Den's Tea

Oh these are nice.

The tea bag looks so high-tech! It is filled with crushed-up, somewhat powdery green tea. It turned my water bright green pretty quickly. I tried some after about half an hour and the sencha taste was strong and lovely. But, the mango flavour really developed the longer this brewed. This tastes like the powdered sencha, with nice juicy mango in the aftertaste.

I refilled my Libre with water and am trying a second infusion. After half an hour, it’s much weaker but it’s really pleasant! Kind of more flavoured water at this point, but that’s okay. I think a second infusion would work much better if the bag was removed after the first hour rather than sitting in water for more like two and a half.

Prepared according to website directions: 20 oz. water to 10 grams tea.
Smooth and neon green in color – a yummy toasty rice flavor that went well the fried rice we ate for dinner. The second steep is just as lovely as the first. It’s funny how even though it’s hot outside and I’m drinking this hot, I can still feel refreshed.
This entire set of samples is definitely encouraging my love for Japan. :)

Steeped according to the parameters on the Den’s tea website.
The aroma of the tea was quite burnt and a little off putting, to be honest. Despite the scent, though, the taste of the tea was quite smooth. The tea itself brewed up a light brownish, which makes sense given the leaves being roasted.
It was a very smooth tea, and it felt a little nutty in flavor as well, though I think that’s from the roasting. I did a second steep (this time following the recommendation and doing 15 seconds) and the tea tastes much the same as the first time, perhaps just a little lighter and less nutty.
This is only my second of the four loose leaf samples, and I think that the sencha just barely edges it out, but I certainly would not refuse a cup of this; if I had enough money (and enough space) I would definitely order some for my stash…

From the sampler Den’s offers to new customers.
This was super yummy. We used the whole thing on 500 ml of water (per package directions – it’s the one thing about a Breville I wish I could change because Japanese teas just aren’t meant to be made all at once at that kind of volume) and got two steeps out of it.
Now, I love green teas. I think they are just amazing, simple teas that pair well with just about any food. This one was no exception- the leaves smelled so vegetal and fresh, and the tea itself was very smooth and…well, green. I honestly could drink this for dinner every night. So, apparently, could my boyfriend, who seriously gushed over the first infusion.
I steeped the second infusion for longer (1:30) than the first one, which went against the parameters (and I just realized that now, so…too late!). This infusion was bitter in a not-so-nice way, but that was my fault and not the fault of the tea. I still liked it very much, despite the human error.
So this one’s definitely on my shopping list. I wonder how the next three samples are going to be in comparison..

I realized that I’d failed to make iced tea on this, a disgustingly hot day (tomorrow is supposed to be the hottest since 1948!). So I put a teaspoon of this in my glass bottle full of cold water and stuck it in the freezer for about half an hour before I had to leave. By the time I made it to work, I needed it. This is so refreshing. Only a slight bitterness. Really nice and sweet and flavourful. Here’s hoping it’ll help keep me productive because I’m really struggling to read/study in this weather!

This came in my Den’s order a few weeks ago and to be honest I’ve been a little intimidated to try it. I wasn’t sure of the best way to prepare it, and thought it might be too much for me. Too grassy or too strong or something.

But I need to get my act together here and write an essay due tomorrow. I need tea, but am also feeling incredibly lazy.

So I decided to give this a go. Just under half a teaspoon in my Libre large (about 14 oz) of cold water and shook it all up. Awesome! This tastes really good, and so refreshing. Not out of control grassy, and not bitter. I didn’t know how I’d feel about that matcha taste cold, but it’s really good. I didn’t sift it but don’t see much clumping going on. This will be really great in summer. What could be easier?

Hey, this is pretty good!

This is left from my sampler I got some time over the winter. I was scared of it. I was really scared of it once I opened the little packet and smelled it. Even more so when I accidentally set it to steep for a minute rather than the 15 or 30 seconds recommended.

But, I actually like it. It’s very different from anything else I have. Very roasty and earthy, and I am getting a grainy or maybe popcorn flavour from it. But it’s not as heavy as I expected and it’s not bitter. Quite smooth, in fact.

I purposely ordered tea to obtain this. I love trying something rare. It is a nice medium black tea. I couldn’t tea anything sencha about it like that others. My tastebuds can be lame. I like the fact they attempted black tea. I feel honored to have it! I would drink this again if given the chance. Not my all time favorite, but yummy.

Mmmm…. I love this tea! (Even though, technically, it’s not a tea.) I tried it for the first time at a Korean restaurant this past weekend.

It’s in these very large teabags for making 1 liter (35 oz.) of tea. I made two and put two bags in. I don’t like to drink cold tea, so I just left if out on the counter for an hour, then pulled the teabags out. It’s wonderful! It’s very nutty tasting, toasty and rich. My husband tried it and said that it tastes a bit like burned popcorn. (I disagree with the burned part, but maybe toasted popcorn… without the butter.) It’s wonderful! (Did I already say that?) My children both tried it. They said it tastes like coffee. (I agree a bit there, too, although it’s not a strong coffee taste.) They love it. It is completely caffeine-free, and as I don’t want bouncy children all night long, I love it, too.

This was a nice beverage to drink last night. My boyfriend’s friend came over and cooked dinner with us. So we shared this! Delicious and nutty. I love the gentle sweetness and nutty rice flavor. Delicious and light.

I got this tea on a whim, and also after reading the reviews. I have had all kinds of kukicha. Some I either hate or like. This is one I will love. When I opened the bag, I didn’t think it smelled like anything special. I thought it would just taste like another houjicha. Well it sure surprised me.

It has such an distinctive taste I never had in a tea. Savory, earthy, unami. I like the idea another one had to make potato chip flavored with this! I might have to grind some in my spice grinder mixed with salt and sprinkle on steak. I could see this tea as a spice, it’s that original and good!

I will update when I cook with it….but I am still going to drink this stuff. YUM!

When I got the email that this tea was back, I was tempted into buying right away. But then I saw it become sold out twice within a week, I knew I had to purchase quickly. Holy crap, this is quite amazing. It’s so delicate and REAL cherry flavor. I drink tart cherry juice everyday, and this capture cherry’s flavor perfect. I love the little heather flower buds in it. I never had a tea with heather. I just makes it look so beautiful.

And the tea was so GREEN! I kind of wish I bought a pound of this. I didn’t think anything could beat the pineapple flavor. I am loving the sencha in this, just a tip of astringency. So relaxing and tasty.

Just a cup of perfection, and wonderful iced, too!

This tea is incredibly versatile; it really cant’ be overstepped, re-steeps excellently, and makes a good glass of iced tea. It also doesn’t taste much like a Japanese green tea, which helps in my book. Instead of tasting like vegetables, it tastes like roasted. Roasted something. Definitely going to buy this again.

Using up my last bit of this tea until it goes back on sale
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The first steep is smooth-incredibly smooth- and I’ve finally managed to get the buttery flavor other reviewers mentioned. Also, it smells wonderful. It smells floral without smelling like perfume.

1 tsp @ 135 F for 45 seconds
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The (fairly) cool water makes for a smooth tea. I can’t taste any bitterness at all, just floral hinted sencha. Almost too hinted; the trade off between temperature and bitterness means that there isn’t enough sakura in my sip at such a low temp.