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Cameron B. drank Bancha by Harney & Sons

4147 tasting notes

This was the last sample from Harney & Sons that I hadn’t tried. Eleven samples in about a week or so, not too bad! This is my first straight bancha, but I’ve had it in genmaicha before so I kind of knew what to expect. The leaves are flat and similar to sencha, but rougher and more broken. Smells like grass, grass, grass with some hay and dry leaves. At first I steeped for a minute, but did a quick taste and then let it go another 30 seconds.

Brewed, it smells similar to the dry but with the addition of a little spinach. Wow, the taste! It’s extremely bright and grassy in the beginning. Almost sharp, but not unpleasantly. It’s like spring! The back half of the sip is more vegetal and I get that autumn leaf taste. Overall, not bitter and not as “rough” as I might have expected. I can see this being good with a meal, though it’s not something I’d drink daily.

Flavors: Autumn Leaf Pile, Freshly Cut Grass, Spinach

Preparation

175 °F / 79 °C 1 min, 30 sec 1 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML

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Bio

Hi, I’m Cameron!

I’m a 30-something software engineer currently living in Austin, Texas with my husband and our two pugs, Gobo and Ume. I tend to cycle between my different hobbies, and they include piano, knitting, video games, board games, miniature painting, planners, bento, Korean skincare, and – of course – TEA! But really, what I’m best at is “collecting” hobby-related things… ;)

~ 2024 SIPDOWN CHALLENGE! ~
- November sipdowns: 0
- Total 2024 sipdowns: 143

I prefer my tea lukewarm or at room temperature and without milk or sugar. I steep Western style, and fluctuate between using big mugs or small teapots depending on the season.

I am always up for a swap! Just let me know if you’d like to try something in my cupboard.

Tea Preferences:
I enjoy both flavored and unflavored teas in many forms. These days, I drink mostly flavored teas, and I tend to gravitate most toward black, green, oolong, and herbal varieties. I do have a special fondness for straight Japanese green teas, however.

I do not sweeten my teas, and pre-sweetened teas are usually too sweet for me. I also do not enjoy stevia.

I tend to reach for fruitier flavors rather than desserty ones these days, but I do have favorites from both categories. Willing to try anything once! There are a few ingredients/flavors that aren’t generally my jam, such as coconut, rose, lavender, and chocolate flavoring. But I also have teas that I love with some of those things, too! :)

Favorite Companies:
3 Leaf
Bird & Blend
Dammann Frères
Harney & Sons
Kyoto Obubu Tea Farms
Lupicia
Old Barrel Tea Co
Simpson & Vail
Taiwan Tea Crafts
TeaVivre

Tea Rating Scale:
90-100: Outstanding! Permanent cupboard resident
80-89: Great – a possible staple
70-79: Good, but I wouldn’t buy it
60-69: It’s decent
50-59: Meh… I may or may not have finished the cup
40-49: Ick. Couldn’t finish it.
00-39: Repulsive, I spat it out

I will sometimes refrain from rating a tea if I feel I’m too biased due to my personal dislikes, or if I suspect the sample has been compromised by age or scent contamination.

Cupboard Spreadsheet:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ZEuKf1-ppR-VXajO4vV39zU1N3zjFJteEPAynqD2yl0/edit?usp=sharing