Thanks to whoever recommended this bancha from Den’s tea, I forget who you were… :)
I think they do recommend boiling water for this one, but nevertheless I believe I steeped mine in around 190F for 60-90 seconds. This is very vegetal and marine, I am also picking up a bit on the buttery quality others have mentioned. It’s pretty rich in flavor although more savory, not much on the sweet side. I was worried after reading the description that said it was more astringent than sencha, I am not really picking up on that much in the first steep.
My second steep was around 208 F and here I am picking up more on some astringency so although still delicious, I think I prefer it at the lower temp.
It is raining today in San Francisco and this robust green tea seems very comforting. It’s also nice to have at least one green tea you don’t have to worry about steeping with a thermometer, which will make this a nice one to have in the office.
I’m starting to wonder why I even bother buying flavored green tea because I actually like the taste of green tea and more often than not the flavoring kind of ruins them in my opinion… I think this is a good value especially for the price.
Preparation
Comments
Any Bancha I’ve had (only a few) has never been more astringent than sencha tea. I like them sometimes for there lack of astringency, and even on a resteep, are not as astringent as senchas. I’ve only resteeped bancha teas twice, and I do like an occasional flavored green. Most of the teas I consume (95%) are unflavored. How much was this Bancha?
$6.25 for 2 oz: http://www.denstea.com/bancha-guricha-and-mecha-bancha-suruga-625-c-102_103.html
I may get the Harney tea someday to compare, it is cheaper…
I really don’t like too many flavored teas, but I like Harney’s Bangkok Blend – Bancha with vanilla & lemongrass. Their Tokyo Blend is even better IMHO, becuse the bancha is blended with caramel & toasted sesame seeds.
It is! I’m not one to lose tea, but I know I have some of this left…….somewhere! Even if I find it, it may now be stale. ://
Any Bancha I’ve had (only a few) has never been more astringent than sencha tea. I like them sometimes for there lack of astringency, and even on a resteep, are not as astringent as senchas. I’ve only resteeped bancha teas twice, and I do like an occasional flavored green. Most of the teas I consume (95%) are unflavored. How much was this Bancha?
$6.25 for 2 oz: http://www.denstea.com/bancha-guricha-and-mecha-bancha-suruga-625-c-102_103.html
I may get the Harney tea someday to compare, it is cheaper…
I really don’t like too many flavored teas, but I like Harney’s Bangkok Blend – Bancha with vanilla & lemongrass. Their Tokyo Blend is even better IMHO, becuse the bancha is blended with caramel & toasted sesame seeds.
The Tokyo blend sounds really good… :)
It is! I’m not one to lose tea, but I know I have some of this left…….somewhere! Even if I find it, it may now be stale. ://
Yes that is a problem with green tea, u need to drink it fast