Fleur de Geisha

I brewed this tea “blindly” – that is to say, I simply grabbed the tin (from the gift set) knowing only that it was a green tea, but not what flavor it was. When I smelled the dry leaf, I knew it was a cherry blossom tea – it smelled delightful! The brewed tea keeps much of this aroma.

I love the flavor. I know that this tea got some poor reviews as a hot tea, but, I love it hot with its delicate balance of floral tones and hints of cherry flavor, this is much more a Sakura Blossom tea than a cherry flavored tea when its hot. Once it cools, this tea becomes more of a cherry flavored tea. Both are tasty, but, I prefer Sakura Blossom tea.

Sipdown, 155. Cold brew.

I actually have a little bit of this left, but I have no desire to drink the rest of it and it’s not really enough to swap. Cold brewed, this tea was overly perfumy and just really not my thing. Very very floral, and I like floral teas, but this was too much. Also I am spoiled by Den’s Sakura Sencha, which is better balanced and not quite as overly flavored as this one.

Another flavored green from my Palias de Thes gift set…

I steeped this at 3 minutes at 170 F and found it to be quite unremarkable so it will be hard for me to review this one. :) The base of this green tea is fairly mild and slightly vegetal, a bit nutty. The cherry element here is fairly light and lends a bit of sweetness along with a slightly tart element. I have to add I’ve tried a few cherry green teas in the last year and it’s been difficult for me to find one I really think is good! They all end up reminding me of cough syrup. I want something dark and luscious like a bing cherry. Maybe there’s a cherry black tea out there for me?

I think I’ll have to try cold brewing the rest of this sample…

This is the oddest tea.
I brewed it hot – it was quite unimpressive. Good enough green flavor, didn’t get much cherry. Maybe it shows how unremarkable it was, that I didn’t finish the cup, leaving it over half full and promptly forgot about it for a few hours.

I came back to the remaining tea a few hours later and decided to give it a sip.
BAM! What a transformation! It was sweet and very cherry, on a buttery green background. YUM!

I was in awe at how much the tea changed from hot to cold, so I made another cup, just to be sure. Again, hot it was mediocre, but once cooled, outstanding.

I only had a sample, and enough for those 2 cups (I will try to resteep, maybe get another), and I’m not debating whether it warrants a purchase or not, I’m not accustomed to purchasing teas just for iced.

Tea #21 from Another Traveling Tea Box

I actually found this to be bordering on too flavored for my tastes, which I wasn’t expecting because the common consensus seems to be that it’s not flavored enough?! What is here, though, is a lovely balance of floral and more subtle cherry, but it’s quite potent.

I think I would have preferred something more delicate that allowed more base to bleed through.

Tea #35 from Another Traveling Tea Box

This was another interesting tea and one I just can’t figure out how I feel about. I didn’t actively dislike it, but I did get tired of the tea and kept setting it aside for other things, so I’m not sure that this is something I would order for myself.

I didn’t care for this tea hot, it didn’t really have a lot of flavor, but cooled down nearing room temperature was another story. The cherry blossom flavor began to come out. It was a little salty, a little sweet, and definitely something I would need to be in the mood for before I fixed it again.

I liked this tea quite a lot and I think that some of the negative reviews may have to do with oversteeping or too hot water. The flavoring was delicately floral and sweet but notes of cherry became stronger as it cooled.

My first tasting note :)
I had this tea hot at a restaurant over the summer and loved it so much that I simply had to find the store and buy some. I wanted to reserve the tasting note until I had a chance to really enjoy the tea at home though.

Last night I decided to try making an iced version, after seeing other steepsterites say that it tastes better cold. So I brewed 4 cups of water (32oz) up hot at 160 degrees (closest thing I had to recommended temperature), let it steep with two of the tea bags for 3 minutes, let it cool, then poured it in a pitcher with ice and stuck it in the fridge overnight.

As an Iced tea the green tea flavor is dominant in my opinion, but I love subtle green teas so that isn’t a problem for me. During the actual sip I noticed the green tea first, then a slight sakura/cherry note. The cherry flavor came out more in the aftertaste than the actual sip. Oddly enough in my second sip the cherry flavor came first, then the green tea, and then a subtle note of sakura at the end. I noticed that after drinking my mouth had a bit of a dry feeling, which wasn’t bad, just very interesting. No bitterness though!

After I had made my batch of Iced Tea I also decided to try resteeping the teabags to drink hot. I was a little worried because they smelled really bitter, but I thought I’d try it anyway. I used the same parameters (but less water) and it still wasn’t bitter! woohoo!!! I didn’t notice much of a difference in flavor from the first and second steep. All in all I’m glad I purchased it, I like the green base, and the hints of sakura and cherry are intriguing.

I think I brewed it a bit long. I wasn’t paying attention. Also, the only water I can get is a bit hot. Still, I think it came out OK.

The dry leaves smell great. Very perfumy, very floral and fruity. Quite a few stems. The wet leaves open up nicely and spell much more vegetal and deep than the dry. The liquor is light and yellow-ish green-ish, with just a hint of brown. Fairly transparent.

The front end of the taste is fairly standard-the green tea base seems to be good, though not spectacular. The mid-ranges give way surprisingly cherry tones, and the aftertaste is strongly floral and fruity, again with the ghost of cherries on my pallet long after I finish sipping.

I have been looking forward to trying a Sakura Green for a while, and this delivers, though perhaps not with as much of a bang as I had hoped. It does leave me with that happy tea feeling afterwards. It’s a solid tea, maybe a little better than an “everyday” tea, if you like floral, fruity cups.

I’d say this is a good tea for people with a mid-range of experience. I’ll definitely brew the rest of what I have (about 50g), but I probably won’t buy it in the future.

I bought this tea a couple of hours ago. I was on my way to the apartment when I passed the Le Palais des Thés on Hedgehaugveien in Oslo. I haven’t been there for a couple of month, but it is a nice little shop with a several mix of Le Palais des Thés products and tastes. Today it was Fleur de Geisha that caught me. The intense scent of cherry, reminded me so much of my own childhood and the nordic summers that I couldn’t resist buying it. When I got home I made myself a cup, excited to try it. While the water got heated I took a long breath to really feel the scent flying through me. Still it was the cherry that caught me and something else, a grassy after-scent which was strong and a bit bittersweet.

This time I took two teaspones and let it steep for 3,5 minutes in 90 degrees. On the package it says 70 C, but I always try it almost boiled the first time, especially during winter when it’s cold outside. Even if I steeped it warmer than they recommend the cherry flavour is sharp and dominante. I love the intensity in this tea and for someone that loves cherry I think this one is worth a try.
After the first try I like it. It’s not in the top 20, but still really good and tasty. Looking forward to try it again.