For those of who know the legend of the Wendigo (and those of you who played the video game Until Dawn) know that the tale is a terrifying one. To sum it up, a Wendigo is a creature that has an insatiable hunger for human flesh. Yes, it does sound grizzly but this tea is the exact opposite!
The Wendigo green tea is definitely a lot more pleasant than the creature by the same name. It has a fresh earthiness to it but it is not too in your face. And since I am more partial to black tea myself I thought this green tea was a nice change of pace. So I believe this green tea will be perfect for black tea drinkers who want a something green but not to the matcha levels of green. And with a teaspoon or so of sugar, this tea had the perfect subtle sweetness to it.
Now on to the price and the steeping specifics of this tea which I believe is pretty fair given the quality of the tea. It is $11.99 for 2 oz and $27.99 for 5 oz. This is also very quick to steep as well. For 1-2 teaspoons it takes about 1-2 minutes to steep. I recommend using boiling water that is to the point of steaming and not to where the kettle whistles. That is about 170 degrees Fahrenheit for all of you perfectionists out there.
Now if any of you are like me, you would be very curious as to why the name of this company is Wendigo Tea Company. Well, I happened upon the “origin” portion of their site and I was happy to find an enthusiastic man named Sky White. His reasonings for starting this company were simple: he wanted to drink the very best teas in the world and I can absolutely relate. And if I say so myself, based on my opinions of his Wendigo Green Tea, he is guaranteed to have another customer for I am very curious on what else he has to offer. Now throughout this whole entire section, he doesn’t mention where he got the inspiration to call his company by the name of Wendigo. But I believe that since Mr. White has a desire to be different from other tea companies naming your company after a Native American legend would be a great way to stand out from the crowd.
All in all, I like this green tea and when I run out I will definitely restock. It has a great mellowness and flexibility to it that I can actually see myself drinking this as iced tea as well.
As always I will be posting pictures of this tea and others to my Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram (official_karatics)
See you for the next cuppa!
Kara
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green Tea
Where to Buy: Wendigo Tea Co.
Description:
I am Wendigo Green Tea -behold my beauty and greenness. Imagine picking up the planet Earth and licking a big green part of it in the middle of spring. That is what you can expect out of a glass of my greatness. Once you have tasted my naturally smooth-yet-complex flavors, you will crave nothing other than to get your hands on more.
My leaves are organically grown, clipped from the highest-quality tea plants, and packaged without any additional flavors or preservatives. Drink me, and you are drinking nature itself.
I am perfect for brand-new tea drinkers, lovers of green tea who want to experience a higher quality than they are used to, and purists seeking something special alike.
You could call me a Premium Grade Pure Organic Japanese Sencha… if you must. But none before me have a taste quite like Wendigo Green Tea.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Sencha of the Wind Green Tea from Yunomi
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Yunomi.us
Tea Description:
A tea popular with female customers in Japan, our Sencha of the Wind or 風の煎茶, is a sencha with a soft sweetness. Grown on southeast facing rolling hills at an altitude of 500 meters (1640 feet) and harvested in late May, the cultivation technique is very similar to our Kabuse Sencha. However, in addition to being harvested slightly later than the Kabuse, this tea does not use the Yabukita variety of tea plant (said to be the most suitable for Japanese tea) and is instead cultivated on standard tea plants. The difference is in the leaves as these leaves produce less amino acids than the Kabuse and therefore less bitterness.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I have heard that green tea is perfect for hangovers, and I suppose today is a good day to find out.
I went to an amazing show with my man last night, and one drink led to another, and another… at the end of the night I was somehow dancing on a ladder, my boyfriend trying to get me down before I fell off. Needless to say, I am feeling the effects of it today. I woke up groggily, and googled drinkable hangover cures as I dug through my stash of teas. I read on a couple of random websites that green tea is better than the hair of the dog that bit you. Even if it was a load of hogwash, it never hurts to drink a good sencha.
Sencha of the Wind from Yunomi is one of the teas produced by Kyoto Obubu tea farms. They always have an amazing selection of teas that they produce from year to year. I have the 2014 version that I got in a sampler pack a while back. I used all 10g in my large kuysu, which is (probably?) 16oz. Using warm water, 65C I flash steeped a couple times and then brewed in increments of 30 seconds. I was really surprised at how much I could get out of those leaves! I think I made it to 9 steepings before I had to call it quits.
