Den's Tea

This is one of my favorite every day green teas. It doesn’t get bitter if you over brew and stands up well for multiple brewing.

This is one of the most refreshing teas I have ever cold-brewed. Like other Den’s flavored teas, this tastes better cold. Huge improvement I didn’t mention in my last note (which I wrote more than a year ago) that the flavor tends to be too strong, even bitter, when I use the package’s steeping parameters. I had to really tweak the instructions for the tea to be palatable. With a larger volume of water – cold – the sakura is lighter, not at all overbearing. Very flavorful and yummy. The sencha is fresh, leaves soft enough to chew and eat on its own (I’ve found that this is applicable to other Den’s teas). I will say again that because of the sakura blossoms and the fertile green color of the sencha, the leaf itself is very pretty, both dry and wet. Overall, excellent summer tea.

Everything about this tea is great! I’ll start with the appearance of the leaves. They are most beautiful when dry – the pink of little sakura blossoms accentuates the dark sencha. The aroma of the dry leaf consists of cherry blossoms with a hint of sencha, which stands out more when the leaves are wet. The liquor is a clear, bright green. Concerning flavor, the bitterness of the sencha hits the taste buds, but after sitting in the mouth for a couple seconds, the tea begins to taste of sakura and a full-bodied balance between the two ingredients is well-established. After swallowing, the sakura lingers for a while.

This is one of those teas I could drink all day long and not grow tired of, and, like other good senchas, it makes me happy.

I got this as a sample in my latest Den’s order, which is good because I am on a quest to try all of their flavored senchas! I love love rose, so I thought this for sure would be a winner.

Maybe my expectations were too high, but this was just okay for me. Actually, it’s tasty: I found the sencha to be dominant, but it wasn’t the same buttery flavor that I got in the pineapple sencha. The rose is faint and at the end of the sip, but somehow still very perfumey. I don’t mind perfumey but it wasn’t my favorite rose flavoring.

I feel like I’m being kind of harsh on this tea! It’s good but just not quite what I was expecting after the yuzu, pineapple and sakura which are all super fabulous.

Sometimes you come across a tea so wonderful you have no idea how your life went on without it. One of those teas that makes you grin ear to ear, it’s just perfect! For me (and judging from the reviews, for many others as well!) this is one of those teas.

I bought this kind of on a whim, I was ordering the Sakura Sencha and noticed this sitting right next to it. So I looked up reviews, and there were so many 90+ I just had to get some. But I didn’t know it would be THIS good. Because man oh man, this tea is heaven. Fruit heaven.

The pineapple is so unbelievably authentic, up there in my mind with Butiki’s fantastic fruit flavoring. It’s tart, tropical and so smooth and fresh, like someone mixed pineapple juice in with my sencha. I mean, I almost don’t believe this is flavored! Obviously someone snuck chunks of fresh pineapple in when I wasn’t looking!

And, since this is Den’s we are talking about, the base is fantastic. It’s denser than some senchas I’ve tried, with a real creamy and butter feel. And a hint of caramel comes out when combined with the pineapple! It’s both light and heavy, if that makes any sense. Creamy and rich, but without a dense feeling to it.

And while I usually only drink fruit teas iced, this is fantastic hot! Thankfully it’s not one of their seasonal blends so I can keep this gem stocked all year long.

I am usually not a big fan of flavored teas, so this sample tea bag remained on the shelf since my last order from Den’s Tea two months back. Then I had a week of laziness mixed with aches and pains when I tried Den’s English Breakfast Tea (great!) then the Earl Grey (even better) and finally this Tropical Mango. Just enough flavor to enhance the nice Indian blend with a pleasant aroma and aftertaste. It does not overwhelm you or taste artificial, like some brands do. A very pleasant, memorable and soothing cup of tea to enjoy quietly.

I tend to horde stuff if I know its exclusive. When I was looking for a tea to drink tonight I realized I had this one only a couple times. I mean, this one is seasonal, so I can probably get more early spring, so why not drink it?

Love the cherry floral flavor in this tea. Now I want to bake cookies /random

O M G
This tea cold steeped for like 3 hours is AMAZING!

It’s smooth, really buttery, sweet with a hint of cherry and floral. Its taste is like the smell of falling cherry blossoms.

WOW

So good! I wanna guzzle this whole cup down, but I should savor it!

FINALLY!
I freaking almost waited a year for this tea and it is finally back!

