Recently, I had the unique opportunity to join Yunomi’s Monthly Mystery Tea Sampler’s Club, and I just received my first shipment! Yay! I received three sample sizes of three different Japanese teas, and this review will be about the first tea I sampled from the group of three: the Monoucha Genmaicha from Ishinomaki, Miyagi
Tea Description:
Sencha from the town of Monou in what is now Ishinomaki City brews into a deep forest green with a strong astringency. With a 400 year history of tea farming, the town of Monou is the northernmost tea region, and the field managed by Sasaki-san is the northernmost tea field in Japan.
Monoucha Genmaicha blends Sasaki-san’s sencha with toasted rice grains as well as rice cracker balls (plain and matcha flavored) for a uniquely toasted nutty flavor.
Where to Buy: Yunomi
Taster’s Review:
LOVELY! I’ve tasted a lot of Genmaicha tea in my “career” as a tea reviewer, and before that, as a tea purveyor. But this Monoucha Genmaicha from Ishinomaki, Miyagi as sold by Yunomi might very well be the very best that I’ve tried thus far. I can taste the freshness of the Sasaki-san Sencha in every single sip, as well as the beautiful sweetness from the toasty rice. This is SO good!
Perhaps it’s the addition of the “rice cracker balls” that are in this blend that makes it different … I don’t know for sure. What I can tell you is that I taste something different in this cup of tea. It tastes sweeter … it tastes fresher, it tastes toastier. It tastes BETTER!
When I was measuring out the tea, I noticed the aforementioned rice cracker balls and I did a double (and a triple) take, because they looked so … unusual. I mean, with a typical Genmaicha, I usually see little bits of popped rice (that look like miniature kernels of popped popcorn), but these little balls were so uniformly shaped … they looked so different from the usual popped rice that I would see in a Genmaicha … and there were a lot more of them than I would usually see in a Genmaicha too. Then I came back here and read the description and saw that there are in fact these little rice cracker balls in the tea … that explains it!
And they do make a difference in the taste. If you like Genmaicha … this is one that you really should try … taste the difference! It’s remarkable!
Hawaiian Volcano Green Tea from Canton Tea Co.
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Canton Tea Co.
Tea Description:
Our first Hawaii-grown tea was a revelation to us all – bursting with juicy watermelon and cucumber tastes, this has stood our as a firm favourite of all teas featured in the club.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I love tasting teas that have been grown in the United States, like this Hawaiian Volcano Green Tea from Canton Tea Co. This tea was actually part of their Tea Tasting Club, sent to me by one of the club’s members. I’m loving this tea so much that I’m considering joining the club!
This is really quite a delicious green tea – and quite unique in taste from the typical green teas that are out there. This has a lovely juicy taste to it, sweet and fruity … and quite like the above description suggests, I can taste notes that are reminiscent to cucumber and watermelon. It’s very refreshing and thirst-quenching!
It has a delicate quality to it, it isn’t an overly strong or brothy type of green tea. The thing that stands out most profoundly to me is that instead of the typical grassy or vegetative taste that one might experience with a green tea, this has more of a fruit note to it. Oh, sure, there are notes of vegetation in there too. It is barely astringent, and not at all bitter. Just sweet and juicy and absolutely delicious!
Served hot, the tea tastes a little thin … but allow it to cool just a few minutes (maybe three or four minutes – still hot, but not piping hot!) and the flavor and body really develops nicely! Your patience will definitely be rewarded with this tea if you give it some time to cool to drinking temperature.
I can see why this has been a favorite tea from the Tea Tasting Club! It is really a delightful selection!
Verdant Tea – Our Next Sponsor in the Season of Giveaways!
THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED. PLEASE CHECK BACK WITH US NEXT WEEK THOUGH, THERE WILL BE ANOTHER GIVEAWAY SOON!
So far, we’ve had a phenomenal response to our Season of Giveaways! It looks like this season will extend well in to February … so there are going to be LOTS of chances to win!
But … I’ve got to be real here, THIS prize is one that I covet. I want this prize. If there was a way for me to declare myself the winner, I’d do it! But, alas, I can’t. What I’m driving at, though, is that this is one of the very best prizes yet! You’re not going to believe it … I still can’t believe it!
Verdant Tea is offering a full THREE MONTH membership to their Tea of the Month Club! Yeah, you read that right. Three months of tea from Verdant Tea! This is a $75. value! JACKPOT!
Verdant Tea is easily one of my favorite tea companies because – quite simply – they offer some really amazing, high-quality teas that are hard to find … some teas that I’ve not been able to find anywhere else! Their Laoshan Black tea is amazing, they offer some incredible Apothecary blends like their Xingyang Silk Road Spice, and of course some amazing Pu-Erh (when it comes to Pu-erh teas, I think that Verdant Tea is my #1 choice) like their Yanxin’s Reserve ’04 Shu Nuggets.
So imagine how amazing it would be to receive a box from them EVERY month for THREE months! Unbelievable, right?
To enter:
- First, visit Verdant Teas. Take a look around. While you’re there, get an idea of what teas interest you the most.
- Comment on this blog post. While you can earn additional entries, without the comment on this blog post, no entries will be eligible. Be sure to include in your comment a way for us to contact you (let me know if I can contact you on Steepster or on Tea Trade, for example, or provide your email contact information), I mean, in case you win, I need to be able to let you know that you’re the winner, right? In your comment, mention which tea you’d like to be part of one of the boxes that you receive from Verdant Tea. Now, I can’t guarantee that this tea WILL be in one of the three boxes, but, we’d like to know which teas from Verdant EXCITE you the most.
