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Dec 06

Matcha Infused Sencha from Aiya Tea

Aiya Tea,Green Tea,Matcha,Tea Review 4:23 am | 1 Comment

  • Type Of leaves: Green Tea
  • Name Of Tea: Matcha Infused Sencha
  • Available From: Aiya Tea

Matcha Infused Sencha from Aiya TeaI received a lovely little package today from Aiya Tea.

Here we have Matcha Infused Sencha,  hopefully this will be as good as all the other blends Aiya have in their range.

I pop my kettle on to boil whilst opening the packet. I notice that the tea is loose and gives off a really strange scent (almost like a really sweet white chocolate)… yum!

I look at the loose tea in the packet and notice that the tea is of course loose but there is also matcha powder mixed in, giving off a lovely sweet aroma.

Today I have forgotten my strainer so I am going to do the taste test without one. I begin to pour the just off-the- boil water over the leaves and powder and the colour transforms into a pale green shade then after a few minutes all the leaves sink to the bottom of my cup and begin to unfurl slowly whilst steeping.

After steeping for 3 minutes or so I take a sip and find the tea is fresh and brisk (just as it smells) and is very comforting on a cold day like today.

 

The briskness of the tea gives it a slight edge but yet doesn’t seem to leave a bitter taste and actually has quite a smooth finish.

As the tea begins to cool it seems to have a less harsh green tea flavour which personally I prefer. I am not overly keen on strong greens and normally enjoy the more clear fresh tasting ones. I would say though that on this occasion this one fits right in.

If you are looking for an authentic green tea flavour that is slightly brisk with a slight sweetness to it then this is the tea for you.

Aiya describes this tea as-

Matcha Infused Sencha is a blend of traditional Japanese Sencha tea leaves and premium Matcha green tea, giving you the best of both worlds. The fresh brisk flavour of Sencha is enhanced with the health-giving properties of premium Matcha green tea.

Overall I would sum this tea up as a brisk yet smooth palatable green tea- Thank you Aiya!



The Tea Guru
The Tea Guru
http://www.teareviewblog.com


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Nov 27

Organic Sencha from Aiya

Aiya Tea,Green Tea,Tea Review,Unflavored Tea 5:56 am | 3 Comments

Organic Sencha from Aiya

In front of me I have a sachet of Organic Sencha from Aiya. The pack says the tea has a refreshing taste, light aroma and a clear green appearance. Let’s see how this one goes!

I have brought my kettle to the boil and I am now pouring the hot water over the leaves and instantly the water goes a pale green colour, almost the colour of lime cordial.

I leave the tea to brew for a few minutes and whilst I do so I notice the leaves start to unfurl slowly whilst giving off a light aroma.

The aroma does seem light just like Aiya have stated on their packaging. On trying I find the tea suitably refreshing with a very tea-like taste, quite similar to a black tea without any milk added to it.

I personally think this tea would be great being enjoyed when you feel a little thirsty and do believe that it would be great as an iced tea as extra refreshment in the Summer months.  I feel the tea is light yet still has a vegetative taste and aroma.

Now the tea has completely cooled I do find this my preference for the way I am feeling now, rather dehydrated from all the cold to heat experiences you go through in the winter time. I personally really prefer this tea cold and find that it delivers better on what is described this way.

This is how Aiya describe this tea:

Organic Sencha is one of the highest in quality in the Japanese internationally certfied organic Sencha category. This grade of Organic Sencha is rare even in the Japanese market. This tea is grown to meet strict organic regulations while maintaining a light refreshing flavor and aroma with a clear green appearance.

Overall I would agree with Aiya regarding the tea having a light refreshing flavour and aroma maintaining a clear green appearance throughout brewing.



The Tea Guru
The Tea Guru
http://www.teareviewblog.com


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Jul 22

Wild Berry Green Tea from Tea District

Flavored Tea,Green Tea,Tea District,Tea Review 11:00 pm | No Comments

Wild Berry Green Tea from Tea DistrictThis time of year, I find myself craving fruit flavored teas, I think it’s because they tend to be so refreshing – especially when served iced! – and in the summertime, that’s what I need!

Sweet, light and refreshing, this Organic Wild Berry Green Tea from Tea District is really satisfying and thirst-quenching on this warm summer day.

The berry flavor is well-pronounced.  I taste notes of strawberry, raspberry and especially the blueberry.  It is sweet with just the right amount of tartness to it – just enough to tingle on the tongue without making me pucker when I sip it.

I taste the green tea too – although I do think it’s a bit lighter than I’d like it to be.  There are creamy, buttery notes to the tea, as well as a ‘freshness’ that isn’t quite what I’d call grassy, nor what I’d call vegetable… but somewhere between.  Sort of “leafy,” is how I would describe it.  More than a strong vegetative flavor, the green tea seems to lighten and brighten the overall cup, to keep it from tasting too much like a kid’s fruity beverage.

