Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Aiya
Tea Description:
Premium Sencha is one of the most prized Sencha teas available in Japan.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This Premium Sencha Green Tea from Aiya is easily the freshest Japanese Sencha tea I’ve ever had the pleasure of tasting! The freshness is due to the fact that Aiya’s teas are packaged in sealed tins. Not just a closed tin, not even just an airtight tin … but sealed … like a tin can. You know, the kind where you pull the ring and peel back the lid. Aiya takes the freshness of their products very seriously!
And while I might have been skeptical before popping the ring and peeling back the seal … after smelling the tea inside the tin and more importantly, after tasting it … I’m a believer! This stuff is fresh! The aroma smells like a combination of freshly cut grass and kelp. Not just “freshly cut grass” but the scent of the air as I mow the lawn. As in JUST cut grass. That is to say, it smells very fresh.
While it smells like a cross between grass and kelp, it doesn’t taste so much like these two things. There are grassy notes, yes, and perhaps even the faintest kelp-y note, the overall flavor is much more like steamed green veggies. A distinct “green” taste.
It is sweet, and there is a savory quality to it too, and I’m finding this contrast to be very satisfying. It has a brothy kind of taste and texture, and it makes for a soothing beverage. As I continue to sip, I start to notice an astringency to the tea, it is more of a “tangy” sort of astringency rather than a drying astringency … there is almost a citrus-y quality that goes along with it.
I’m loving the complexity to this tea … each sip brings with it a new discovery. It’s a wonderful journey in a teacup – and I expected no less from Aiya. I’ve always been so impressed with the quality and the flavor of their teas, and they are a company I feel good about recommending to all my readers!