The smoothness and richness of this brew is simply incredible. Plenty of people new to green tea in general usually say that green tea has no taste, it’s just colored water. This is going to be the tea that I will use to change their mind. All Japanese greens are so strong and flavorful, this is no exception. I love how sweet and smooth this is. I even uttered an audible, ‘wow!’ when taking a sip.
I would highly recommend this to anyone who is a little put off by the astringency of some senchas, this is a very rich and sweet brew, buttery smooth to the last drop!
McNulty’s Special Mixed Blend from McNulty’s Tea & Coffee
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black, Oolong & Green Teas
Where to Buy: McNulty’s Tea & Coffee
Tea Description:
Our Special Mixed Tea is a blend of Formosa Oolong, Japanese Sencha, and China Black. This formula has been with the store since the 1940’s.
Taster’s Review:
When I first received this tea, I was a bit unsure about its contents. The tea looked black, but it smelled a bit like Oolong and green tea. So, I wrote to McNulty’s to find out more about this blend, which is categorized on their website as only a black tea blend, hoping to gain a little more insight about this tasty tea. They wrote back promptly, and the above description is their response.
This is indeed a tasty blend. The black tea tastes a bit lighter than a typical China black tea, and I suspect that has a lot to do with the fact that it was sharing the brewing space with an Oolong and Sencha.
I taste a toasty flavor to this – nutty – which could be from the Sencha, or it could be from the Oolong. There is some earthiness to the cup as well as some light fruit tones. Light peachy tones, and hints of flower.
Overall, a very pleasant tea. I brewed this before knowing what teas were inside, and again, I brewed it thinking it was a black blend. So I used boiling water for 2 1/2 minutes in my Breville. However, the high temperature did not seem to scorch the Sencha, as I did not taste a hint of bitterness nor an indication of scorching. Just delicious tea with a pleasant sweetness all its own; no need to sweeten! This is really quite delightful!
Green Tea, Japanese Sencha from Supple Skin Boutique
Tea Type: Green Tea
Where To buy: Supple Skin Boutique
Product Description:
Sencha green tea is one of the most popular teas in Japan and know for high antioxidant content. Sencha is said to have more antioxidants than other greens teas that is why we use this for our mixtures.
Add this root to our own favorite tea as a supplement or just add to hot water and drink. Uses for green tea seem endless. It is said that green tea may help reduce inflammation associated with Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, the two types of IBD. For years traditional Chinese practitioners used green tea as a stimulant, diuretic , astringent , and to improve heart health. Additionally it has been used to treat flatulence (gas), regulating body temperature and blood sugar, promoting digestion, and improving mental processes.If you are taking any other herbs or supplements please consult with a qualified healthcare provider before starting any new regimen. If you are pregnant or breast feeding, consult with your physician before taking. Keep out of reach of children under 12 years and pets.This information is for educational purposes only and has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
Tasters Review:
Sometimes I am just looking for a nice, plain and simple, but of good quality green tea. I found one that I would consider having in my cupboard at all times just for those occasions and purpose! It’s The Green Tea, Japanese Sencha from Supple Skin Boutique. I really like this because it’s everything I was looking for and expected in a good/stand-alone green tea.
Nirvana from American Tea Room
Tea Type: Green Tea
Where To Buy: American Tea Room
Product Description:
A heavenly blend of Japanese Sencha, rose petals, berries. figs and kiwi. This green tea is light in caffeine. Nirvana is the perfect tea for inner reflection
Tasters Review:
With a name Nirvana…how can I resist trying this tea!?
First, I HAVE to tell you that the added fruit bits are HUGE and this aroma is awesome! There was a LARGE berry in my strainer…while I was infusing this and I was VERY attempted to eat it after I was done infusing the tea. So-much-so that I twittered about the temptation and American Tea Room quickly responded that they were dried fruits within the mix and absolutely ok to snack on! I’ll admit I was even more tempted to gnaw on it but refrained.
This is a nice Sencha but the fruit really adds to everything and I’m so thankful for NO Hibiscus in this loose leaf mix! Thank YOU American Tea Room for NOT adding Hibiscus to this fruity tea!
YUM! This is a nice fruity green! YUM!