Den's Tea

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Recent Tasting Notes

100
drank Apple Sencha by Den's Tea
865 tasting notes

Infusion 6. 1 min 40 sec. Dark, dull yellow liquor that reminds me of brown mustard. Aroma is very light but sweet. Pretty strong green tea flavor especially considering it’s a 6th infusion. Just a bit of sweetness.

Preparation
190 °F / 87 °C 1 min, 45 sec

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100
drank Apple Sencha by Den's Tea
865 tasting notes

Infusion 5. 1 min 20 seconds. Yellow liquor, sweet aroma, and lightly sweet but not fruity taste that doesn’t cover the taste of the sencha.

Preparation
190 °F / 87 °C 1 min, 15 sec

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100
drank Apple Sencha by Den's Tea
865 tasting notes

Infusion 4. Liquor is a touch lighter, a bit more yellow. Aroma is sweet and you can definitely smell the green tea. Maybe my tastebuds weren’t as damaged as I thought, while this is a very sweet and even fruity tea, there isn’t really any apple flavor. The fruitiness is more mango or strawberryish. Gonna keep steeping it.

Preparation
190 °F / 87 °C 1 min, 0 sec

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100
drank Apple Sencha by Den's Tea
865 tasting notes

3rd infusion, 50 seconds. The liquor is lime greenish! I love greens and have had a lot of them, but I can say this is the 1st liquor I can discribe as lime… pretty! I had this w/ tomato and roasted pepper soup that had quite a bite so that messed up my taste buds, but I’ll discribe what I taste anyway. :) I’m hoping it’s just the red pepper flake, but I don’t really taste apple anymore. Don’t get me wrong, this is a VERY good, still sweet, green tea that I will continue to steep. I just can’t find the apple. The 4th infusion will tell me more.

Preparation
190 °F / 87 °C 0 min, 45 sec

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100
drank Apple Sencha by Den's Tea
865 tasting notes

2nd infusion, 40 seconds. So I settled on increasing each infusion by 10 sec. The liquor is just barely darker. When I smell it the green tea hits me 1st, then the apple, and last a very subtle sour apple aroma. The flavors hit me in the same order as the aromas hit my nose, but they are a little bit stronger than the 1st infusion, almost like I’m drinking my tea backward- weakest to strongest. I like that.

Preparation
190 °F / 87 °C 0 min, 45 sec

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100
drank Apple Sencha by Den's Tea
865 tasting notes

Another tea from Lena! This one has the original packaging so I know I’m steeping it right lol. And I’m glad it does. But it’s here as a back up anyway:) While I know sencha is a green tea, the steeping instructions surprise me. This is my 1st experience w/ flash steeping and it calls for slightly hotter water than I normally use. I went w/ as directed for the time and temp, but decided to go w/ the industry standard of 2.25g of tea per 6oz (I’m always glad when a package calls a cup of tea 6oz) which is actually a little less than a teaspoon. I’m surprised at the density of this tea. One teaspoon is 2.5g.

When it’s done steeping, it doesn’t look like water like I feared. The aroma is definitely apple w/ a light green tea background. But it doesn’t smell like a fresh apple- more like a jolly rancher candy. That’s ok by me, jolly ranchers are sour apple.:) And YAY it tastes just how it smells. It tastes like green tea steeped in watered down apple juice w/ a jolly rancher dissolved in it. If you don’t mind the small amount of caffeine, this would be a WONDERFUL sugar free calorie free substitute for apple juice. For more apple flavor, steep in one apple’s worth of fresh apple juice. I don’t think this would hold up to blending w/ a caramel tea like I originally suspected, unless it was a green base, but I’m really looking forward to blending this w/ adagio’s bengal green chai. My only problem is figuring out how much to increase steeping time for additional infusions… I normally steep greens for 3 min and increase infusions by 1 min so should I keep the 1/3 ratio and increase it by 10 seconds?

Preparation
190 °F / 87 °C 0 min, 30 sec
LENA

YAY, glad you liked it!