I could drown happily in this cup of pretty, buttery, floral, fruity and sweet sencha! The only thing I didn’t like about this tea was the resteeping, which was too astringent for my tastes.

full tea review with pretty pictures on my blog, the Oolong Owl http://oolongowl.wordpress.com/2013/02/15/sakura-sencha-from-dens-tea-tea-review/ (no owl photobombings this time)

Interesting flavor. Definitely woody. Not our favorite. Will not be trying this again.

To my surprise, this tea came as a complimentary sample, and I am sure glad it did. I have had only one opportunity to drink gyokuro before, and it was for only one sip – a “just to try” kind of thing.

The dry leaves are lovely. Emerald green. Seaweed aroma. Wet, they are even more beautiful. Darkened in color, smelling of grass. The aroma of the tea is grassy as well. The bright green liquor is clear (save for the leaf particles). The flavor is medium-bodied, and both bitter and sweet.

During the second infusion, the leaves expanded more. The flavor was more full-bodied and flavorful. While it was a more bitter (not overly so), the aftertaste was sweeter. Because of this quality, I prefer the second infusion to the first.

This gyokuro is not only a pleasure to drink, but a beautiful tea as well. It is for anyone who aesthetically appreciates tea.

This is the fourth of the Den’s Tea sample. I have never tried matcha iri genmaicha before, so tasting this tea for the first time was an adventure I had been looking forward to!

I smelled the leaves before and after the first infusion. Dry, matcha dominated. When wet, the genmaicha was much stronger; the aroma was more roasted and nutty. As for the aroma of the tea, it was lightly roasted. The liquor, expectantly, was cloudy and emerald green. The flavor was unusual, one I didn’t anticipate. There might as well have been three separate flavors. Initially, it tasted of genmaicha. After allowing the tea to rest in my mouth for a few seconds, I tasted a balance between the matcha and the genmaicha. Lastly, the aftertaste pretty much consisted of the bitter matcha.

I must have done something wrong with both infusions. The flavor of the second one was weak and left no taste. Well, regardless, the first infusion was delicious. Additionally, I felt more serene with each sip. I recommend this tea for those who enjoy Japanese green tea, particularly matcha.

Hello delicious. This is my first genmaicha which came in the Green Tea for novices pack. And what an incredibly generous pack that is. I brewed it as per directions. Boiling water, first infusion 30 seconds, second infusion 15 (although that felt backwards, is one not supposed to increase the steep time per infusion?).

This smells just like rice cakes – and this is a good thing. It tastes sweet and vegetal. Great tea for the evening, no astringency or bitter notes. I was not able to discern what flavor the Matcha added as I have never had Matcha or genmaicha before.

From the UnflavoredTTB.

Brewed with a red clay kyusu. First infusion: 175°, 60 seconds. Second: 195°, 30 seconds. Third: 205°, 15 seconds. Forth: 205°, 15 seconds.

I reviewed this tea before, when I ordered the sampler. Thought I’d give it another go since I haven’t had it for more than year. I couldn’t smell the dry leaf very well – might have been due to the ziplock baggie – but the wet leaf aroma has strong buttery, squash, and spinach notes. The leaves are dark green and short, many broken up (not due to traveling, as I remember from the sampler packet). They produce neon green liquor which contains leaf particles, has a thick texture, and is full-bodied, flavorful, and wonderfully bitter and vegetal. If you’re interested in trying Japanese greens or want to get a general idea of how sencha tastes, I point to this tea.

This is the fourth from the sample pack that I’ve tasted. I must comment on the tea leaves: wet, they are a stunning dark green color! They are absolutely beautiful (and a pleasure to smell).

Naturally, the aroma is grassy, vegetal. The liquor takes on a light green and is somewhat cloudy. As for the flavor, this sencha lives up to its name: It is quite bitter, but not so in a bad way! It is also full-bodied and broth-like, leaves a strong aftertaste, and is slightly astringent.

As for the second steeping, the liquor is a bit more cloudy, and the flavor is silky, creamy, and slightly (very slightly) less bitter.

I drank these two cups of sencha while watching snow fall. Combining these two activities has made me feel doubly relaxed on this late afternoon.

This is the third sample I’ve tried in the sample package. I was very surprised when I saw the brewing instructions and, honestly, a little scared to try it! Using boiled water for a green tea!

