After losing track of this tea in my stash for a while I finally found a bit of it again and it was due to an honest mistake on my part! I mislabeled it! Shame on me! I forgot to write down the full name of this tea company! I had it as “Tea In” but in fact that is only part of the website URL. This tea, Gokuzyo – First Crop Japanese Green Tea – Limited is from Japanese Green Tea Company, LLC!
This exact tea is no longer listed on their website but they do currently have a High Grade Crude Japanese Green – Gokuzyo Aracha.
As for this specific – Gokuzyo – First Crop Japanese Green Tea – here were my thoughts, feelings, and findings…
This loose leaf is very coarse, broken tea leaves with very fine powder. So fine, that I didn’t even know it was there until I infused it. The tea water infused to a grey-green liquor and offered a semi-mild aroma and flavor. The flavor was a tad grassy and I was careful to not over infuse because once I saw the color I knew it had the potential to turn a bit bitter if I wasn’t careful.
I have to admit that Gokuzyo is not one one the green teas I have had LOTS of.
Gokyuzyo translates literally to “The Highest Grade” in Japanese. Among all the green tea harvested, Gokuzyo is the section of the best tea leaves based on taste, water level, aroma and the quality of the leaf itself. Trained masters (called chya-shi in Japanese) pick the best tea leaves by hand, one leaf at a time.
As I sip, I give thanks and positive vibes to all of the tea masters who made this lovely cuppa possible!
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Japanese Green Tea Company
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Organic Green Tea/Newman’s Own- The Good Ole Standby. . . . .
Sometimes you just have to drink a bagged tea and honestly when it comes to a bagged green tea I find this one ‘not too shabby’.
I tend to have this one ‘on hand’ for the Green Tea drinkers in my office. It’s a good ole standby. I haven’t had a complaint yet from those who have sipped on it.
Personally, my favorite way to drink this Organic Green Tea from Newman’s Own is to have it ‘on ice’. It’s easy to add natural flavorings to it, too, such as freshly squeezed lemon.
If you haven’t tried a bagged tea in a while – or if you are looking for something for the ‘grab and go days’ – give this a whirl. You might be surprised!
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Newman’s Own
Description
Organic Green Tea
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Minty Fennec/Totem Tea. . .
Howdy!
Today I will be drinking the wonderfully named Minty Fennec, a Moroccan mint and green tea blend.
Mint is a wonderful herb and it happens to be one of my favourites. I guarantee if I have a stomach ache or feel generally run down a mint tea is what I run to first. My second preference would be a green tea as it can help with energy levels. A combination of the two sounds right up my street!
Opening the pouch with a fennec cute face on the front I am met with a fresh, strong and absolutely beautiful spearmint scent. It was so defined I could easily pick the type of mint, and as luck would have it spearmint is my favourite. It’s very sweet and fresh, it’s so refreshing. Even my nose tingles to the minty power of this blend.
In appearance the leaves are rolled up in traditional gunpowder green style and they form a good sized ball. It looks good, size and colour is pleasing to show a decent quality. Low quality tends to be tiny pieces ie broken leaf and the colour is very dark green. These however are a medium/large size and contain a dark green and a lighter grassy green which contrasts and bares a shine.
Steeping parameters: 1 tsp. 75c water. 3 minutes.
Once steeped the resulting tea is yellow and bares a sweet and very refreshing, pure spearmint scent. I use tons of spearmint essential oil and it reminds me exactly of that in terms of strength and purity. It wouldn’t surprise me to learn that’s how the tea is scented for this blend.
The first few sips revealed a sweet and mildly refreshing spearmint flavour that coats my mouth and lightens into a dry, grassy but creamy after taste. The spearmint is not as strong as the scent but you can taste it easily, a nice balance actually as too much spearmint can be bitter.
My only complaint is that after I gulped the rest of my tea (it was gone before you could blink as I couldn’t stop myself) it did leave a dryness in my mouth. Not powdery but still rather dominant, probably from the tea. And that’s a personal issue, dryness doesn’t bother some people. Either way of the three Totem Tea blends I have tried (Very Berry Bear and Cinnamon Squirrel) the Minty Fennec is by far my favourite.
