Mellow Monk

Thanks to LiberTeas for sending me a sample, especially of a tea she really loves!

I’ve never had guricha (or tamaryokucha) before, so this was a new experience for me and I have been excited to try it. For this first time, I went ahead and followed the exact instructions on Mellow Monk’s website. I hope to experiment a little with the 3g – 5g left or so…

The loose leaf actually gave off an aroma like a freshly plowed garden. Yes, even like soil a little. That didn’t scare me off, because even though that isn’t an aroma that sounds edible, it reminded me of going to a nursery or walking through a garden, and those are good kinds of smells.

As for the tea itself — this is definitely different than regular sencha! There is no hint of that fresh bitterness, or grassy/vegetal flavor. Instead there is a bit of flavorful earthiness, it is definitely fruity, with a mix of mint and pine in the background. Perhaps its more like the smell of pine needles, but very muted, with mint in there somewhere.

I hope to compare it to some other gurichas, too, to see if this is a pretty unique tea, or if it’s typical of guricha. Either way, it’s delicious! There’s a good chance it could go on my shopping list in the future.

De-cupboarding this tea aswell. I’m making an effort to drink up all the little samples and almost-finished packages of tea.

This was a really nice Japanese green – I’ll have to check out Mellow Monk in the future.

The leaves of this tea are a dark, pine green and look like little bits of chopped-up needles. I’m not quite sure what to expect of this tea, I’ve never tried any of Mellow Monk’s products before – this and one other sample were gifts from TeaEqualsBliss. I’m not even sure what type of tea this is or where it’s from, though my guess from the flavour is that it’s Japanese.

It’s faintly sweet and a bit hay-like at first but then it takes on a savoury, slightly nutty-tasting tone. Then the flavour trails off into a grassy, slightly bitter aftertaste. The touch of bitterness actually seems to work with this tea providing a counterpoint to the initial sweetness that gives this tea balance. It also leaves a nice, fresh, palate-cleansing taste in my mouth.

A very smooth tasting green tea, loved it.

Somewhat expensive, not something I could afford to drink daily.

Thank you TeaEqualsBliss for sending me some of this tea! It’s A-MAZ-ING and I’m glad that I had this opportunity to try it.

This is so good. I love the light grapefruit notes of this tea. The flavor is something like a Gyokuro and a Sencha, but I like it better than either of them. It is so completely delightful.

And, now, if you don’t mind, I’d like to be alone with this tea.

Taste is pretty mellow- not a ton going on- I feel like I don’t have to think about the taste much (unlike say a Yunnan black).

Good but not mind blowing. It’s $19 for 100g and worth a try just because it’s a Japanese black and it’s from Mellow Monk. I dig them.

MM recommends steeping for 2-3 minutes, then 1 minute for the next two steeps. I found the 2/3 steeps to be a bit light for my tastes at only 1 minute. But then again, this is a different kind of black so the experience is meant to be different.

I need to spend some more time with this but I probably won’t be buying it again.

Fruity, slight floral notes emerge on second infusion. A refined Japanese green.

Interesting stuff. Hmm. Need to spend more time before rating.

The white stems of the leaf are left attached and it has a unique overtone that I can’t quite describe… Perhaps ‘herbal’?

As of late November (last night, actually) this tea was renamed from “Monk’s Bliss” to “Frosty Garden.” I assumed this was done to help others differentiate between it and Mellow Monk’s “Blissful Buds.”

I can’t say I’m very fond of it’s bitter aftertaste, but from what I understand this is common with most Mecha’s.

sencha character in a matcha powder. Walker Tea Review #286. Score=89

buttery sweet with a lighter but smooth broth. Walker Tea Review #282. Score= 91

I didn’t have any high expectations with Harmony, to be honest. I just can’t get used to the ‘nutty’ flavor, although I think that has to do more with my mature taste then anything else. It’s not bad, it’s just that it doesn’t taste like green tea (which can be a good thing for those who are not too fond of tea in general).

For best results, I suggest preparing it strong at ~1.5tsp per 8oz.

