Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Stash Tea
Tea Description:
Mild green tea from Sri Lanka with a sweet finish reminiscent of honeysuckle. Large tea leaves hand-rolled into long, twisted spears that infuse into a clear, light amber color. Fair Trade Certified Organic Indulgashena (alternate spelling Idulgashinna) Green Tea is grown in the Idulgashena tea garden, the first certified organic tea garden in the world. USDA and QAI certified organic.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I LOVE this tea! LOVE IT!
When I first opened the pouch, I was greeted with an aroma that is very grassy. The fragrance reminded me of that very first lawn cutting in spring, when the grass is tender and beginning to bear fresh, new blades after the cold of winter. It smells like that freshly mown lawn, clean, crisp and vibrant.
So, I was astonished when I took my first sip and my first reaction was: Pepper! That’s what I tasted. I tasted again to see if my taste buds were deceiving me, but, again, I tasted fresh ground black pepper. After a couple of sips, the flavor tapered somewhat and tasted a bit more like a peppery cinnamon rather than black pepper, but there is a distinct spice tone to this tea. It is warm and quite enjoyable.
As I continue to sip, more flavors reveal themselves to me. It is not nearly as vegetative as the aroma of the dry leaf would suggest. In fact, there is not a grassy tone to be tasted in this cup! Maybe a mild vegetable taste, but not what I would call grassy. It is sweet and has a honey-esque tone to it, tasting a bit – as the description above suggests – like honeysuckle.
After my first infusion, I noticed that the tightly spiraled leaves looked like they did when they were dry. That is to say, they had barely unfurled. You know what that means: multiple infusions! I managed three very delicious infusions from the same measurement of leaves, and I might have been able to get a fourth if I had the time to brew it.
This one gets high marks from me – I highly recommend it!
I love green tea especially Stash Tea, it was founded in 1972 and originally operated out of an old Portland Victorian-style house, supplying loose herbal teas and bulk herbs to natural food stores. The company broadened its focus to include bagged teas and then began to sell a full line of traditional, specialty blend and herbal teas directly to fine restaurants and through a mail order catalog to consumers.