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95
drank Apple Sencha by Den's Tea
236 tasting notes

It’s a pretty golden green liquor scented lightly with apple, almost as if a smidgeon of apple juice had been added to the tea. The taste is sweet and light with more of an apple flavor than a sencha flavor. Bliss!

Preparation
180 °F / 82 °C 0 min, 45 sec
Cofftea

Lena sent me this! I can’t wait to try it. Thinking of blending it w/ Adagio’s green bengal chai and a caramel green if I can find one.

Carolyn

It’s very delicate. I’m not certain it will survive survive much blending. (But I’m totally unfamiliar with blending and you seem to be the pro at it.)

Cofftea

I do seem to have a God given gift for creativity in the area of blending tea (and other drinks) and food, but to each his/her own so I’m sure there are plenty of people who would hate my blends (my mom is one of them, she likes everything simple), but I haven’t had anyone that I’ve given a blend to not like it. But you have to like blends. Some people are single flavor drinkers and that’s great. I love single flavor teas, but I also love a good blend.

Cofftea

I’m still thinking this would be ok w/ bengal green chai though, especially considering the low steep time.

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100
drank Matcha Miyabi by Den's Tea
236 tasting notes

Mixed this with hot chocolate “mix” (actually ground up dark chocolate bars is our hot chocolate mix), Vanilla Soy Milk, and Soyatoo Cream then frothed in our hot chocolate maker for a delicious frothy beverage with lots of chocolatey and matcha goodness. It’s a great start to a new year. Now off to our run!

Andrea in New Mexico

That totally deserves a 100, from what I can tell…

Happy new year. :-)

Andrea in New Mexico

p.s. Hot chocolate maker???

Adam Hansen

Sounds like something worth a try in my future.

Carolyn

Hmmm. I thought I’d upped the rating to 100. Off to do that now.

Yes, Williams-Sonoma outlet was selling them cheaply so I bought one. It is an attractive carafe with a built in electronic whisk to froth the hot chocolate. It worked admirably in this making a full inch and a half of matcha hot chocolate foam.

Cofftea

YAY! Glad you liked it!

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100
drank Matcha Miyabi by Den's Tea
236 tasting notes

Made a hot matcha, banana, and soy milk smoothie and it is yummy.

Cofftea

Like the smoothie idea. Not the banana part. But a HOT smoothie…? That sounds weird. A whole pan of brownie points for creativity for it though.;)

Jillian

Yes that does sound quite good.

Cofftea

My opinon of a hot smoothie may just be a temperature thing… I think some things are gross at a cold temp, and others hot.

LENA

oh man, that sounds great!

Cofftea

Have you ever used almond milk in your matcha?

Carolyn

@LENA, It is wonderful.

@Cofftea, Not with matcha but with other teas. I make my own almond milk when I run out of soy milk and haven’t run out of soy milk lately.However, almond milk is generally good in everything.

Carolyn

Oh no! I accidentally deleted Cofftea’s post. I didn’t think I could do that. I thought I was replying.

Carolyn

What I meant to do was to say that buying Almond creamer is more expensive than making the almond milk. To make almond milk you combine raw almonds and hot water in a blender and then blend on high. Add more water until it is the consistency you want. Easy, cheap, tasty.

LENA

oohh, that sounds good too. I love almond butter, but it is super expensive (like $17 for a fairly small jar)…but now I’m inspired to make my own.

Cofftea

@Carolyn- how the heck did you manage that one! :) Almond creamer is more versitile so I’ll try that. Our blender is out of my reach anyway. Almond creamer is something I can do myself.

Carolyn

@Cofftea, Sounds reasonable. As to how I managed to delete your comment, for some reason I now have delete buttons next to every comment. I thought they were reply buttons. :(

takgoti

This is near identical to my matcha shake recipe. I sometimes add a little honey, though I’ve never tried it hot. Might need to do that some time.

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100
drank Matcha Miyabi by Den's Tea
236 tasting notes

Mmmm! Matcha! I’ve been sent home early with a hearty Happy Holidays and orders to take some time to go shopping. I have no holiday shopping to do and so I decided to make myself a wonderful cup of matcha and sit cozily at home and write. I prepared it thick this afternoon and its lovely grassy sweetness is making a good day even better. No bitterness. No astringency. Just sweet, lovely matcha. Mmmmm!

