Ito En

The calendar may not yet quite agree, but it’s summer. Today it’s ‘only’ 23⁰C, but it has been upwards of 30⁰C for the past week and the last thing in the world I’ve wanted has been hot tea.

There are, however, remarkably few unsweetened drinks in the refrigerator at the health food store. But what’s this? Unsweetened green tea, claiming to be “Japan’s #1 Green Tea”, whatever that means. Suitable not just for drinking but also for logging to Steepster!

I don’t want to insult Japan or anything, but this is not the #1 Green Tea I’ve ever had. But it is reasonably decent and somewhat complex, especially given that I didn’t even have to think about hot or boiling water in order to drink it. If I’m again in the mood to pay $2 for 20¢ worth of tea and the convenience of having it already brewed and already cold, then I’ll pick up another bottle.

I can’t seem to get the link to the little picture of the bottle on the Ito En site to work. Oh well.

Today, my four year old and I went to Whole Foods to shop and decided to have lunch there. I picked this as the drink to have with my salad for lunch, mostly because unlike a lot of the other things on the shelf this didn’t have any flavorings.

As I have mentioned before I don’t have a lot of iced tea experience and most of what I have had has been on a scale on which the highested end point is unremarkable, and the lowest is retch-inducing. This is certainly better than anything on that scale, and it was a good accompaniment to lunch.

It has a vegetal, mild, sweet taste, with no bitterness and no artificial or chemical odd flavors or aftertaste. It’s only real downside is that it is a little on the ordinary/plain side. I didn’t really have a lot of time to spend with it but that’s my initial impression. I’d drink it again (but in the near term I’d probably pick something different just to gain more experience in RTD teas).

Very pleasant green tea, smooth and fruity. Does not have a bitter undertaste.

Steep Information:
Amount: 3 tsp
Water: 750ml filtered water brought to 195°
Tool: Breville One-Touch Tea Maker BTM800XL (Oolong, Medium, Auto start)
Steep Time: a little over 3 minutes
Served: Hot

Tasting Notes:
Dry Leaf Smell: vegetal, floral
Steeped Tea Smell: vegetal, floral
Flavor: floral, slightly (but pleasantly) bitter, vegetal
Body: Medium
Aftertaste: vegetal
Liquor: translucent honey yellow-brown

Purchased at Mitsuwa for $7.50

A good cup of tea, but not amazing. I’ll gladly enjoy the rest of this tea, but I can’t see myself craving it. I am also not a rose fan.

images: http://amazonv.blogspot.com/2010/05/ito-en-loose-leaf-oolong-tea-rose.html

It has been an insanely stressful couple of days, to help relax (and apparently celebrate Iced Tea Day!) I had an icy cold bottle of this today. As always, it is sweet, without been sweetened, the jasmine is subtle yet floral enough that you do not miss it. Overall, a wonderful tea, if you spot a bottle, I highly recommend buying it.

I have been drinking this for the past three or four days (multiple bottles, I admit) because it was the only non-sweetened iced tea available in the area. Imagine my surprise when I came on Steepster to see a fresh review of it…

The color is light, the aroma is faint jasmine. Enjoyed cold from the bottle. Drinking straight from the bottle interferes slightly with the bouquet from the tea, but I do not think it hurts the flavor. The flavor is faint jasmine but not obtrusive, it is light and airy, green tea, no vegetal just jasmine. The unsweetened is also very enjoyable, the jasmine brings enough to the slightly floral jasmine that it is all the sweetness you need without any additives. Overall, very good.

Tasting Notes:
Steeped Tea Smell: jasmine, vegetal green tea
Flavor: astringent, bitter, jasmine, vegetal
Body: Medium
Aftertaste: bitter, astringent
Liquor: honey yellow-brown

Served iced from the bottle, I think it’s a good prepared, store bought, iced tea.

I would buy it again as a pre-made, but not as a preferential to loose leaf.

images: http://amazonv.blogspot.com/2010/05/ito-en-company-bottled-green-tea.html