Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Chado Tea House
Tea Description:
Gold prize awarded three consecutive years by prestigious Monde Selection of Brussels, Belgium. Japanese Sencha at its finest. Uses only those tea leaves produced by master tea makers. The highly skilled artisans steamed the leaves with exceptional care and then roll them to perfection. This deeply steamed Fukamushi Sencha tea has delightful Shincha like tastes and fragrant aromas that make them highly sought after by tea connoisseurs. Rich full bodied tea.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Amazing!
This Chasi-Meijin Imperial Gold from Chado Tea House is unlike any other Sencha Tea that I’ve tried … no wonder it has been awarded the Grand Gold Prize. I agree with the description, this tastes a bit more like a Shin-cha … like maybe somewhere between a fresh Shin-cha and a Gyokuro.
Oh, sure, it has some of the characteristics you’d expect from a Sencha, including a sweet, vegetative taste with a hint of bitterness. But this is so much smoother than other Japanese Sencha teas that I’ve tried. And sweeter too. Less of a bitter note. The vegetative note is a cross between kelp, sweet grass, and mild, lightly steamed spinach. There is a buttery note to this, but it isn’t really a creamy buttery texture so much as it is just a hint of the sweet, creamy note that butter would impart if it were melted over a serving of the aforementioned steamed spinach.
The body is very smooth and lush, not so much a creamy body, and it isn’t heavy like that … I am finding this to be a little lighter than a “full-bodied” tea as described above, but then again, I steeped this tea for just 1.5 minutes in 170°F water, and the infusion was so pale that it almost looked like water that had just been barely tinged with a hint of chartreuse. But that was all that was required to create a very delicious cup of tea. It is a pleasantly smooth, easy to drink tea.
Chado Tea House is a company I’d highly recommend for the very best teas that Japan has to offer. The quality of teas offered by Chado is outstanding, and this Award-Winning Sencha is just another example of what I’m talking about!
Green Papaya Matcha from Red Leaf Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green (Matcha)
Where to Buy: Red Leaf Tea
Tea Description:
Green Papaya powder is made from Raw Wild-Harvested Green Papaya. This is because, important nutrients are contained in this fruit which eventually dissolve as the fruit begins to ripen. In its raw form, green papaya powder includes chymonpapain and papain. These are very crucial in helping the body to work down proteins and also assist the digestive system.
Learn more about this flavored Matcha here.
Taster’s Review:
This is a very timely review because we will be hosting a giveaway of this EXACT Matcha in two weeks! That’s right, a full 30g package – all shiny and new! – filled with this Green Papaya flavored Matcha. The specifics for this particular Matcha is: Imperial Quality Matcha with Distinctive Flavoring level. A value of $27.98!
But, let’s get on with the review, shall we?
This tea represents the first flavored Matcha that I ordered with the Imperial quality Matcha specification. I chose it because Green Papaya tends to be a sour fruit flavor, and I thought that the Imperial Matcha would soften the acidic note just enough to make it palatable for me. I tend to have a rather sensitive palate when it comes to sour flavors, but, this combination is really nicely balanced. Tart? For sure. But, not too tart. The tartness hits the palate toward the finish and lingers on the tip and sides of the tongue for quite a while in the aftertaste.
The Matcha powder is noticeably a brighter shade of green than the Classic Matcha grade that I’m used to with these flavored Matcha from Red Leaf Tea. It also whisks up frothier. I’ve got to tell you, I’m quickly becoming an Imperial Grade convert here … I might just start changing how I order my flavored Matcha from Red Leaf Tea…
It also tastes sweeter and richer than the Classic Matcha, and the vegetative tones are smoother and more chocolate-y than they are kelp-y or vegetal.
The green papaya flavor is indeed tart … sour even. But as I said before, there is a good balance between tart and sweet with the Imperial Matcha. I don’t know that the Classic Grade of Matcha could have pulled this off with quite as much finesse.
The overall bowl of Matcha is really quite a delight to sip. I admit that when I first ordered this flavor, I doubted my choice after I placed it, but now I am very glad I did. This is excellent! And don’t forget to watch for our giveaway of this product – starting in just a couple of weeks!
Gyokuro Imperial from Georgia Tea Company
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Georgia Tea Company
Product Description:
Gyokuro, whose name means “jade dew” is Japan’s finest and often costliest tea. It is not uncommon for a pound of the rarest Gyokuro to sell for thousands of dollars. What makes this variety unique? While the young leaves of the spring flush develop, the tea bushes are shaded from sun for three weeks. The sun-deprived tea that grows in the shade is high in chlorophyll, which makes it darker than normal, but lower in tannins, which makes it sweeter and mild tasting.
Taster’s Review:
I really like Gyokuro teas, but, I don’t enjoy them often because they can be on the pricy side. But I consider it an investment in good taste – an investment I am not able to afford to make often, but I enjoy every drop of it when I can!
The dry leaf has a strong vegetative fragrance and while it does soften a bit after steeping, the brewed tea is still smells quite grassy. I am glad that the taste isn’t “grassy” – it has more of a fresh, steamed vegetable taste than that of grass. It also has a pleasing nutty flavor to it. There is no bitterness to it. There is some dry astringency to it, but it is slight.
It is a very soothing tea to sip, one that I find to be perfect for the early evening when I’m ready to unwind. It’s a lovely way to end the day!