I set Ungoliant free today. Yes, Ungoliant the jumping spider that I found at the beginning of Winter in my bedroom, he had happily lived in a jar being fed various insects that I found. Sadly I run out of bugs and figured, since it was warm, time to let nature be nature and put the spider outside. I miss my little hoppy desk companion. Ben saw how sad I am over my friend going out into the wide world, told me that in the near future he will get me a LARGE desk companion spider. Yes dear tea friends, I will be getting a tarantula, a spider truly worthy of the name Ungoliant.
Organic Sencha Whole Leaf Teabag by Den’s Tea came onto my radar thanks to their extremely awesome Green Tea Sampler for Novices which is not only a great introduction Den’s Tea’s products, but also an introduction to Japanese Green Tea. The aroma of the tea bag is like a little bag of spring time, there are notes of sweet grass (not to be confused with Sweetgrass, the aromatic herb native to North America and North Eurasia) and the tiniest hint of fresh lemon zest. In simplest terms the aroma is deliciously green, the idea of what Sencha is supposed to smell like.
The aroma of the brewed tea bag is quite refreshing, clean and grassy like a spring field. There are mild sweet notes, like cane sugar, with a finish of fresh hay.
The taste is initially sweet with a delightfully grassy greenness. The taste is very fresh and clean, evocative of new growth and springtime. I swear that the half an hour I sat outside soaking up psuedo-spring sunlight has nothing to do with my fixation on this tea evoking spring time so clearly. To me the mark of a really good sencha is how strongly it evokes growing things, and this tea certainly does that. The tea has a slightly citrus aftertaste, like a hint of yuzu zest. As the tea cools it gets sweeter and the mouthfeel goes from being smooth to creamy.
For blog and photos: http://ramblingbutterflythoughts.blogspot.com/2014/01/dens-tea-organic-sencha-whole-leaf.html
OMG, aren’t you the brave one :-)
haha, nah I just love spiders :P I have some pretty ridiculous fears that I am terrible at confronting.