- Want to earn additional entries? OK! First, tweet about this contest. Your tweet should include a link to this contest, and you should also include @SororiTeaSister on your tweet so that we can see the tweet easily. Please also come back to this blog post and let us know that you’ve tweeted the contest, and include a link to the tweet.
- Another Entry? Sure! Go on facebook and mention this contest on your page. Again, be sure to include a link to this contest in your facebook mention, and after you’re done, come back to this blog post, and comment that you’ve mentioned it on facebook and provide a link to your facebook page so that we can verify it. (and yes, we do verify each and every one of these!)
Since this is our largest prize yet, I thought I’d throw in a couple of extra bonus entry opportunities:
- Bonus Entry #1: You can earn a bonus entry by liking Verdant Tea on Facebook.
- Bonus Entry #2: You can earn an additional bonus entry by following Verdant Tea on Twitter!
- Bonus Entry #3: You can earn an additional bonus entry by following our blog! To follow our blog, simply click on the little button that you see on the bottom right of the screen, and add your email address! It’s that simple!
OK, so, there are a few things you need to know. It was pointed out to us in the last giveaway that we neglected to mention who was eligible to enter this contest. This contest is open to all US and Canadian residents, except for those of us who are SororiTea Sisters and those who work for Verdant Tea. All other US and Canadian residents can enter.
You can enter until December 7. A winner will be picked via random.org on December 8, and after the winner has been contacted and verified, we will announce the winner and send the information to Verdant Tea so that the winner can claim the prize.
Best of luck to all entrants!
Congratulations to Raven for winning this giveaway during our Season of Giveaways! We will have another giveaway soon … keep your eyes peeled!
ITFA Global Tea Taster’s Club, December’s Shipment, Part 2: Green Tea
Leaf Type: Green
Produced By PT Harendong Green Farm
For More Information, visit the Tea Farms webpage
About ITFA Global Tea Taster’s Club:
By subscribing to the Global Tea Tasters Club, you will receive tea from ITFA tea farms 6 times per year. Each time, we will select a different region to feature and as we grow in tea farm members, so will your tea experience.
Your tea will also be accompanied by info about the tea and the tea farms themselves.
To know where your tea is coming from, who has grown and produced it, to taste the difference in teas from around the world…what could be better?
Taster’s Review:
At first glance, I wouldn’t guess that this tea was a green tea. The dry leaves look very much like a green Oolong, possibly a Tie Guan Yin. The leaves are rolled into tight pellets, just like a green Oolong would be.
However, upon closer examination, I began to recognize significant differences between this and an Oolong. The aroma is more like a green tea, with a fresh, distinctive grassy tone.
The tea infuses to a lovely pale green color, and the flavor is rich and the texture is broth-like. I wouldn’t call the flavor “grassy” exactly, at least, not in a bitter/grassy context. Instead, this has a sweet flavor with a savory vegetative note, like the flavor of a mild steamed vegetable. There are delicious nutty notes in the background.
This is very smooth and a pleasure to sip. As I continue to sip, I notice that the savory tones of this tea develop, enhancing the vegetative notes but not overwhelming the sweet flavors. A remarkable green tea from Indonesia, I am so glad I had this opportunity to taste it.
ITFA Global Tea Taster’s Club, December’s Shipment, Part 1: Red Tea
Leaf Type: Black
Produced By PT Harendong Green Farm
For More Information, visit the Tea Farms webpage
About ITFA Global Tea Taster’s Club:
By subscribing to the Global Tea Tasters Club, you will receive tea from ITFA tea farms 6 times per year. Each time, we will select a different region to feature and as we grow in tea farm members, so will your tea experience.
Your tea will also be accompanied by info about the tea and the tea farms themselves.
To know where your tea is coming from, who has grown and produced it, to taste the difference in teas from around the world…what could be better?
Taster’s Review:
December’s Shipment of the Global Tea Taster’s Club is here! I get so excited every time this package arrives, because I know I am about to enjoy tea that I would likely never have the chance to try if it were not for the International Tea Farm Alliance (ITFA). This time, we journey to Indonesia to sample the red tea (or what we would refer to as black tea here in the United States) from PT Harendong Green Farm. 
This is truly a unique black tea, quite unlike anything I’ve tried thus far. The dry leaves are very dark (which was expected), and they have been rolled into pellets resembling an Oolong (well, except for the dark color!) The dry leaf aroma is floral and slightly earthy, reminiscent of the air in early spring. It infuses to a coppery brown color with a fragrance that is quite similar to the scent of the dry leaf. It is one of those intriguing scents that draws you in and beckons you to sip.
The flavor is amazing. There are earthy tones with hints of flower in the background, with a foreground of sweet, malty tones, as well as a caramel-like flavor. There is a taste that is similar to freshly baked bread. Our local grocery store has freshly baked French bread daily at 4 o’clock pm (also at 5 and 6 o’clock), and my family and I love arriving there just in time to get a hot loaf of bread, and we eat it immediately. No butter, no jam – just the piping hot bread – the crust is tender and chewy, with just the right amount of crunch to it, and the inside is soft and warm. And that tender, chewy crust is my favorite part, and this tea has a flavor that to it that reminds me of that chewy, deliciously caramel-brown crust.
There are also delicious hints of cocoa in this – rich and chocolatey – that develop as I continue to sip. The finish is dry with a sweet aftertaste.
A truly remarkable tea from Indonesia. I am honored that I had the chance to try it!