Preparation
180 °F / 82 °C 1 min, 30 sec
Cofftea

CAROLYN! You just had to rub in that you had matcha didn’t you. You’re lucky mine should be here tomorrow. LOL J/K ;) I wonder why companies suggested different amounts of water. Rishi suggests 4-5oz. Isn’t there a standard?

Carolyn

I don’t think there is. It is up to personal preference as to how thick it should be. Also, different kinds of matcha can tolerate different amounts of water. So it is a trial and error sort of process. (A yummy trial and error sort of process.) I use a half teaspoon and then fill the matcha cup half-way up with water before wisking.

Cofftea

Since there’s a matcha tea ceremony I would think there would be standards, there seems to be standards for everything else related to tea:) What’s the difference between this and their matcha kaze?

Cofftea

I just noticed you have a steeping time listed… how does that work when the tea gets whisked in?

Carolyn

I couldn’t really figure out how to do that, so I just estimated my wisking time and listed that as steeping time.

Carolyn

As to tea ceremony standards, I don’t know. I’ve been to exactly two tea ceremonies in my life and those were years ago. My memory of them boils down to “Hurts to kneel” and “Good sweets. Bitter tea.” and “I need a kimono!” Not very sophisticated, I’m afraid.

I do not know the difference between the two matchas. I bought this one because it guaranteed to be free of bitterness and astringency and I wanted my first experience making matcha to be successful. My tea ceremony experiences both featured bitter matcha and little Japanese sweets to make it better. So I wanted to be careful. I’ll probably get the other once I’ve finished the miyabi matcha.

Cofftea

Try Rishi, not bitter at all:)

Teafreak

you obviously like this matcha, but how do you feel about Den’s in general? I’ve been thinking about purchasing some tea from Den’s, but I wanted to see what everyone thinks of that site.

Carolyn

@Cofftea: Thanks for the recommendation! I’ll put it on my list.

Carolyn

@teafreak: I’ve been impressed by them. I loved the matcha supplies I bought from them. I loved the Apple Sencha tea (as did my partner). I loved the genmaicha. I still have more to try, but so far I’m impressed by them. Also, I feel comfortable with them for reasons I cannot explain. It’s kind of a gut feeling of comfort. I grew up in Denver, which has a sizeable Japanese community and it may just be that it reminds me of my early experiences with Japanese shops, but whatever it is, my gut is saying nice things.

Cofftea

@teafreak- I second the apple sencha. That’s the only one I’ve tried so far. I got their $3 sampler so I’ll have lots more to report about soon.

Cofftea

@Carolyn, where were these ceremonies? That sounds fun!

Carolyn

@Cofftea: One was at a special event in Sakura Square in Denver and the other was at the Teahouse in the Japanese Gardens in Denver’s Botanic Gardens. (It was fun and I eventually got my much longed for Japanese kimono. Only later did it occur to me that I had nowhere to wear it.)

Cofftea

Note to self: Go to Denver. Got it:) THANKS!

Carolyn

If you go to Denver and are interested in Japanese culture, the very, very place to go is Domo, which is a restaurant that serves Japanese country food. It is the only restuarant serving this in the United States. Both the restaurant (which has its own museum) and the food are an enlightening and delightful experience.

After that, visit the shops and restaurants in Sakura Square.

Jillian

also makes notes on her travel list ;)

Teafreak

@Carolyn: Thanks, I’ll give them a shot next time I buy Japanese tea!

Cofftea

@teafreak, I just tried their genmaicha (1st experience w/ it) and it was good. I didn’t care for it (NOT because it was bad, just personal taste), but it was very good in that it tasted EXACTLY how it sounds lol.

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100
drank Matcha Miyabi by Den's Tea
236 tasting notes

Nice. I whipped up the matcha, enjoyed the deep green coloring and then added a spoonful of coconut milk and whipped that up with it. I like the creamy green coloring produced by the mixture. The green vegetal of the matcha marries well with the coconut taste and is more substantial on my tongue.

