I’m pretty torn over this one. It smells good in the tin — to me, at least; I can definitely see how this flavor profile is one that people probably either love or hate — though I was worried it was going to have that weird seaweed-fish flavor that some green teas seem to have. I don’t even know enough about green tea to know which varieties produce that fishy taste, though I know they’re supposed to be Japanese.
I got distracted toward the end of the steep time and I’m not certain by how long. 30 seconds is my guess, but it could’ve been more. I guess I shouldn’t have worried though…my lack of enthusiasm isn’t that it’s too strong, but that I wanted it to taste just the way it smelled after it brewed, and it doesn’t. Maybe that’s because the water wasn’t quite hot enough (though the recommendation is 180, so the five degrees seems like it shouldn’t matter)? I’m finding that I really really like the smell…‘vegetal’ doesn’t even begin to totally cover it…but it doesn’t seem thick and chewy the way that it smells, and that’s what it made me want. The taste isn’t bad, but the rift between what it promises and what it delivers is enough to make me sort of disappointed with what I’m getting. I won’t have any trouble finishing the tin, but if there are sencha teas out there that actually follow through on how pungent they are, I’d rather look for those than reorder this one. Not knowing enough about sencha makes it hard to know that for certain, but it should be fun to look!
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Adagio’s is a good kind of starter sencha in that it isn’t that objectionable for sencha newbies… there are lots of more flavorful ones out there that will give you that more pungent taste that matches the smell. Personally, I enjoy Den’s offerings but there are lots of vendors out there that specialize in Japanese greens that I’ve heard good things about (o-cha.com, yuuki.com, maiko.ne.jp, itoen, ippodo..) though I haven’t gotten to try many of them. One day I will try them all. Oh yes.
All of that is really good information to have. I’ll definitely check one of those out…maybe start with Den and poke at the others to see if they’re not intimidating! Thanks for the tips.
Wow, my wife made some Lung Ching (Dragonwell) the other day and, damn, it kinda does smell like fish. I’m going to try not to make that association, however the next time I have a cup.
Adagio’s is a good kind of starter sencha in that it isn’t that objectionable for sencha newbies… there are lots of more flavorful ones out there that will give you that more pungent taste that matches the smell. Personally, I enjoy Den’s offerings but there are lots of vendors out there that specialize in Japanese greens that I’ve heard good things about (o-cha.com, yuuki.com, maiko.ne.jp, itoen, ippodo..) though I haven’t gotten to try many of them. One day I will try them all. Oh yes.
All of that is really good information to have. I’ll definitely check one of those out…maybe start with Den and poke at the others to see if they’re not intimidating! Thanks for the tips.
Wow, my wife made some Lung Ching (Dragonwell) the other day and, damn, it kinda does smell like fish. I’m going to try not to make that association, however the next time I have a cup.