Both the tea and tea leaves (dry and wet) have a strong roasted, wood-like aroma, and the liquor is clear, medium brown. The flavor is like that of a usual houjicha, only slightly more robust – possibly due to the fact that much of the sample consisted of tiny broken leaves. When it lingers, boy does it linger. After letting the tea settle for a few seconds in my mouth, the taste becomes much stronger. Too strong for me actually. The aftertaste is similar to that of a black coffee, which I don’t like.

I was even more surprised at the instructions for the second steeping: 15 seconds! The liquor, this time, is golden. The aroma, weaker, but still maintaining its roasted quality. It is the same for the flavor, which still leaves an astringent aftertaste. All around, the second steeping tasted like the usual houjicha I’m used to drinking.

Overall this tea is very strong and woody. I would probably drink it during an early morning because the flavor would surprise my taste buds (and brain) out of sleepiness.

Loose
Appearance: fine leaf, deep green sencha
Aroma when Dry: soft, sweet, nutty, chestnut notes
After water is first poured: buttered nuts
At end of first steep: light chestnut
Tea liquor:
At end of first steep: hints of green
Staple? Yes
Preferred time of day: any
Taste:
At first ?: buttery, slightly grassy, nutty rice notes
As it cools?: gets a bit grassier, vegital, still buttery rice notes, gets slighty brothy
Additives used (milk, honey, sugar etc)? No
Lingers? faint creamy grass notes

Second Steep (4min):
sour, brothy

Loose
Appearance: fine leaf, deep green sencha
Aroma when Dry: soft, sweet vegital
After water is first poured: sweet, (eastern) fragrant, lightly buttery
At end of first steep: sweet, buttery
Tea liquor:
At end of first steep: light green
Staple? Yes
Preferred time of day: any
Taste:
At first ?: even, creamy, sweet
As it cools?: starts getting bodied and brothy
Additives used (milk, honey, sugar etc)? No
Lingers? Yes, with a powdery bodied sweetness

Second Steep( 4min):
gets very sour and soapy with a lingering quality

This sencha is pretty good. There is a slightly sweet aroma that is hard for me to pick up in the taste. Slight bitterness with a vegetable, grassy quality. It is what I was expecting when I got this tea.

This was the second sample I tried from the Den’s Tea sampler set. After letting the tea bag infuse for the allotted set of time, the liquor took on a murky, light green appearance. The aroma was pleasant: toasted, evoking the smell of fried Chinese vegetables, particularly that of bok choy (I’m probably the only one who thinks, but, hey, it’s what I was reminded of). The flavor of the tea was full-bodied and smooth, and had a fine balance of the sencha and the roasted rice. Due to the “extra green,” or matcha, it was also slightly bitter.

I enjoyed this tea very much overall. Plus, the wet leaves in the satchels were pleasant to smell!

EDITED: Around ten minutes of the finishing the first infusion, I felt a energized!

Sample. Ordered more. Of all the plain green teas in the sampler I got last week, this is my favorite. Not as grassy as some. I like the flavored Senchas much more, but wanted a plain one to have on hand. Definitely going to try drinking more green teas for all the health benefits. The pamphlet Den’s sent with the sampler definitely did it’s job!

Sample. Okay. Definitely very seaweedy/grassy. Don’t taste any bitterness.

I received a tea bag as a part of the sampler set. It was so wonderful to once again smell the grassy aroma! I haven’t drunk sencha (or any other tea) from Japan ever since I left.

Because no specific brewing instructions were given on the website or the provided pamphlets, I decided to see what others wrote on Steepster. The reviews varied, so I averaged out the temperature and steeping time (this was daring for me; I like to be given set instructions). I let the water heat up to approximately 180 degrees and steeped the bag for 1 minute. The result: a slightly murky dark green appearance (bit surprised by this) and a robust and bitter, fresh grassy flavor, which lingered nicely on the taste buds after swallowing.

For the second infusion, the temperature remained the same and I let the bag infuse for 1 minute and 30 seconds. This time, the appearance took on a light green. The flavor, of course, was grassy, but not as strong as it was before. This was the taste I was expecting prior to the first infusion. Nevertheless, I was more than pleased with both infusions.

The after effect: Invigorating! I would heartily recommend this tea to those who love sencha.

Sample. I really liked some of the loose unflavored Senchas I’ve tried from Den’s, but this one not so much for some reason.