Preparation
180 °F / 82 °C
kat

mmmm I love coconut, sounds like a marvelous mix!

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100
drank Matcha Miyabi by Den's Tea
236 tasting notes

This is really nice. A beautiful green (of course) with a slight vegetal, nuttiness, and sweetness. It is truly calming as well. I’m really impressed. I need to have my own tea ceremony just to savor this tea.

Preparation
170 °F / 76 °C

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89

In all honesty, it’s difficult to find a Genmaicha with Matcha I don’t like. I love the toasty smell and taste, the sweetness of the matcha, the cloudy green color. This one is slightly better than Holy Mountain’s and Upton Tea’s but only slightly. In fact, I’m not even sure it isn’t exactly the same. Clearly I need to do a Genmaicha taste test and comparison. But that will have to wait until after NaNoWriMo. Meanwhile, I’ll just say “Mmmmm! Genmaicha with matcha!”

Cofftea

How does it work for more than one infusion? I’d think the matcha would all go into the 1st cup?

Carolyn

I don’t typically do more than one infusion with most teas except the first or second time as a discovery method. The one time I tried a second steeping with genmaicha it was disappointing (for exactly the reason you mentioned). I haven’t tried it with this particular genmaicha.

Cofftea

You don’t??? That’s such a waste of tea and money! I’m on infusion 6 of a green and get 8-10 w/ some oolongs.

Carolyn

The problem is that I typically don’t drink more than a cup at a time and then I want a different tea or no tea at all. If I were staying put and drinking the same tea throughout the day I would re-steep, but since I don’t, it seems unsanitary to keep wet leaves more than a short time. How do you handle this?

Cofftea

As long as the tea leaves do not mold, you’re fine! I do happen to drink one tea til the leaves are dead, but if I do want a change I either just set them aside (I always use Adagio’s ingenuiTEA) and steep something else in a paper filter or you can dry the leaves on a paper towel on a plate (as long as the plate isn’t paper). Even leaves in a paper filter can be saved, just set them aside in a cup or on a saucer. They don’t have a real long shelf life, but will definitely last til the next day at least. There are several times where I have leaves that just refuse to die so I finish them in the morning.

Carolyn

Hmmm. Perhaps I’ll try putting them in the refrigerator then.

Cofftea

There is no need. DO NOT put them in the frig. Just leave them on the counter out of your way. Chilling them damages the flavor.

Carolyn

I live in buggy Memphis. In the period between winter and summer the outdoor bugs crawl under my door looking for warmth and food and we fight a constant battle with them that won’t be over until March or April. The ants activate in October and continue through January (and we fight a war against them). Part of our side of the war is that nothing that is not perfectly sealed and dry is ever left on a counter where it could validate the bugs’ perception that it is possible to find food here. (We have other more aggressive tactics as well, but it is pointless to carry out aggressive actions if one does not shore up one’s defensive lines.)

You must trust me when I say that bugs are different in the South. There is no real winter to kill them off and the constant moisture provides them with perfect nesting and breeding grounds.

I suspect that you are thinking to yourself that there are bugs in Wisconsin as well or that I must be a terrible housekeeper or that I must live in a slum. I used to think the same when I lived in Columbus, OH and Denver, CO. It was possible in those places to defeat the bugs. Here in Memphis even the best houses and the cleanest people must fight the bug battle. It is a way of life.

I would not dare use tea leaves I’d left out for an hour and didn’t watch over. It wouldn’t be sanitary. So if they can’t be refrigerated, I won’t be keeping them for a re-steep.

Cofftea

as long as they are cool (so steam doesn’t form) they can be in an air tight container.

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98
drank Sencha Fuka-midori by Den's Tea
32 tasting notes

This is one of my favorite green teas because it is so easy. I brew it at ~160 for about a minute (less for additional steeps) and it is always delicious. It is pretty sweet in flavor, and has a very grassy, vegetal aroma. I thought I disliked sencha for awhile, before I tried this tea. I think there were two issues- not brewing correctly (too hot and ending up with a bitter brew) and using low-quality sencha. This is good stuff, and very well priced from Den’s.

