Sakura Sencha

Today has been a chill day, and I do not just mean it is freezing cold and we are under a Winter Storm Warning (oh please, please let us get snow!!) Today I have spent mostly relaxing before the inevitable onslaught of holiday cheer. I spent the day working on a massive castle in Minecraft, so far I have the outer walls and part of the turrets complete, it will be my biggest build yet. Plus my shoulders and wrists needed a break before I get back to finishing all the crafty gifts I need to make. All this holiday business puts me in the mood for Spring, so it is time for a Springtime tea from the annals of my notebook.

Sakura Sencha from Wegman’s Food Market (originally by Ito En) is a Japanese treat evoking the delicate blossoms of spring, blending Kagoshima Sencha and Sakura blossoms. The aroma is tart and sweet with an undertone of fairly mild vegetal and a touch of grass. The sakura blossoms add a gentle floral tone with a touch of citrusy fruit that reminds me a bit of dragonfruit. The aroma is very much so reminiscent of springtime blending new growth and flower blossoms, overall the aroma is very delicate.

Once brewed the aroma, while still being fairly delicate, increases the intensity. Not only is there the floral aroma but now I notice notes of cherries and freshly mown hay and it blends wonderfully with the aroma of the sakura blossoms. The liquid has a sweet, fruity aroma with undertones of freshly mown hay and a hint of almonds. The aroma is still delicate and fairly enticing.

The flavor is sweet and floral with notes of almond and cherries. The mouthfeel is smooth and the aftertaste is that of fresh grass. This is probably one of the few times I will offer advice like this, but do not follow the directions on the website/tin. I found that if I brewed the tea at 175 degrees it turned out a bit bitter, very much so the flavor of a tea brewed at the wrong temperature. I brewed the tea again at a lower temperature (150 degrees) and all the bitterness was gone and I was left with a smooth and pleasant tea. As the tea cools the sakura flavor becomes stronger and the tea becomes sweeter, it is a wonderful reminder of springtime and perfect for a relaxing sipping experience.

I should note there is a slight chance that I might miss a few days posting a blog in the upcoming week. There are a lot of very social events I am supposed to attend and being an introvert these things kinda wear me out. Hopefully I will have a blog out everyday but if not, now you know why. Happy Holidays!

For blog and photos: http://ramblingbutterflythoughts.blogspot.com/2013/12/wegmans-food-market-sakura-sencha-tea.html

Ew. Maybe I just don’t like green tea or maybe I haven’t found the right one. Couldn’t really pick up any of what the sakura was supposed to add, just vegetal/grassy/something that I didn’t care for.

Wegmans teas are very hit or miss and I think this is a miss. I have a bit left still, so I will give it a second chance with a hot brew though.

Picked some of this up when I saw it at Wegman’s today. They don’t identify the brand on the label, but I’ve been told that most of the bulk green teas Wegman’s carries are from Ito En. Well, this is my first ever sakura sencha and it was extremely bland and disappointing. To me, it just tasted like what the third or fourth steeping of a normal sencha would taste like. Very bland and watery. I didn’t taste any of the sakura blossoms, and the tea itself had very little flavor to speak of. I’m glad I only bought about two dollars worth of this stuff, stay away.

Super lame! I’ve been fairly impressed with Wegmans loose tea so far but this stuff is practically flavorless. Super slight wisp of scent of flowers if I shove my face so far down the mug I risk drowning, and the weakest green tea base I’ve ever experienced.

I won’t even give this away. Glad I just got a couple dollars worth. Hope the trash appreciates it.

This is a beautiful looking dry tea. Vibrant green leaves accented with soft pink cherry blossom petals. I was expecting something an equally vibrant cup, but that didn’t happen. Maybe I should have steeped longer to draw out more flavor, but there was virtually no flavor in the cup except for some very mild green tea notes. Bland and blah overall.