Tag: Green Tea

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Masters Teas’s Shincha Gyokuro

Shincha Gyokuro by Masters Teas
Green Tea / Flavoured
$34.00 USD for 1.5oz (43g)

Masters Teas has provided me with Shincha Gyokuro for the purposes of writing an honest review.

First Impressions

Shincha Gyokuro came in a sealed, resealable pouch. This is a Japanese green tea from Masters Teas and I was super stoked to be offered the chance to try it – it was harvested April of this year! This particular tea comes from Shizuoka, Japan and is such a pretty colour after it steeps (keep reading to see!).

The dry leaf is a dark green – the leaves are thin, narrow, and flattened. There’s a grassy, roasted aroma to the leaves and it’s a really nice smell. It smells fresh and vibrant and it’s just really exciting to get to steep and taste a newly harvested and roasted tea.

Preparation

Masters Teas recommends steeping Shincha Gyokuro in 165°F (74°C) water for 2 minutes, this information wasn’t on the packaging but I easily found it via the product page on the website. I used the lowest temperature setting on my kettle – 175°F (79°C) – and allowed it to cool for about 5 minutes prior to steeping the leaves.

First Taste

Shincha Gyokuro steeps to a pale yellow-green colour. There’s a strong grassy aroma to the tea that reminds me of a warm spring day, which is nice. The flavour itself is a mix of grassy and nutty – there’s some strong umami notes without being overwhelming. There’s no bitterness or astringency, which is nice, and it just makes for a rather pleasant and savoury cup of tea.

A Second Cup?

Masters Teas’s product page for this tea suggested that it could be steeped up to seven times (six resteeps), so of course I had to try it! I found that Shincha Gyokuro does really well – the leaves become such a vibrant bright spring green and the flavour of the initial steep carries through as I resteeped it. The umami notes don’t pack as much of a punch as you resteep it, and the grassy notes come forward a bit more – it still remains a pleasant and savoury tea to drink.

My Overall Impression

I loved Masters Teas’s Shincha Gyokuro. I think it smells great, steeps well, and resteeps even better! The grassy and umami notes of this straight green tea are pleasant and delightfully savoury – which would pair well with a meal or snack. I really enjoyed how well this Japanese green tea resteeps, as well as how vibrant the leaves are after being steeped – such a gorgeous colour to experience!

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Masters Teas’s Shincha Sencha

Shincha Sencha by Masters Teas
Green Tea / Straight
$29.00USD for 1.5oz (43g)

Masters Teas has provided me with Shincha Sencha for the purposes of writing an honest review.

First Impressions

When you get asked if you’d be open to trying out brand new, just harvested this year teas, the answer is always a resounding yes. Even if I wasn’t a fan of green teas, I would have said yes – because it’s a rarity and a treat to get to experience such a new tea. So this is Shincha Sencha from Masters Tea by way of Shizuoka, Japan. Like all of Masters Teas’s products, when you head over to the Shincha Sencha product page, you’ll find out information about the tea farmer that grew this tea – which I think is so amazing.

The leaves of this Japanese green tea are beautiful – dark green, thin, flattened leaves. There’s a light fruity note and something about it that reminds me of a sharp burst of citrus brightness. Whatever it is, it’s smells like summer.

Preparation

Masters Teas recommends steeping Shincha Sencha with 165°F (74°C) water for 2 minutes. Now, my variable temperature kettle doesn’t accommodate 165°F, so what I did was heat to the lowest possible temperature (175°F/79°C) and allowed it to cool for about 5 minutes prior to steeping the tea for 2 minutes.

First Taste

Shincha Sencha steeps to a beautiful spring yellow-green color. The aroma is a mix of grass, citrus, and other fruity notes. There’s a nice sweetness to it, that mingles with some umami qualities that I find delicious. For the initial steep of just 2 minutes. I found zero bitterness or astringency, and a nice crispness to the tea and it made for a smooth cup of tea.

A Second Cup?

I resteeped Shincha Sencha five times, adding an additional 30 seconds for each subsequent steep. I found the flavour got bolder in the first two resteeps, and started to wane after that. The remained pretty consistent with the initial steep, I think you could probably successfully go beyond five resteeps if you wanted to.

My Overall Impression

I loved Masters Teas’s Shincha Sencha. It’s such a lovely cup of tea with some great spring/summer flavours and aromas in it. It’s very light tasting, a bit delicate, and certainly resteeps well – which is something I would highly recommend doing, especially given the cost of the tea being on the higher end. So tasty, I would recommend resteeping it or even cold steeping it for an even sweeter, crisper cup of tea.

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Dessert by Deb’s Lemongrass Milk Pudding

Lemongrass Milk Pudding by Dessert by Deb
Green Tea / Flavoured
$6.00 for 25g

First Impressions

I got Lemongrass Milk Pudding as part of my subscription box from Dessert by Deb (the March-April box). The tea itself came in a clear plastic resealable pouch, so I can see all the ingredients inside. Lemongrass Milk Pudding is part of the Garden Tea Party collection.

This green tea blend has a beautiful dry leaf ,especially with the aroma. Lemongrass Milk Pudding consists of certified organic: jasmine green tea, sencha, lemongrass, coconut, toasted coconut, and ginger. The aroma of the dry leaf is primarily the toasted coconut, lemongrass, and some floral creamy notes. Surprisingly, I don’t really smell the ginger at all – but because it’s at the end of the ingredients list, I don’t expect it to be a majority player in the blend.

Preparation

Because this is a sample pouch, there were no steeping instructions. But I was able to easily find information on the Dessert by Deb website. Dessert by Deb recommends steeping Lemongrass Milk Pudding in 200°F (93°C) water for 5-6 minutes. I opted to do an initial steep for 5 minutes at the recommended water temperature.

First Taste

Lemongrass Milk Pudding steeps to a beautiful golden yellow. There’s some beautiful aromas from this steeped green tea – I get the aroma of lemongrass, vanilla, cream, and floral notes. It’s really quite pleasant. The tea itself is smooth, and none of the flavours are overpowering the other one. I get that sweetness, floral, vanilla, buttery cream, and lemongrass flavour all at once and it’s really quite pleasant. It’s a really delicate feeling tea because it’s just a pretty and decadent feeling tea.

A Second Cup?

I resteeped Lemongrass Milk Pudding twice, adding an additional 30 seconds for each subsequent steep. I found it did pretty decent with each steep, and the balance of flavours got a bit more towards the floral sweetness as I resteeped it, which I quite enjoyed.

My Overall Impression

I loved Dessert by Deb’s Lemongrass Milk Pudding. The balance of flavours was just so well done with this blend that has two green teas as its base. I found the mix of flavours to be pleasant and delicate feeling, and it just makes for a really feminine feel in how delicate and feminine it feels. I think that’s in part with the floral notes from the jasmine green tea and the garden party feel to it. I could definitely picture myself serving Lemongrass Milk Pudding at an afternoon tea party and seeing it be well received.

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