Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Den’s Tea
Product Description:
A zesty alternative to non-flavored Senchas. Fresh citrus flavor is the first taste on the tongue and gradually the taste of Sencha grows in your mouth.
Mikan (Japanese Orange or satsuma) is also a major agricultural crop in Shizuoka prefecture. With tea bushes and mikan trees growing close to each other, it seemed natural to combine the flavors. Great for iced tea.
Taster’s Review:
This has to be one of the very best orange flavored Sencha teas I’ve ever tasted … and that is saying something because I used to blend an Orange Flavored Sencha that I thought was pretty phenomenal (in my not so humble opinion!) But this is even better than my memory of that Sencha.
The flavor is so light and yet bright and vibrant in its own way. The orange is a sunny, fresh tasting orange which tastes a bit like tangerine to me … which made sense when I read the above description and stated that this was made with satsuma oranges. It is sweet and juicy-tasting, with a mere hint of tarty-tangy-citrus-y taste. It’s really delicious.
The Sencha base is, of course, a Japanese Sencha. It tastes light and sweet. It even has a little creaminess to it that melds quite nicely with the orange flavor.
I highly recommend this one… it has inspired me to check out Den’s other flavored offerings! This one is amazing.
Fukamushi-Sencha Yame from Den’s Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Den’s Tea
Product Description:
It is our best quality Fukamushi-Sencha and is also unique in that it is from a special species, Yutakamidori. Den’s favorite Fukamushi-Sencha.
Taster’s Review:
The aroma of the dry leaf is quite grassy, and when you look at the dry leaf, you might think that you’ve a bunch of blades of green grass rather than tea leaves. The leaves have a very slender cut to them, and they look like blades of bright green – and I mean vividly green! – grass. And that’s almost the color liquor it produces too. A very bright, jade green. Beautiful!
And although I’ve never actually brewed blades of grass before, I don’t think that it would taste like this. Yes, there are some grassy tones to this tea, but it is so much more complex than that. It has a wonderful texture to it, and the flavor is a savory, broth-like taste. It isn’t as sweet as some Sencha teas tend to be, this one has more of a savory note to it. And while it does have a creamy texture to it, it doesn’t taste creamy or buttery. It tastes nutty and toasty, like freshly roasted chestnuts.
There are hints of sweetness along with a distinct sour tone that leans to the aforementioned savory side. It has a very comforting effect that reminds me of the feeling I would get if I were eating chicken soup. This doesn’t taste like chicken soup, of course, but you know that feeling? That warm, home-y, comforting sense of well-being that you get when you have a cup of homemade chicken soup? That’s what I feel right now as I sip this. It is very soothing, very relaxing, and quite delicious.
This is a tea that I’d like to keep on hand for when I might be feeling under the weather, or any time that I want to experience that satisfying feeling of something so comforting and delicious.
Kuradashi Sencha from Den’s Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
To Inquire about this tea visit: Den’s Tea
Product Description:
This delicate waves brings a creamy taste. Kuradashi Sencha is aromatic and has a mellow Umami acquired in the naturally cooled kura at Ikawa.
Taster’s Review:
The dry leaves are cut very thin and fine, and they are a very dark green. After infusing, the leaves expand to about triple their pre-infusion size, and are a more vivid, bright green color. The aroma is lightly vegetative.
The flavor is truly unique from any Sencha I’ve tried. It has a very pleasant, savory quality to it. Like its scent, it is a soft vegetative taste. It is sweet with a lovely creamy flavor and texture. The mouthfeel does not linger, however, as there is a very slight astringency that cleanses the palate.
The flavor is so mild and soothing. At the end of this long day, I can feel it calm me. It seems to actually relax the tension in my shoulders! This is one amazing Sencha, indeed!
I could not find this tea on Den’s website, so if you’re interested, I strongly recommend contacting them to find out if you can obtain some of this incredible tea! It is definitely worth the effort!
Grape Sencha from Den’s Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Den’s Tea
Product Description:
Grape Sencha has a grape flavor plus a hint of dried cranberry and raspberry. These combine into the sweet-tart flavors of our Grape Sencha. Great for iced tea.
Taster’s Review:
Before brewing, I was a little unsure about this tea. I mean, it smells nice with its delicious berry scent and it’s a really beautiful looking dry tea, but, grape? While I do enjoy grapes, I am not a big fan of grape-flavored drinks, foods and/or candy. There is just something sort of artificial tasting about them, and I don’t know about you, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen a grape that is as purple as a grape ice pop.
So, anyway, my point is, I wasn’t terribly excited to try a grape flavored tea. I have actually tasted a few and I have enjoyed one or two of them, and the other teas that I’ve tried from Den’s have been nothing less than amazing … nevertheless, I was still skeptical. Then I read the description (which is provided above). It is not just a grape flavored tea, but also has cranberry and raspberry.
The grape is the strongest flavor, but, I can taste the tartness of the raspberry and the cranberry, and they not only add their tangy flavor to the cup but also a depth of flavor that I don’t think would have been achieved with grape alone.
The Sencha is crisp and flavorful with a somewhat grassy taste but nothing too overwhelming or off-putting. There is a sweetness to the Sencha that compliments the fruit flavors very well. This is a delicious, soothing tea when served hot, and a refreshing, thirst-quenching tea when served iced! (I prefer it iced!)
I really like this blend – much more so than I thought I would! YUM!
Shizuoka Black Tea from Den’s Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: This tea is currently not available, contact Den’s Tea for more information.
Product Description:
As you may know, 99% of the current tea production in Japan is green tea. However, about 130 years ago Japan tried to produce and export black tea as a government policy.
Tea scholar, Mr. Tada (1829-1896), was sent to China and India to acquire black tea manufacturing skills in 1875.
Upon his return, he established a tea farm at Mariko in Shizuoka and since then, Mariko has been a mecca for Japanese black tea. However, black tea never did become a major industry in Japan as some peopled had hoped.One tea farmer in Mariko, Mr. Matsumura, has been manufacturing black tea since the 1950’s as well as growing high quality green tea. Our parent company, Shirakata-Denshiro Shoten, has done business with Mr. Matsumura for a long time. Mr. Matsumura even created the manufacturing machine for black tea and is considered the father of modern black tea production in Shizuoka. His tea is made with the tea species “Beni Fuki”. The cup is mild with very little bitterness and is highly aromatic. Its flavor is different from the black teas made in major Asian and African producing countries.
Taster’s Review:
I love this tea – and yet, I am disappointed!
Not by the tea itself, but by the fact that this tea is not currently available for purchase. This is one that I wouldn’t mind keeping on hand. I could see myself happily drinking it every day.
This tea has a wonderfully complex character. A deep, rich, fruity quality approaches the palate first, with hints of a bitter tone toward the middle of the sip. This is not an off-putting bitter, though, it is quite pleasant! This tea als has a scrumptious sweet note that is making it irresistible. I want to keep sipping it just so that I can experience that sweetness.
This tea has a toothsome quality to it as well that is somewhat bake-y … like a lightly sweet pastry. The malty note in this tea further accentuates that pastry kind of taste. There is a drying astringency in the finish, not a strong astringency, but just enough to give the palate a sense of having been gently patted dry, readying it for the next sip.
Yes, I really enjoyed this cup, and I hope that Den’s Tea decides to start offering it. It’s really rather wonderful!