Drink the Leaf: Kawane Sencha
Wednesday, October 29th, 2008
I recently had the opportunity to try drinktheleaf.com’s Kawane Sencha. Japanese green tea is an absolute treasure to drink, and Drink the Leaf’s Kawane Sencha is no exception. In fact, this is one of the best Senchas I’ve tried. It has a sweet vegetal flavor to it that immediately demands your attention. This is the kind of tea that you sip and then just smile. The dry tea leaves have a distinct needle-like shape (common characteristic of Sencha) with a dark green color, and they are longer than other Senchas offered by many other tea brands. This tea is an absolute pleasure from start to finish. The scent throughout the steeping process is mesmerizing. The fresh green aroma helps to build the excitement as you wait to taste the tea. Kawane Sencha is the kind of tea I want to share with someone special. Sharing a tea of this caliber shows that you are a true giver because it’s really easy to want to drink it all yourself.
Drink the Leaf describes the tea as: A beautiful dark forest green liqueur, vibrant aromas of fresh cut grass, delicate clean flavors that are rich and smooth. Hints of nuts, grass, and seaweed take you to a bright finish. Kawane is located on the upper Oi River in Japan; ideal conditions for growing tea.
marTEA
Two Japanese classics become one. If you don’t have the patience or “tools” to whisk-up a bowl of matcha, you can still enjoy it in this mix. The matcha works well as a compliment to the distinct flavors of genmaicha. Matcha is a Japanese green tea know as tencha in a powdered form. A growing process often used for Japanese green tea involves shading the tea from sunlight before it is picked. Shading the tea bushes causes photosynthesis to slow. This process increases the chlorophyll in the plant (tea) leaves - making it extra-green. In the case of matcha, after the shaded tea is picked, steamed, rolled, dried, de-stemmed, and de-veined it is then stone ground into a fine light green powder. It is known to contain a high level of antioxidants due to the simple fact that nearly the entire leaf is used to infuse a cup of tea. Matcha reminds me of the tea equivalent to Cacoa’s cocoa powder. Genmaicha is a blend of green tea leaves with roasted brown rice and popcorn. The roasted brown rice typically dominates the flavor of this blend. That’s where the matcha really helps out. The matcha coats the ingredients of the traditional Genmaicha; which, creates a delicious green tea. It’s like three Japanese teas in one. As I take a sip, I detect the traditional Genmaicha, Sencha, and Matcha flavors all in one cup.
One of the first Japanese green teas I’ve ever tried was Adagio’s Sencha Overture. For those of you that drink Sencha you know that distinct vegetally sweet flavor that is everlasting. The dark green, thin, dried tea leaves are full of flavor and antioxidants. If you are new to green tea or you want to start drinking real tea that doesn’t taste like a flower, fruit or candy - give this a try. Yes, the first time I drank Sencha, it reminded me of a mix of seaweed and vitamins. After the initial shock, I started to appreciate the grassy flavor mixed with sweet and nutty notes. Adagio’s Sencha Overture is an affordable everyday green tea that is havested during the second flush. The tea comes from the Shizuoka region of Japan. It’s important not to over steep Sencha. Adagio recommends a 3 minute steeping time with a water temperature of 180 degrees. You may need to experiment with your steeping equipment to find your desired flavor.