Although only slightly more expensive then Monk’s Choice, it is drastically different in taste. It’s creamy and I can defiantly taste a fruity overtone of some sort, but it lacks full-bodied/grassy taste that I’ve become fond of. When I steeped it in my new glass infuser I was really surprised how green it actually was.

As a cost-saving measure, I purchased a bag of the Matcha-Style Green Tea so I had something on hand at work. On their blog, Mellow Monk mentioned a technique on how to cold-brew the matcha in a bottle. I thought I’d give it a shot. Directions were simple: Add roughly a third of a teaspoon to the bottle of choice (I went a full teaspoon), add a splash of water, shake vigorously to remove clumps, then add full water amount, and shake vigorously again.

The result is a thick, dark liquid with some of the requisite powdered consistency. Taste-wise, it resembles a cold sencha that’s been left out. However, given that good sencha should be brewed warm, anyway, that’s not a detraction. It’s more vegetal and kale-like when cold, unlike it’s warmed version. However, that settles into a melon-like note later on aftertaste. Overall, a decent alternative than succumbing to Starbucks.

Powdered sencha is pretty much considered “ghetto” matcha, since real matcha uses tencha leaves that are given extra shading. This one breaks the formula a little bit for being a powdered tamaryokucha (or curly green tea); probably the only type of sencha I’ll ever drink again.

The flavor is slightly grassy, but also possesses a melon-like note similar to a white tea, and ends on a sweet (if vegetal) finish. It may not be top-o’-the-line matcha, but it’s a high grade substitute. After my review sample, I actually had to buy a batch. I think it’ll last me four months or so.

Full Review:

http://www.teaviews.com/2010/10/25/review-mellow-monk-matcha-style-powered-green-tea/

mmm! sipping on this while carving a pumpkin today! It is really delicious tea, that tastes vegetal and buttery smooth. I am almost out of this tea, and will most definitely have to restock after this sample is finished!

This has to be the freshest green tea I have ever tried. It’s absolutely amazing, even if it’s one of Mellow Monk’s ‘cheaper’ teas. I’ll have to try Top Leaf next.

The package suggests steeping at 167F – opps.

While it may be intense for some on the foretaste, it settles into a grassy, berry-sweet middle ground unlike any sencha I’ve ever tried.

Full Review: http://www.teaviews.com/2010/08/07/review-mellow-monk-top-leaf-green-tea/

I’m not normally a fan of Japanese green tea, but I picked this one up on a whim. It is very mild and not too vegital, so it has been a very enjoyable tea for me. It took a few tries for me to brew it correctly, so be careful. It is easy to over steep.

This is pretty tasty. Got really bitter near the end of the bag.

Had to buy this tea when they offered 20% off for reddit users. I’m not disappointed!

The leaves have a strong smell, almost like a gunpowder green. They also look somewhat similar to gunpowder green, with their rolled shape.

I used my own brewing parameters: 2g for ~3oz water at 175F for 1 minute. The color looked good, a nice bright yellow, and had a nice buttery smell. The taste at first was kind of like a Chinese green with some earthiness, but as I continued to sip, I found more of a smooth buttery flavor come out. I personally like a little more vegetal flavor to my green tea, but it’s still very nice.

For $10, this is a really nice tea. Comes in a nice resealable metal pouch. The shipping was also really fast (Ordered Friday night, got it Monday afternoon).

This is a good, everyday, great value green tea. It’s not super fancy or high grade. At only $10 for 100 grams, there’s no reason not to buy it ;)

They don’t call it their table wine of green teas for nothing.

This is my 3rd Mellow Monk Tea…I never really know what to expect now…the first one I tried was OK the 2nd one was awful and here’s this one…

This smells like Buttered Lima Beans…good for me I like Buttered Lima Beans. :)

It’s a murky greenish color.

The taste is certainly of the green tea variety but is almost smooth…and buttery. Ya-Know-What? I think I like this! LOL

I don’t think it would be very good cold…but I am liking it hot.