It’s been a hot minute since I’ve had this one! My hording habits are particularly bad with this because it’s a) one of the few sakura teas I’ve found that I really like since the leaves are preserved in sugar rather than salt, b) not particularly easy to get for someone that likes to avoid international shipping as much as possible. But I decided to make a cup this morning for the February sipdown prompt, “Drink a cherry tea.”
It still smells lovely in the cup, even though this is well past the prime of green tea now. Sadly the green tea no longer has that strong “buttery” flavor I was getting before, and the tea no longer reminds me of sugar cookies as a result, but it is still quite tasty. The base is perhaps a little flat now as there is a sharp minerality to it that I don’t recall from before, but also still a strong vegetal flavor that tastes like a mix of beans and peas. The sakura is more subdued now, too… I can smell it but there is only a faint florality and sweetness to the cup, with the strong vegetal sencha notes taking over.
This was definitely a tea that was better when I had it fresh… which just proves how stupid it is to tea horde. I guess I won’t feel so bad to move it over to the sipdown pile now, though. I’ve opted to not change the rating as I remember the sweet and delectable cookie-ness of this tea in the past, and am positive age is to blame, now.
Flavors: Beany, Floral, Mineral, Peas, Sakura, Sweet, Vegetal
Cameron B. sent me this one to try. I really liked it :D.
That’s a slight improvement from cherry-scented butt from the salted-sakura leaf version that Lupicia does. I like both, but do prefer the sugared leaves over the salted, myself.
Nobody wants to smell your finger when you say “Smell my finger.”
Night and Day, both from the cupboards of Mastress Alita.
Still my favorite sakura tea. Glad you liked it too.