Sakura Sencha

I froze a package of this tea from the spring.
Because it is frozen in the bag – the aroma is not there.
I let it thaw out in the brewing vessel (kyusu) while the water boils.
Been steeping one rounded teaspoon in approx 3 oz of 180F water for 45 seconds on the first steep.
160F and 45 seconds for subsequent steepings (I manage to get four good steepings from the pot this way.

First cup has wonderful, delicate cherry aroma, and I agree with ~lauren, the flavor is sencha (balanced between sweet and bitter), with minimal umami tones, and a buttery finish.

The subsequent steepings are a sencha flavor, slightly less intense and just a trace of cherry aroma. The buttery quality in the finish diminishes with each steeping.

I love this tea.

The first time I tried it, I must have steeped it too long. I hated the flavor, and pushed it so far back that I forgot it was there. I brewed a cup this evening, and the taste cup was subtly sweet. I usually hate flavored green teas, but this subtle cherry flavor was a delight. I am glad that this tea was found!

Bought this with my Tencha-Kuki Houjicha. I felt like I almost had to, haha. In the spirit of spring! We may not have many cherry blossom trees in New Jersey, but somehow my spring experience is incomplete without sakura something. I always found it amusing, though, how Japan has so many sakura-flavored things in the spring. I’ve had sakura-flavored Kit Kats… probably sakura-flavored Pocky, too.

Anyway, back to the tea! The leaves smell really, really nice! A liiiiittle bit like candy, but really it’s more like a light sweetness. This is definitely not what one would consider “cherry flavor,” but then again, “sakura” doesn’t mean “cherry” in the fruit sense. It means “cherry blossom” or “cherry tree.” (“Sakuranbou” is the fruit.) Definitely still smells like sencha underneath, though!

The package says to use a higher temp for a more fruity flavor, and a lower temp for more of a sencha flavor, and I used a bit of a low temp, thus resulting in mostly a sencha flavor. There’s a tiiiny bit of sweetness on the end, though. It’s yummy, but I’m looking forward to trying it with a higher temp, too. :) I want to try to recreate the scent of the leaves.

I should mention, too, that as the tea cools, a bit more of the flavoring comes forward in the aftertaste. It’s like floraly sweet.

This is great for afternoons when I want something light. It’s vegetal, slightly sweet and floral and only has a hint of cherry taste.

second steep of the sample I tried yesterday. Steeped at 160 F for about 20 seconds, I think (I used about two cups of water this time, since I wanted extra for my homemade shampoo).

This cup was flavorful and much less bitter than yesterday’s steeping. There’s still a touch of bitterness, and a round floral edge to it. It reminds me more of jasmine green tea, with a slight cherry aroma instead of jasmine. Very nice. This is definitely a tea where you need to follow the instructions.

After months of anxiously waiting and dreaming of this tea, I’m ecstatic to be reunited with it once again. And it’s just as good as ever. The dark green leaves scattered with pink buds are visually stunning. The scent of the dry leaf is pretty intense, but the cherry blossom and sencha are in perfect harmony with each other. You can tell they’ve used a high quality sencha base. The tea is grassy and buttery with a hint of floral cherry flavor. Nothing fake about the sakura flavor either. It’s light and very natural, similar to salt-pickled sakura blossoms but without the saltiness.

I underleaf by a lot but otherwise closely follow Den’s steeping times and temps. The cherry comes out more in the first two infusions while the 3rd is mostly sencha. Lately I’ve started blending it with other teas with great results. I cut it with regular sencha when I want to tone down the sakura flavor and genmaicha for added nuttiness. And it’s incredibly refreshing cold steeped.

HHTTB

First sip of this was a bit bleh! Reading other’s reviews, I may have over steeped this with a 2m time. Adding a little more water helps! This has a really nice aftertaste with what I associate as cherry blossoms or leaves. I get a little bit of the fruit at the beginning of the sip. There is a grassiness to it. I’m not super impressed with this tea (not really a sencha kind of gal), but I’d guess that in the right setting I might be. Like if I was sitting down for a meal of really nice sushi, this would be a pleasant surprise in my cup.

A couple notes I have written up for both tea boxes yet to post, but both are on the move!

Here’s Hoping Traveling Teabox – Round #3 Tea #30
I love the tiny flower buds in this blend.. it looks like a little garden with this sencha base looking like grass. I don’t taste very much cherry and the green tea itself is very light. Oddly enough I get a sugary cinnamon flavor… it doesn’t seem to belong but this is stored in a nice thick pouch so I’m not sure what is going on.
Steep #1// 30 min after boiling // 3 min

This is a sample from Stephanie. It was tasty, a little tart, buttery & green, & little floral.
Although it isn’t something I’d ever feel compelled to include in my collection, it was a nice change of pace, & pleasant to drink while teaching.

Another tea from KiwiDelight’s Japanese green sample extravaganza package. It’s a sencha tea with the teensiest cherry blossom buds in it. Cute! The smell is a bit odd… I don’t really smell the sencha, just a strange vinegar scent?

After the tea is brewed, it smells more like a sencha, albeit a mild one. It’s grassy and spinachy in a very light way. There’s a light floral note, and that weird vinegar odor is still there in the background. It tastes similar to the smell – mild grassy sencha with just a wisp of floral taste. I taste vinegar in the back of my mouth at the beginning of the sip – strange but not wholly unpleasant. I asked my boyfriend what he thought, and he said it reminded him of apple cider (what?! weirdo). It seems to me that the floral note is mostly in the aroma.

This was definitely a very delicate tea. I don’t think it lent itself very well to western style – either that or I should have used more leaf. Interesting, but I’m not in love. :P