Chasandai Tea Factory: Sakura Sencha with Sugared Sakura Leaves

This is the last of the three sakura teas I got in Japan! I was intrigued by this one because it was described as having sugared cherry blossoms. I did notice a tiny amount of some sort of sugary lumps in there, but it’s minimal. The sencha is bright and crisp in this, but not puckering. The sakura is a little more subtle than one of the other two sakura teas, but it’s really nice. It has the lightest bit of that grassy pucker in parts of the sip and my mouth is left feeling dry after sips. I had a cup of this yesterday and was enjoying the three steepings more than I am now. Not sure if I steeped it different or if I’m just having an off day.
I will say… the packaging on this is gorgeous. The bag has sakura leaves printed on it and has strands of fiber running through the paper.

A gift.

Don’t have much to add as there are already very good descriptions of this tea.
It is almost like eating a sugar cookie with buttercream-cherry icing — heavy on the butter, light on the floral cherry — while sitting on bed of fresh and fragrant sweet grass.
A second steep brings out more of the spinach vegetal flavor of the sencha and the cherry blossom becomes even more subtle but it’s still a delightful sip.

Hello, spring.

Thank you Mastress Alita.

Thank you Cameron B. I love this!

Busy day and I put this in my sipper and it’s so good! On the second infusion now. The Sencha is top notch, the subtle and delicate flavors of fruit, cherry, butter, and the sweetness are spot on. Love it. Really good reviews on this “Je ne sais quoi” type of tea so I’ll leave it at that. I’ll definitely get some for my shelf.

Sipdown! (37 | 167)

Another of my oldest teas down!

This one is a longstanding favorite from Yunomi. The lightly fruity-sweet and slightly savory sakura flavor is so well-balanced with the rich umami and vegetal notes of the sencha. And then there’s the fresh and sweet green grassiness that ties the two together so well. All with such a lovely silky mouthfeel…

It’s amazing how good this still is given the package was from 2017… Onto the wishlist it goes! I also have some sakura blossoms from Obubu, I’ll have to try adding some to one of their sencha…

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.

I love sakura flavored anything, so when Yunomi rolled out this new blend a couple of weeks ago I rushed to order a sample. I was especially excited that this was a naturally flavored tea, scented only with real cherry flowers. Salt pickled sakura blossoms notwithstanding, nearly every cherry blossom tea I’ve come across has added flavoring which I’m not a fan of. The only other one I’ve liked is Den’s Sakura Sencha.

Upon opening the pouch, I immediately felt transported to a field of blossoming cherry trees in springtime. The aroma of the tea is almost ethereal, fruity and elegantly floral. There’s nothing artificial about it at all, neither in aroma or flavor. The taste is exquisitely subtle, more sencha than sakura. You taste the fresh sencha first followed by a delightful cherry blossom flavor that gently dances across your palate. I recommend letting the tea cool a bit to really taste the sakura. The base sencha is buttery and light, and unlike Den’s blend, is not very grassy. Its mellow body lets the soft cherry flavor shine through.

The flavoring here is verrry light. For some it may be too weak but as someone who finds most flavored teas too overpowering, it was perfect for me. This is the first flavored tea – aside from jasmine – that I could drink straight without needing to underleaf or blend with a straight tea. I think this one will appeal most to those who drink straight green teas.

Compared to my other favorite, Den’s is a deeply grassy green tea with a stronger cherry flavoring that can taste a bit medicinal while this is a more low-key affair and is by far the most natural tasting sakura tea I’ve ever tried.