I got this as a sample in my last order, interested to try this new offering from Den’s Tea, and to see what a deep deep-steamed sencha was like.
After my first two cups, I am very surprised! The description mentions an extra roasting process, and I certainly noticed it in the aroma of the dry leaf. I couldn’t figure out why it smelled so familiar and brought back memories of the first time I tried green tea (Japanese). By the second cup, which not only had the same semi-roasted aroma but a familiar sweetness, I figured it out — Houjicha!
This tea is like the perfect mix between green sencha and houjicha! It is still distinctly a green tea in appearance of leaf and liquor, and there are still elements of umami/veggies, but there is a definite roasted sweetness and aroma as well. That was quite a surprise to me and definitely enjoyable. This might not be some high-falutin’ hand-processed, high mountain, light-steamed sencha from Honyama (which I love by the way), but it is still deliciousness in a cup!
