Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Shi Zen
Tea Description:
Our organic green tea are from the family farms of foothills of Mount Fuji. This organic green tea will be the teas that are harvested in summer, perfect for green tea to be used daily. We recommend this tea as an entry level that has a very well balanced taste of sweetness and bitter taste.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
After trying Shi Zen’s Organic Superior Sencha, I wondered how this tea experience would differ from my experience with the Organic Superior Sencha. And while they are definitely two different teas, I have to say that I’m finding both to be quite enjoyable. It would be difficult to choose which I prefer!
I like the balance of flavors in this cup. There are some soft bitter notes to this that balance the sweet flavors. This is a little lighter in texture than I remember the Superior Sencha being – it seemed much more “brothy” than this one, whereas I find the mouthfeel to be softer … not quite as thick. It’s still really pleasant though.
This tea is a little less sweet than the Superior Sencha. The vegetal note is reminiscent of a lightly buttered, steamed vegetable. Almost like very young and tender lima beans. The light bitter tone offers a slightly savory contrast to the sweeter notes that are introduced at the start of the sip.
I like this Sencha quite a bit. I find it to be an ideal beverage to serve with a meal because it has a pleasing flavor that doesn’t intrude upon the flavors of the food. It tastes great served hot and I also like this one served iced too. It’s really refreshing and it’s perfect for these hot summer days.
Organic Hojicha Roasted Green Tea from Shi Zen
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Shi Zen
Tea Description:
Houjicha is a roasted green tea that has a smooth and mellow roasted nut flavor. Our houjicha is grown on the family farms in the foothills of Mount Fuji and roasted by a tea artisan that has the top quality roasting technique in Japan. Houjicha’s refreshing taste will be suitable when served with a meal, and of course great for after meals and simply for tea time too.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Sweet! I just adore the sweet, roasty-toasty flavor of a Japanese Houjicha. And I love that this Houjicha from Shi Zen is organic! The flavor is sweet, nutty and smooth. It is a comforting flavor, evoking thoughts of a warm, fluffy blanket in wintertime … but in a teacup!
But of course, it’s summertime right now, and it would seem that we’re having an uncomfortably hot time of it at the moment. Not exactly the time that I want to be thinking of a warm, fluffy blanket. So instead, I brought this cup into my bedroom where the AC is on full-blast, and I sipped the wondrous liquid as the cool air enveloped me.
And even though it’s terribly hot, I’m finding that a warm cup of Organic Houjicha from Shi Zen is quite relaxing to sip. The sweet, toasted nut flavor is so tasty! Not grassy or vegetal – these leaves have been toasted and the flavors transformed from the usual vegetal tasting green to a sweeter, mellower, roasted flavor. The sweetness is like a warm caramel flavor. Mmm!
I enjoy a flavorful Houjicha any time of day, but I find it to be most satisfying after I’ve had a meal that I’d normally want to follow up with a sweet dessert-y treat. I find that the sweet, caramel notes of the tea satiate that craving while the tea soothes and relaxes me so I don’t need to indulge in something heavier.
A really lovely treat, this Organic Houjicha from Shi Zen!
Organic Genmaicha with Matcha Green Tea from Shi Zen
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Shi Zen
Tea Description:
Genmaicha is one of the most popular teas in Japan. This Organic Genmaicha is coated with Matcha so when you infuse you will have a beautiful green color along with the pleasant nutty aroma. This tea is perfect to have with a meal or after meals.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This Organic Genmaicha with Matcha from Shi Zen is so lovely! I love the flavor contrast between fresh, “leafy” green-y taste of the Sencha and the roasty-toasty goodness of the roasted brown rice, while the Matcha adds a creaminess and a depth of flavor to the cup. It’s a delightful cuppa!
The picture above accurately depicts what I found when I opened the pouch of this tea – deep, bright jade green Matcha dusted over the tiny spears of Japanese Sencha tea leaves and the pieces of crisped brown rice. It smelled toasty and warm, but there was also a distinct “freshness” to the aroma as well.
