Tag: Green Tea

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Dessert by Deb’s Strawberry Cake Roll

Strawberry Cake Roll by Dessert by Deb
Green Tea / Flavoured
$6.50 for 25g

First Impressions

Strawberry Cake Roll is a green tea blend that came in a pale pink metallic pouch that’s sealed and resealable. This blend is part of Dessert by Deb’s Japanese & Asian Patisserie collection. I can’t remember if it came as part of my bimonthly box or not, but I think I purchased it since it’s a 75g pouch versus the usual 25g bag. The colourful polka dot label graces the front of the packaging.

Strawberry Cake Roll consists of organic: green tea, strawberry and papaya pieces, natural strawberry flavour, coconut, Canadian maple, and freeze-dried raspberries. The aroma of Strawberry Cake Roll is very much that of strawberry, with hints of coconut and a touch of sweetness. It really is a beautiful blend though, I really think the varying colours in the blend is a treat – from the yellow, white, red/pink, and green. It’s a visual treat for the eyes.

Preparation

Dessert by Deb recommends steeping Strawberry Cake Roll in 200°F (93°C) water for 4 to 5 minutes. I opted to do an initial steep for 4 minutes.

First Taste

Strawberry Cake Roll steeps to a light yellow. The aroma of Strawberry Cake Roll after steeping is similar to the dry leaf – strawberry/berries, and coconut. The flavour of Strawberry Cake Roll is primarily fruity sweetness, with the emphasis on berries, and the brightness of the coconut throughout. The sweetness isn’t too much, in spite of there being Canadian maple in the blend. I’m actually quite happy that it’s not too sweet, because it does give the option of adding your own sweetener to the teapot.

A Second Cup?

I attempted to resteep Strawberry Cake Roll once, adding an additional 30 seconds for the first resteep. I found that the flavour wasn’t as strong as I would have liked, especially compared to the initial steep that was so flavourful in comparision.

My Overall Impression

I loved Dessert by Deb’s Strawberry Cake Roll. This green tea blend was a treat for the eyes, and the rest of the senses as I got to enjoy it from dry leaf to steeped tea. The light sweetness and fruity flavour from the tea is lovely hot, but I imagine the berries lend itself well to making it into an iced tea, so I’m really looking forward to warmer weather so I can pour this over a cup of ice to enjoy.

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Hangzhou Yijiangnan (YJN)’s Long Jing Tea

Long Jing by Hangzhou Yijiangnan (YJN).
Green Tea / Straight
$12.99 for 125g

First Impressions

So I picked up this large tin of Long Jing at my local Asian grocery store – primarily on a whim and also because I was curious about the quality that I would get for $12.99 when it was a whooping 125g of tea. I’m a fan of dragon well, as I’ve mentioned before both here on the blog and on Instagram.

The tin itself was shrink wrapped. The lid is a good fit, which helps with keeping the tea from getting stale. The tea itself came in a pouch that is not resealable, but the leaves of this Long Jing are as expected. Various shades of green, long flat leaves. The aroma is a bit grassy, vegetal. It smells like most other dragon wells that I’ve experienced before. There’s a lot of tea in this package, so I’m hoping it’s not terrible because I will have a lot to drink otherwise. The labelling on the tin describes Long Jing as longjing tea and it is a product of China.

Preparation

YJN recommends steeping Long Jing in “hot water”, with no recommendation for temperature.

Whenever that comes up, I use my standard temperatures and length of steeping times for tea.

I did use the green tea setting on my Breville IQ Kettle, which is 175°F (79°C), and I steeped Long Jing for 2 minutes. If it’s my first time steeping a particular green tea, and I’m unfamiliar with that specific one, I’ll opt to use a shorter steep time to prevent a bitter, astringent cup of tea.

First Taste

Long Jing steeps to a light yellow. It’s got a mild aroma that is slightly grassy, and a bit floral. The flavour of Long Jing is lightly sweet, floral, and grassy – just as it smells. There’s just a touch of creaminess to it, and just a light dryness at the tail end of each sip. There’s no bitterness or astringency noted after the steep time of two minutes that I did for the initial steep of Long Jing.

A Second Cup?

I resteeped Long Jing four times (five steeps total with the same leaves), and I opted to add an additional 30 seconds for each subsequent steep of the same leaves. The flavour remains fairly consistent, I thought it got a bit more floral and less grassy with each steep.

My Overall Impression

I liked Hangzhou Yijiangnan (YJN)’s Long Jing. It makes for a nice cup of green tea, and the flavour profile of Long Jing ticks all the boxes that I was expecting to find in a dragon well. The tea steeps beautifully, and resteeps nicely as well. And for the price and quality (and quantity!) of Long Jing, I’m pleasantly surprised with how it steeps and resteep! I would highly recommend resteeping this Long Jing, and it’s of a good enough quality that I would serve it to my parents (who like dragon well).

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Dessert by Deb’s Strawberry Jam & Toast

Strawberry Jam & Toast by Dessert by Deb
Green Tea / Flavoured
$6.50 for 25g

First Impressions

Strawberry Jam & Toast came as part of my bimonthly subscription box from Dessert by Deb. This green tea blend came in a pale gold metallic pouch, that’s sealed and resealable. Strawberry Jam & Toast is part of the Little Country Kitchen Collection, and the packaging has a colourful polka dot label.

Strawberry Jam & Toast smells of toasted rice and berries. It reminds me a lot of a genmaicha with a berry twist. Strawberry Jam & Toast consists of organic: green tea, natural strawberry flavour, popped roasted rice, strawberry & papaya pieces, freeze-dried raspberries, rosehips, and hibiscus. It’s a very pretty blend, with many bright colours! I enjoyed looking at it and seeing the lovely colours in the pouch.

Preparation

Dessert by Deb recommends steeping Strawberry Jam & Toast in 200°F (93°C) water for 4 to 5 minutes. I opted to do an initial steep for 4 minutes, I try to avoid oversteeping green teas when I have the ability to.

First Taste

Strawberry Jam & Toast steeps to a pinkish orange hue, the aroma of this green tea blend is primarily strawberry and other berries. There’s a pleasant sweetness from the steeped tea, that isn’t overly sweet. There’s a good amount of strawberry flavour, and the popped rice in the blend makes me think of a genmaicha – and does remind me of toast. It lacks the sweetness needed to make me think of jam, but I do think it has a great strawberry/berry flavour.

A Second Cup?

I attempted to resteep Strawberry Jam & Toast, but found that the flavour to be watered down compared to the initial steep. I would recommend Strawberry Jam & Toast to the initial steep for maximum flavour enjoyment.

My Overall Impression

I loved Dessert by Deb’s Strawberry Jam & Toast. The flavour reminds me a lot of a genmaicha with strong berry flavours that do very well when steeped. I really enjoyed how the strawberry plays with the popped rice. It makes for a smooth cup of tea – with no bitterness, no astringency. This is another blend that I’m looking forward to having when it’s hot out, because I imagine that the fruity flavours will do well with being iced. The strawberry really shines through in this tea.

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