This tea also has hibiscus in it – but don’t worry.  It doesn’t really lend much hibiscus-y flavor or texture… really, what I am getting mostly from the hibiscus here is a pretty red-plum color.  There is a hint of tartness too, but, it doesn’t taste distinctly like hibiscus, but instead, it manages to meld nicely with the berry tones to add depth and dimension to the fruit.

Tea District describes this blend as

This uplifting and floral blend of Organic Sencha green tea with Organic hibiscus, freeze-dried strawberry fruit, blueberry fruit and natural flavors of blueberry and raspberry will make you think otherwise of green teas. It’s not so traditional zesty flavor will continue to strike you every time you take a sip with its luscious fruit flavors and aromas throughout.

This is a really tasty berry flavored green tea – lots of berry goodness, but it still tastes like tea and not fruit punch!  It tastes good hot, but it’s even better when chilled.



liber-teas
liber-teas
http://hungryinportland.com


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Jul 05

Sencha Kyoto Cherry Rose from Culinary Teas

Culinary Teas,Flavored Tea,Green Tea,Tea Review 8:00 am | No Comments

Sencha Kyoto Cherry Rose by Culinary Teas The dry leaf is a pretty showcase of rose petals displaying the summer colors of red, pink, orange, and yellow in a beautiful bright green Sencha tea blend. The lead smells tart, sweet, and fresh.

The steeped liquor is golden-yellow with a thick almost oily like fullness. The smell is blissful cherry! I was anticipating an almost unnatural cherry flavoring like in medicine or candy, and while I can’t attest to if this is a natural flavoring or not, and there were no actual cherry pieces, freeze-dried or other in the blend, the flavor is quite nice. The rose flavor is present and noticeable but not over powering.

I for one, tend to have poor luck with certain flavor additives, and again, I am not sure what the cherry flavor in this tea comes from, but usually I find some flavors like cherry and strawberry to be almost chemical tasting. I can’t say that about this tea, and for that I am happy. There is a sweet “bite” to this tea in the after taste, but I am going to fathom a guess that it may be due to a sweeter that has been added, stevia perhaps? I hope no one takes me for my word on that however, because I have not had much experience with stevia in teas, and this tea does not seem to be cloyingly sweet either. If a sweetener has been added it has been done so very well, and lightly.

This is a pan-fried green tea and I do taste the sencha flavors. I do wish they were a bit more prominent but I am delighted nonetheless to have a very well blended cherry tea and the rose is just a bonus, again another floral tea that I like! I am starting to develop quite a list of floral teas I would reorder!

There is a slight drying sensation to the back of the mouth which I often get with a pan-fried tea.

Culinary Teas says:

The tea tends light liquoring, fresh and smooth with reasonable depth and body. The cherry flavoring and subtle rose hints give the tea a wonderful exotic character.

I steeped 16 ounces of water for this tea because as soon as I opened the bag my husband was all over it, sniffing it and said “oh wow that smells good!” I steeped enough for us both, 3 heaping teaspoons at 180’f (80’c) for 2 minutes. While directions say you can steep for up to 3 minutes I wanted to go with 2 in order to see how this tea does on a re-steep. I also went with just a little more tea (recommended is 1 Teaspoon per 8 ounce serving because I prefer a strong brew. This tea is very forgiving evidently because it turned out wonderful!

I am not going to claim this is the most complex tea ever created, nor is it one of my top favorites but I can absolutely see this being a staple in my stash. For one reason it has a lovely cherry flavor without tasting artificial even if it is. It is one of few floral teas that is not excessively floral, which would turn me off. It is a tea I feel I could honestly brew up at any time for anybody and that they would enjoy it, be that a total novice to tea or someone with a lot of experience. It is a versatile, satisfying tea all around. From the display of the beautiful colors upon opening the bag, which I would be sure to place some dry leaf in a pretty bowl on the table, to the steeped tea being bright as sunshine, it is surely an entertaining tea, and one that tastes quite wonderful.



Azzrian
Azzrian
http://azzrianvisions.com


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May 21

Organic Wild Berry Green from Tea District

Flavored Tea,Green Tea,Tea District,Tea Review 11:00 pm | No Comments

Organic Wild Berry Green from Tea DistrictSmooth and fruity are the two words that come to mind as I sip this tea.  I ordered this tea online and it is my first experience with Tea District and I am so happy that I discovered their site!

I bought sample sized .5 oz and used less than half of the bag on 3 cups!  The bags are the nice foil bags with zip top so it will stay fresh for a while.  The smell of the dried tea makes me want to take a bite.  The tea has a generous amount of whole blueberries and other fruit pieces.  I enjoy fruity teas most and this one really hits the spot.

I steeped the tea in my Teamaker using 1 tsp of tea to 8 oz of 180 degree water for 3 minutes.  I added 1 tsp of German Rock Sugar for each 8 oz of water.  The color of the steeped tea is a pretty purple!

