Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Harney & Sons
Tea Description:
Japan’s capital is the inspiration of this tea. Green Bancha is blended with toasted sesame seeds and caramel flavors. The delightful flavor is reminiscent of some of Tokyo’s best desserts.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
The description of this tea sounded just unusual enough to make me want to try it … sesame seeds and caramel? Hmm… I’m intrigued!
The fragrance of the dry leaf has a caramel overtone, with a toasted, nutty scent in the background, as well as a hint of grassy notes. The brewed tea has a stronger caramel-y scent, together with a strong vegetal note (it almost smells like celery… you know that aroma that fills the kitchen when you saute celery to soften it? Yeah, that’s what it smells like to me… slightly browned butter and celery!)
This is quite tasty! The Bancha offers a slight vegetal flavor that develops as I continue to sip. It doesn’t really taste grassy, but more like steamed spinach: mild and savory. There is a buttery tone to the cup as well, although not quite as buttery as you might taste from a Sencha.
The caramel offers a pleasing sweetness that melds nicely with the natural sweetness of the green tea, while the toasted sesame seeds give a toasty nut flavor that marries well with the natural nutty flavors of the tea. The overall cup is very harmonious and deliciously sweet and creamy, with just enough savory tones to keep it interesting. There is a mellow astringency that is neither too dry nor too tangy, but it does manage to cleanse the palate to ready it for another sip.
This is the kind of tea that keeps me sipping … and I like that!
