5 Tasting Notes
This one is a lot softer than Vastu’s Black Masala, because of the fewer spices – the Green Tea is a bit too delicate for the full force. Also, because it’s green, I found that there’s far less tannic acid in the tea, so the spices that are there come out with less competition.
This was at the Victoria Tea Festival. It was interesting! It had a great aroma, and a very complex taste because of the spices in it, including cinnamon and a bit of pistachio, I think. It was quite nice, although I think it might have been a bit stale because it was out of a thermos.
Ahh, the scent of Zen!
At the Zendo where I sit on Tuesdays, this tea is always served after the zazen session, in small cups, while we sit in a circle for the informal part. To make it REALLY good, they steep it for well over an hour while we do our zazen, and THEN serve it to us. Unfortunately for me, I’m very sensitive to tannic acid, and it drives me bonkers. However, I also do really enjoy the flavour of it, so I can tolerate it quite well.
When Venerable Eshu (our abbot!) was explaining the steeping process, he mentioned that “And if you steep it for 12 hours, it makes your tongue go numb!” He seemed to think of this as a positive trait, but I"m not sure I’ve been meditating long enough to appreciate that.
Preparation
It’s my family blend, so I know I should like it, but I’m really not a fan of jasmine. However, it’s a very straightforwards, enjoyable tea, without too much kick to it. It doesn’t really do anything WONDERFULLY, but it does everything pretty well. It’s also very good when very, very week too, because the aroma and jasmine don’t get overpowered.
