon and cardamom rather nicely.

Once brewed the liquor shows nice brilliant red and gives a sweeter aroma with notes of spiciness and hints at a milky texture. The flavor comes out slightly nutty with heavy notes of spiciness and a touch of coconut sweetness.

I would recommend this tea if you enjoy chai.

With a pretty mix of grassy looking Chinese sencha leaves and sizable apple chunks, the aroma from the dry assortment very clearly reminds me of the sour apple candy I loved so much as a child.

The liquor, a light yellow, provides somewhat lighter notes of that sour apple flavor, but contains a deal more vegetal tones. I noted roasted leaks and steamed bok choy.

I was a bit disappointed in the flavor. It’s not as strong on the apple as I’d hoped. That being said, its subtlety seems to soften the vegetal strength of the sencha to provide a nice balance for the palate.

I recommend this brew if you enjoy fruit teas, lighter Chinese greens (i.e. Lung Ching), Rooibos and Yerba Mate.

The blending of a standard Sencha with a collection of fresh Sakura cherry blossoms is something I found surprising the first time I saw it, but given the love of the Sakura blossoms and associated festivals in Japan, I shouldn’t have.

This delicately balanced tea is lightly astringent which I didn’t expect so much, but doesn’t detract from the taste much. The floral-but-still-cherry flavor is distinct and memorable.

This isn’t like a “sour cherry” tea you may get from somewhere else. This blend is light and flavorful, but not particularly aromatic. For an additional level of aroma I would either use maybe a 1/2 teaspoon of extra loose material or steep an extra 30 seconds.

This is a great blend for fans of Sencha teas looking for a bit of a changeup. I also think fans of Jasmine green teas will really enjoy this tea.

I’m used to mint teas being very minty and fresh on the palate. While this tea may refresh the palate a bit, it’s flavor was far too subdued for my tastes.

The inclusion of stevia leaves takes the bite out of the mint I think, which disappointed me.

Overall I try not to drink too many bagged teas. The quality and flavor just doesn’t live up to what I am used to. If Zhena’s offered a loose variant of this I’d be willing to give it another go.

As it is, this tea was just ‘ok.’

This roasty-toasty oolong reminds me a great deal of Hojicha. With hints of floral notes such as lilac in the aroma and flavors reminiscent of roasted leeks or bok choy in the brewed broth I’d say this tea is worth the $25.99 for 4oz.

The tightly rolled balls have some stems in, with leaves approaching an interested redish or purplish hue depending upon the light.

I would easily rate this an everyday tea if it weren’t for the price.

Fans of Hojicha will find this very enjoyable and a nice break from their usual palate pleaser.

This oolong is reminiscent of both Taiwanese oolongs and Himalayan Tips teas. It’s light, aromatic and pleasant like a Himalayan tea, but smooth with lightly changing flavors over multiple steepings.

I noted apricot and stone fruit flavors and aromas and notes of woody or fired flavors and aromas as well.

The dried leaves are pleasant to smell and remind me of Himalayan Tips while their tightly curled (but not balled) leaves are white, brown and black.

I really enjoyed this tea and would recommend it to everyone.

This vanilla bean chai is pretty tasty. I didn’t add any sugar or milk as is traditionally done and still enjoyed the brew.

Large vanilla bean pieces and ginger root chunks combine with clearly visible cinnamon shavings to creating a uniquely strong but comforting brew.

This tea does significantly dry your palate, so keep that in mind, but I honestly didn’t mind that much.

As it happens, floral teas have been growing on me. Of particular interest has been the Jasmine family of teas.

This Jasmine from Andrews & Dunham has turned out to be one of the best Jasmine green teas I have had. It’s flavorful, fragrant and good for four to five steeps until almost all the flavor has been tapped.

The dry leaves are very aromatic with Jasmine petals mixed in and long thin leaves roughly 3/4 to 1in long and twisted, like twine.

If you like floral teas, Jasmine teas or teas which can be brewed many times, this infusion is for you!

This puckery black tea seems to have a lot of bit to it. Astringent and assertive, it certainly grows on you as you continue to sip.

While the peach aroma certainly comes out with the dry leaf aroma, it’s less notable once brewed. There I catch light hints of peach, but mostly I seem to get the Ginger.

In the dark, almost coffee-ish liquor I taste the peach at first, but it quickly dissipates and is taken over by the ginger and the strong astringency this tea has.

Try this one iced and/or with a couple lumps of sugar to soften it up. You won’t regret it.