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“Starbucks appears to be phasing out Tazo, to my disappointment, in favor of its Teavana acquisition. That explains why the remaining Tazo looseleaf, whole leaf teas from the Collection series have...” Read full tasting note
Worthy of a special occasion, this is the finest first-flush Sencha, also called ichiban-cha or “number one tea.” This tea has gentler, more intricate qualities than second-flush Sencha. Its process involves steaming the leaf, then rolling it again and again before drying it to form a spindly shape. The taste in the cup is bright, herbaceous and lightly sweet, with a mild astringency and good body.
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Starbucks appears to be phasing out Tazo, to my disappointment, in favor of its Teavana acquisition. That explains why the remaining Tazo looseleaf, whole leaf teas from the Collection series have been slashed to a fraction of their original price. I decided to pick up a few to see how they measure up. I have been very happy with other members of the Collection series, above all, Golden Monkey, so I was curious to know how they were at “curating” Japanese and some of the more sophisticated China greens. First up: Tazo Sencha Superior.
I am fairly sure that I have imbibed this delightful tea before. It meets the strict qualifications for “ichiban” and “superior” sencha, and I have consumed a few of examples of that grade in the not-too-distant past. The characteristic shimmering viridescence of the liquor, a slight cloudiness and some small particulate matter in the bottom of the glass, along with the strong roasted spinach scent in the very dark green dried leaves all led me to predict that i would enjoy this brew. And I do! It’s very good.
it is entirely possible that Tazo and some of the other tea emporia buy their Japanese first-flush sencha from the same producers. That would explain why this seems so familiar to me. Brands are not tea producers, so happily I’ll be able to enjoy this tea in the future by looking out for other ichiban senchas…
(Blazing New Rating #45)
Flavors: Spinach