The flavor of the tea is a tasty fruity blend with undertones of a light earthy green.  You can definitely taste the green tea as the base of the liquid, but the flavor of the blueberry really shines.

Tea District describes this tea as:

This uplifting and floral blend of Organic Sencha green tea with Organic hibiscus, freeze-dried strawberry fruit, blueberry fruit and natural flavors of blueberry and raspberry will make you think otherwise of green teas. It’s not so traditional zesty flavor will continue to strike you every time you take a sip with its luscious fruit flavors and aromas throughout.

Although Tea District describes this tea as “zesty”, I do find it more of a sweet blend of fruit than zesty.



QuiltingDiva
QuiltingDiva
http://quiltingdiva.etsy.com


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Apr 07

Tochiotome from Lupicia Tea

Flavored Tea,Green Tea,Lupicia Tea,Tea Review 8:00 am | No Comments

Tochiotome from Lupicia TeasBet you can’t tell from the name what this tea is!  Want to guess?  Okay, I’ll tell you, it’s Strawberry Green tea.  Tochiotome is the name of the berries the Japanese consider to have the most flavor, color and sweetness and I must say, in the accompanying picture, they looked good enough to eat.  Arrgh, 3 more months until our strawberries are ripe.  The green tea is Japanese Sencha, the everyday tea of thousands in that land.

I got this tea sample by signing up for the Lupicia newsletter.  Every month I get a newsletter and a sample of their teas.  Pretty cool.  Free, too.

This tea comes in one of those pyramidal bags with lots of tea inside, smelling delightfully of fresh strawberry.  There was no chemical after-smell, which is one reason I don’t generally like flavored teas.  The directions are to brew it at about 180 for 1-2 minutes – remember, we are dealing with green tea here and want neither too much heat not too long a brew.  The picture of a cup of this blend in the newsletter was almost a strawberry red.  Mine wasn’t, it was more of a pale green, with pink edges.

Here’ what Lupicia has to say:

Lupicia’s flavored blend “Tochiotome” encompasses the amazing sweetness of the berries and combines it with the refreshing flavor of Japanese green tea.

The tea actually tasted like fresh strawberries, with a nice undertaste of spring green.  When it cooled, it was still tasty and I began to think of what this would go with – a strawberry tea, of course, of course.  If you make it iced, either just do it cold, or make the ice cubes with some of the tea, as this is on the delicate side.  Either warm or cold, float a berry in it or put one in each ice cube.  Please wait until your local berries  are in for your party – they are so much better.  The you can make scones served with strawberry butter, have strawberries in your salad and of course, finish it with a grand and glorious strawberry shortcake or, to be different, replace the cake with meringues, crunch and sweetness, all in one.

They have several other blends featuring strawberries, including black tea, pu-erh, one with rhubarb and one with chocolate.  They all come both in bags and loose leaf.  Lots to explore.



Marlena A.
Marlena A.
http://teafortoday.blogspot.com/


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Apr 06

Daydreamer Green From David’s Tea

Flavored Tea,Green Tea,Tea Recipes,Teavana 11:00 pm | No Comments

Daydreamer Green From David's TeaI’m in love again!  I placed my second order of  tea from David’s Tea last week and again, I am NOT disappointed!  I never thought I would be one to order teas online, but just reading the reviews and fun descriptions of Davids teas, I just can’t help it.

When I opened my bag of Daydreamer, I was so impressed with the size of the fruit pieces and the beautiful green leaves!  Now for anyone that has read any of my other reviews, you know I LOVE some fruit in my tea!  This tea had the largest pieces of fruit I have ever seen.  One piece of the guava or mango (I like the taste of them, but I can’t pick them out of a lineup) filled my whole spoon!

Davids describes this tea as:

At our annual staff party last summer, we invented the best drink ever: iced green tea with mango-flavoured ice cubes. It was totally refreshing and subtly fruity, like drinking a cup of green tea while daydreaming about tropical fruit. Hence the name: The Daydreamer. We’ve recreated it for you here, with a sencha green tea lightly flavoured with mango, guava and mangousteen. Steep a cup and dream a little dream of tea.

 Ingredients: Sencha green tea, mango, natural and artificial mangousteen and guava flavouring*, safflower, marigold.

I brewed this tea in my little screen.  I used 2.5 tsp of tea (since the fruit was so big) with ½ tsp of Sugar in the Raw (also known as Turbinado sugar) to 8 oz of water and steeped for 5 minutes at 180°F.  The tea is a pretty yellow/green and it smells wonderful!  The initial sip is definitely a strong green taste and the aftertaste is a delicious fruity sweetness!

Overall, another wonderful tea from Davids!  I love the smoothness of the green which is complimented by the sweetness of the fruit.  This tea definitely has me daydreaming about my next cuppa!



QuiltingDiva
QuiltingDiva
http://quiltingdiva.etsy.com


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