The first flavor I notice as I sip is the sweetness of the roasted brown rice. It’s sweet and there is an almost ‘caramel-y’ note to it. Just beneath the top note of brown rice, I notice the slightly vegetal notes of the Sencha, and this offers a somewhat bittersweet flavor in a sweet-yet-savory way. It’s a little grassy tasting, but this is not a prominent flavor. I find that the flavors of the Sencha are softened somewhat by the presence of the Matcha, which lends a certain creaminess to the cup and a buttery undertone. It’s a very smooth tasting drink.
There is very little astringency. That is to say that I notice relatively no astringency to this at all. The finish is soft and clean and the aftertaste is lightly sweet.
I love that this tea is organic (as are the other loose leaf offerings from Shi Zen!) I don’t know if I can actually taste a difference, but I feel better drinking an organic tea, and I appreciate that Shi Zen makes this a priority!
Organic Sencha Superior Green Tea from Shi Zen
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Shi Zen
Tea Description:
Our organic green tea are from the family farms in the foothills of Mount Fuji. From the farm that has been practicing organic plantation for more than 2 decades. This organic green tea superior will be the teas that are harvested in spring, which is the very first pick that is evaluated as the highest quality in Japan. You will taste the deep umami (savory) from this tea, which can only be tasted from the spring harvested organic teas.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
When Shi Zen contacted us recently to inform us of their new line of loose leaf Japanese green teas, I was excited to try them. I really enjoyed their powdered green teas, and I figured that if these new teas were up to the standards that I experienced with Shi Zen’s powdered tea products, then I knew that I was in for a treat.
And I was right! This Organic Sencha Superior Green Tea from Shi Zen is an excellent Japanese Sencha! First of all, I LOVE that it’s an organic product. The flavor here is so crisp and vibrant! As the tea washes over the palate, it feels energized and I feel my body revitalize. I love how a good green tea does this to me … and this is a really good green tea.
The flavor is sweet with a savory bitter tone toward mid-sip. This Sencha has a sweeter flavor than most Japanese Sencha teas that I’ve encountered, and the bitterness is more subdued. Normally, I expect the sip to start off sweet and the hint of bitterness to arrive right around mid-sip, as it does with this tea. But the sweetness was longer lasting with this Sencha Superior, and the bitterness is more restrained.
It is vegetative, of course, and I find that the vegetal notes here are more like a mild vegetable that’s been lightly steamed with delicate notes of butter than it is a grassy vegetal flavor. There are underlying notes of a kelp-like, salty note that brings forth a savory flavor, giving this a balance between sweet and savory notes.
A really, really good Sencha!
Organic Genmaicha Powder with Matcha from Shi Zen
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Shi Zen
Tea Description:
Our organic genmaicha powder has a pleasant aroma of the roasted brown rice and the natural tea sweetness from the organic matcha.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
The first thing that I noticed when I prepared this Organic Genmaicha Powder with Matcha from Shi Zen in my chawan is how much froth it produced. This is a rich, thick, fluffy froth!
I prepared this the way I’d normally prepare Matcha – in my chawan, whisking it in hot water. But as I was preparing it, a thought crossed my mind that this would also be delicious iced (just add some to a water bottle and give it a vigorous shake!) or … as a latte! The toasted rice notes and natural nutty flavors would meld with the creaminess of the milk in a really delicious way, I think! I shall have to try that tomorrow morning!
Prepared with just hot water, this is also very tasty. I get a lot of genmaicha flavor – it is sweet and warm from the roasty-toasty flavor. I am noticing some bitter tones to this which is kind of unusual for a Matcha, so, I’m guessing that the base for the genmaicha – possibly a bancha or sencha? – might have a tad of bitterness to its leaf. But it’s not an off-putting bitterness, rather, I’m enjoying the contrast between the sweet and bitter.
I love the creaminess of this. The froth is super creamy on top of the liquid, and then the liquid itself is smooth and creamy and the toasted nutty flavors complement the creaminess of the drink very well.
Another WIN from Shi Zen! I really like this.