Tea Reviews | It's All About The Leaf

Posts Tagged ‘S Green’

When doing a little background digging for this blend, I ran across an interesting factoid. Bamboo isn’t actually a tree, rather it is part of the grass family; “true grass” or Poaceae, to be precise. The shrubs or tree-like specimens in this family are called bamboo. To think of any part of the Orient is to think of that particular plant, whether as building material, weaponry, or culinary additions. In terms of tea, bamboo is often used as a storage device to “compost” maocha, the proto-form of pu-erh tea. I had heard of bamboo included as an ingredient in blends, but hadn’t actually tried it. TeaFrog had such a product that could potentially sate my morbid curiosity.

Ingredients for their Bamboo Shoots blend included genmaicha, green tea, ginger, cardamom, bamboo shoots, red peppercorns, papaya pieces, shredded coconut, and pineapple. Dear Bamboo Buddha, what did I get myself into? I was turned off at first by the mention of genmaicha. Some people like the Japanese “poor man’s green tea”, I’m not one of them. I prefer my tea and rice separated by serving ware. The inclusion of ginger, cardamom and pepper was also perplexing. Was this trying to be a chai? Papaya, coconut and pineapple begged to disagree…and disagree they did.

This smelled like neither genmaicha or chai, and for that I was eternally thankful. Rice and spice just didn’t sound that appealing. Instead, the dominant aroma was “TROPICS!” – yes, in all caps. Everything about this blend screamed “Hawaii” for some reason. Smelling it livened my mood. (It also helped that it was sunny outside, but I digress.)

On appearance, I could make out all the different ingredients. The most common sights – other than the rice and green tea, that is – were the papaya and peppers. White coconut innards peaked out occasionally, but not in a lasting fashion. As for bamboo? Well…I didn’t quite know what I was looking for. Beyond the Chinese sencha, and Japanese genmaicha, I didn’t see ‘em. A few twigs caught my eye here and there, but I assumed those were part of the genmaicha garnish.

Brewing instructions, alas, weren’t present on the site. The usual approach for a green tea blend – as far as I was concerned – was a 180F(-ish) water temp for three minutes. I went with exactly that; 1 round teaspoon-worth in 8oz.

The liquor infused to a bright yellow color – not gold, not green, prime yellow. The steam aroma was an oddity. On the one hand, there was genmaicha toastiness; on the other, spice and tang mixed with tropical death. It was a difficult smell to pin down. If I were to choose an analogy, I’d compare it to sniffing the inner bark of a palm tree. No, I don’t know what that actually smells like, but if I did…it would probably be this. The taste, thankfully, was all fruity magnificence with only a mild spicy lean – as if the hot water only took the good part of the ginger and cardamom. The loud tropical fruits did their part in masking any of the rice-y/toasty aspect. There was a bit of a woody finish, but I didn’t mind. Heck, I drink dandelion root.

For a green tea blend, it was a trifecta of what-the-hell. None of the ingredients made any sense, nor did they seem like components that would mesh. However, like any good chimera, it roared with life on taste. As for the bamboo? I still don’t know what that tastes like. For an introduction, though, this was blessedly batty one. I’ll happily steep it again.

You can purchase the Bamboo Shoots directly from the TeaFrog website.

This sencha is one of the loose tea samples included in Den’s Tea’s Green Tea Novice sampler. The dry leaves are lovely to look at – shiny, dark green needles of tea that have a full, savory sort of smell with hints of nuttiness. When I took the leaves out after they’d steeped they looked almost like pieces of fresh leaves that had been picked today.

The colour of the tea is a vivid lemon-yellow hue despite having a fairly short steeping time. The tea itself hovers somewhere between the grassiness of matcha and the flavour of cooked vegetables. It has a distinct savory undertone to it – I think someone else called it umami and I agree with that. There’s also a bitter tang on the end of each sip that leaves a bit of a sour aftertaste in the mouth. Nothing too horrible though, and the other attributes of the tea more or less make up for it in my opinion.

I’ve not had much experience with authentic, good-quality Japanese teas, but within my limited experience I can say that I think this is an excellent sencha and something that I might consider buying a full bag of one day.

You can purchase the Sencha Fuka-midori directly from the Den website.

I’ve been dipping my toe into the waters of the world of green teas and discovering the results can be sensational.  I’ve only tested and tasted Japanese green teas, so I’ve been eager to try more Chinese green tea.  Knowing that Dragon Well (Lung Ching) has a reputation for being the champagne of Chinese green teas and that it’s known as being a fairly light tea, I thought that this was the ideal time for me to try this tea from Tea Frog.

The dry leaf is long, pretty and fairly flat. It’s green but not the neon green of some Japanese greens. It smells a bit nutty with hints at complexity that will arise with steeping. Brewed at approximately 175 degrees, the results are very pleasing. The brew is mid-yellow in color and the aroma is both vegetal and nutty. It is not ostentatiously sweet but it is fresh, mellow, and not the least bit bitter although one cduld argue that there’s a natural bitter-sweetness to this Dragon Well.   I use the “bitter-sweet” as a word of tribute, not a word of warning.   Tea Frog has done a beautiful job of presenting a Dragon Well that balances toasty roasty goodness with some natural sweetness.

Drinking this tea is a great adventure in unfolding layers of nuttiness and some vegetation—not so much that you can call it a “spinach” or an “artichoke” tea but enough so that the vegetal taste plays a strong third fiddle to the primary taste of roasted or toasted nuts.  I detect roasted walnuts more than other kinds of nuts although I taste a strong complementary chestnut overtone.   This tea is  very satisfying and would make a great accompaniment to a meal or as an after-dinner tea. It would also be a great afternoon tea.  I can see it as a great accompaniment to solitary study as well as a great social tea.   It’s versatility is impressive.  So many teas pigeon-hole themselves as “reading teas” or “wake-up teas”.  Tea Frog’s Dragon Well (Lung Ching) has variable facets like a beautiful gemstone and is a great tea option for many occasions.

SECOND infusion: Tea Frog’s Dragon Well has not lost any potency but has gained perhaps more of a nutty focus. I added a few sugar crystals and the added sweetness was nice, but did not open up any new vistas.   The tea stands well on its own. I will serve this to myself without the sugar but would offer some sugar to guests who might like it.

The rich toasty nuttiness and the deep flavor make this tea well-worth trying. I think it will become a staple at my house.  I would also say that any green tea aficionado should start to learn the primary green teas of China,  which has a longer green tea producing history than does Japan.    Dragon Well justly deserves its reputation as one of the star teas of China and Tree Frog’s Dragon Well is a spectacular introduction to a tea that I immediately came to admire and then love.   I am off to a third infusion, confident that the tea will stand up and not lose any potency.

You can purchase the Dragon Well – Lung Ching directly from the TeaFrog website.