In terms of a mint tea it’s delightful. Minty flavour and creamy/buttery tones with little astringency or bitterness. It actually does appear to be the best of both worlds in the balance of green tea and mint.
I’ve dithered on enough, needless to say it’s definitely worth a try if your a fellow mint tea lover.
Thank you very much Totem Tea. It was an absolute pleasure reviewing your teas.
Happy steeping friends!
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Totem Tea
Description
Start your own Morrocan ritual with this refreshing organic green tea. Savour the moment when water meets the fragant spearmint and releases the magic into the air. This is your special time in the shade of the palm tree; don’t rush it.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Green Tea / Hobbs Tea
Any new tea company I stumble upon is almost always a must buy for a tea adventurer like myself. This tea company was very new to me and seems to be new in general. They, according to the lady at the store who is a friend of the owner of the tea company, hand pack each bag and do not use any pesticides etc. It’s an uncommon Hawaiian grown tea. That all seemed wonderful so of course I picked up a box, glad to support a local tea company who is also well aware of the plight our planet is in.
That being said I was disappointed to open the box and see their tea bags packaged in plastic. But the disappointment doesn’t stop there. They describe the tea as Bright & Smooth. Interesting descriptors. It is smooth. Barely any astringency save for a bit with the after taste but bright stumps me.
The disheartening part is that there really is no flavor. It’s dull. Almost as if the tea leaves had been steeped a few times before they were packed. Considering the price I paid for the amount of tea in there it was even more upsetting.
Despite this I still encourage others to give it a try. Perhaps I just received a bad batch.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Hobbs Tea
Description
Our rare, limited harvest tea is grown, hand plucked, and processed on a small farm at 4,000ft elevation on the slopes of Kīlauea Volcano, Big Island, Hawai’i. Beyond organic, and watered only by the rain, the bushes benefit from heavy mist, cloud cover, and the natural shade of native Ohi’a Lehua trees and large curly ferns. Situated above two active lava tubes, the garden’s fertile volcanic soil yields a smooth, sweet brew that is low in tannins.
Tasting profile: This refreshing tea is silky and smooth to the taste.
Ingredients: Whole leaf green tea
Caffeine: Medium
Each 100% plant-based bag is hand-filled, hand-tied and hand-sealed in certified biodegradable and compostable, non-toxic bags.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Popcorn Tea from Teapigs
Who can resist the idea of Popcorn Tea, especially when the label has little film reels on it for your next movie showing? Teapigs isn’t the first tea company to package genmaicha under the pretense of popcorn, but they have some of the cutest packaging.
Genmaicha is a type of green tea blended with puffed rice. This makes it so that the dry leaf and the brewed tea has a distinct toasty popcorn smell. It is a unique tea, sometimes slightly savory, but always supremely cozy. I highly recommend trying green tea with puffed rice at least once and see how it goes. Teapigs Popcorn Tea is a great place to start.
The overtones of the tea are warm bready notes, the roasted grain flavors of the puffed rice leading the way in scent in taste. Beneath that first burst of popcorn, the green tea comes through with slightly more vegetal notes like gentle celery or bok choy. Alongside the puffed rice, the tea pleasantly reminds me of sauteeing green vegetables in sesame oil.
I love drinking this tea in the late afternoon (or maybe even before a movie in the evening!). With lower caffeine than black tea, Popcorn Tea makes for a warming and soothing pick-me-up on a busy day. Even if you can’t snuggle in under a quilt with a bowl of popcorn, this tea can help you imagine you’re there.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Genmaicha
Where to Buy: Teapigs
Description:
This tea has flourished from humble beginnings – Japanese peasants used to mix green tea with toasted rice to make it go further. It is now celebrated in its own right as Genmaicha tea, or Popcorn tea. “Sugar Puffs in a cup” – a truly unique blend with an almost nutty undertone.