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100

Definitely one of my favorites. A nice toasty flavored tea on a comfortable evening… makes me want to have a fire on my back deck and sit outside indefinitely.

PS- I oversteep EVERYTHING practically. The package of this from Den’s says to steep 15 seconds or something like that. I usually steep it for a good several minutes. Gives it a more robust flavor (but not overpowering). It is a little bit too weak for my liking if only steeped for 15 seconds.

Another positive- since it’s mostly twigs, and it is roasted, this tea is very low in caffeine, making it a good evening option for me. I’m fairly caffeine sensitive, so I have to switch to tisanes or low caff options at night.

Preparation
Boiling 4 min, 0 sec

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100

Den’s says in their description that this tea provides a good alternative to cider or cocoa. I don’t really know where they got that idea… it does not remind me of cocoa or cider at ALL. However, it is one of my staples. It is similar to the flavor of a houjicha, but a little more earthy / twiggy. I’m a big fan of that flavor profile- the roasted, toasted, earthy, smoky flavors (houjicha, genmai cha, gunpowder, etc). If you like that sort of thing, I would definitely recommend this. And I’m thinking some of that sweetness that they describe might come out at cooler temps. But mine never has a chance to cool, as I always drink it promptly.

Preparation
Boiling 2 min, 30 sec

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75

For a long time I wasn’t a fan of sencha. Now I realize that my first few attempts were with relatively low quality tea. Den’s has always seemed to be THE source for green tea so I ordered their green tea sampler and this tea was included. The leaves were a dark emerald color and smelled fresh but not quite the freshly mowed lawn smell I was expecting. I brewed this tea in a cast iron tea pot called a testubin with 170 degree water for two and a half minutes. This was longer than Den’s directions but my testubin is fairly large and I was worried about ending up with a weak brew.

The brewed tea had a slight roasted aroma but also retained the fresh smell of the dry leaves. This tea was naturally sweet and had a taste that lingered long after taking a sip. It was not bitter in the least. I compared a cooled cup and a still hot cup and they were both equally delicious. I think I would be hard pressed to find a green tea that was a refreshing as this selection. It was perfect for a warm northeastern day like today.

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67

This is my second steep, and it’s ok. I am really bummed that I screwed up the second steep. Yesterday I made a cup and left it to steep for about a minute or two… 30 minutes later, I gasped and realized that i was making tea… needless to say, I dumped that cup. This morning’s second steep is only so-so. This was the last of my sample, so now it’s either pay up (this stuff ain’t cheap), or settle for a slightly less decadent sencha. It’ll probably be the latter.

Preparation
170 °F / 76 °C 0 min, 30 sec

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67

It’s my lucky day! I got a sample of this with my Den’s order. It is wonderful! It has a very rich flavor, and a beautiful deep green color when brewed.

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100

Definitely one of my favorite teas- I come back to it over and over. The flavor is kind of sweet and toasty. It reminds me a little bit of the flavor of honey. My husband thinks it tastes like brussell sprouts, which I think is kind of strange. It’s an easy one to brew- temp and steep time will not adversely affect the brew. Good for me, the tea killer.

Preparation
Boiling 2 min, 0 sec

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100

This tea has a very unique flavor- kind of toasty & sweet. Definitely unlike any other tea I’ve tried. I love it- drink it almost daily.

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75
drank Rose Sencha by Den's Tea
9 tasting notes

let it brew a little longer than supposed to.. about 4 1/5 – 5 min.. although a nice mild tea, you actually will pick up on the nice floral notes. little touch of honey would have been better, but the raw sugar I used was quite nice as a second choice

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75

~1.25 tsp
~160-165 degrees F
30s, 30s, 1min

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75

Very good! I got this for free with the Den’s Green Tea starter kit. I was hesitant about cool brewing, but it was the perfect drink for the afternoon on the go. It was good the second infusion, too.

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