Sencha Ashikubo

Oh, I do like this one. Cleanly spinachy and buttery, and very moreish. There’s a subtle note of mild seaweed that makes it taste somewhat oceanic. My first sips brought back some kind of smell/taste memory of sitting in a Japanese restaurant eating udon and vegetable maki. Which is kind of what it tastes like – delicately cooked greens in dashi broth.

I can’t believe how good this tastes almost 10 months after I bought it. Now I’m curious what it’s like when it’s really fresh.

Thanks to the guy at the Bleecker St NYC location for giving me such a generous sample!

First impressions were pleasant and fresh. The dry tea smelled like freshly cut grass with a hint of something I couldn’t quite put my finger on. It took me to a time and a place that resided somewhere in my subconscious memories. The dry leaves were fine and playful, just begging to be steeped for my taste buds to enjoy. I even enjoyed the fine texture as I played my fingers through it, noting its teasing promise of the bliss soon to come.

After steeping, the aroma still had that fresh and pleasant whimsy that tickled my sense of smell. There were promises of being whisked away to a land of fantastical fiction. It was difficult to refrain from my first sip. I was sure to enjoy it. The liquid was a fresh and clear green, and that shade of green is my favourite colour. It reminded me of a fresh meadow and the hydrated leaves looked like they’d just been picked that morning.

Oh, what promises…

Then I savoured the moment as I brought that warm cup of magic closer to its destination. It was sure to impress my taste buds like no other. I relished the scent as the porcelain touched my lips, and, “OH MY GOD!”

This was the worst tea I’ve ever tasted. The bitterness lingered on my tongue for hours afterwards like a coating of unwanted sludge, and my stomach turned and churned as the day continued with dreadful regret.

This is the first tea I’ve tried from David’s Tea that never made it to the bottom of my cup. I’ll admit that I’m not a big ‘green tea’ fan, but I will drink them without complaining. I was even excited to try this cute little sample that accompanied my order. The price suggested it was of high quality. It had to be good!

It wasn’t.

The only guilt I feel for not liking this tea is that I convinced a co-worker to try it with a shorter steeping time to see if it was me. My taste buds could have been off, and I never told her I didn’t like it. All I said was, “Try this… Tell me what you think of it.”

Well, she’s mad at me now. She dumped hers halfway through and thinks I got her to drink it just so I could get rid of it. The nerve!

Anyways, it’s possible I had a bad sample. If not, this is obviously not everyone’s cup of tea.

Smells: vegetal, salty, and even sugary.
Taste: Very interesting-
I was skeptical a tea could taste “buttery” after reading some of the other reviews on this, but it does remind me a little bit of buttered shellfish (in a good way). I’m also getting a mild grassiness, and faint sweetness. I got this in a sample, and will have to buy some more and experiment with different temperatures and steep times. Overall I think this is a winner.

A very delicate green, with floral notes and hints of hay. While the grassiness has been reduced, its still clearly present. Very easy to oversteep, leading to some biterness – be careful. On the whole, while I do like it, I’m not as enamored as some. It’s a strong Japanese green, but not miraculous.

Had a cup of Sencha Ashibuko this evening.

The scent was wonderful. Musky. The “grassy” scent came through as well, but in a pleasant way.

I found the taste to be less appealing, however. I didn’t think I steeped it for too long, but it was already becoming a little bitter. I suppose an even shorter brewing time would be best. Although I finished the cup, I found myself becoming bored of it halfway through. Not a bad tea at all, but not one of my favourites to date.

HHmmm…I guess I am the only one that doesn’t really love this tea. I steeped it according to instructions the first time. It was really grassy and too nutty. I could not stand it.

I tried it again, steeping it at 30s and it tasted a lot better. I’m still on the fence if I like it or not. We’ll see