When spring comes around, I always think back to my time in Japan looking at the cherry blossoms. Therefore, it seemed only fitting to try a cherry blossom blend!
This year, the Obubu Tea Club quarterly box arrived with a new cherry blossom (sakura) and sencha blend. In the past, I tried a similar blend, which was special to me because I helped pick the cherry blossoms while I was an intern at Obubu. I wanted to try this tea because each batch of tea can have slightly different characteristics based on the weather and external influences and this blend had additional cherry blossom leaves!
Description: “Unique blend of Wazuka’s Spring Sencha with dry cherry blossoms and leaves. An enchanting cup of spring.”
Instructions: 5 grams | 100 ml (100cc) | 70°C (140-156°F) water | 1.5 mins (the lo[n]ger you wait the stronger the tea will be)
Review: The tea arrived in a small square kraft paper envelope with 5 grams of tea pre-portion. The last few Tea Club boxes have arrived with 5-grams prepackaged tea (compared to larger bags) which I personally think is a nice touch because it is more accessible to newer tea drinkers and easy to take on the go. Measuring tea can be intimidating, so this takes that stressor out and allows the drinker to focus on the water, temperature, and time.
After opening up the envelope, there was a strong steamed vegetable and roasted smell with a faint lingering cherry blossom scent. The dark forest green straight sencha leaves and broken olive green cherry blossom leaves contrasted against the bright pink cherry blossoms. The blend was so picturesque!
When it came to water amounts, there was a slight discrepancy between the video showcasing the tea (120ml) and the magazine that arrived in each box (100ml). So, I followed the magazine since it was the same as the previous cherry blossom and sencha blend I tried. After infusing the tea for 1.50 minutes, the wet blend had a very grassy smell with floral notes that were reminiscent of spring. The sencha leaves had unfurled and the wet blend was a sea of green tea leaves and cherry blossom leaves with a scattering of pink from the cherry blossoms.
The liquor was a pale yellow-green with some fanning at the bottom of the cup and a faint grassy smell and a mild scent of cherry blossoms. The sip started off with vegetal notes followed by savoury umami and a burst of astringency. After the astringency faded, there were some lingering floral notes with dryness that coated the tongue.
I personally found 1.50 minute a bit bitter, so I scaled back the time to around a minute and found it cut down on the astringency and was much more palatable. I tasted this tea with green grapes, strawberries, and dark chocolate because it seemed like good spring time vibes. The tea paired nicely with each as it cut down on the sourness of the grapes, the tartness of the strawberries, and the bitterness of the chocolate. Overall, I still enjoy this tea as much as I did a few years ago and it reminds me of picking cherry blossoms in Japan (4/5 rating).
- Type: Green tea
- Origin: Japan, Kyoto, Wazuka-cho
- Caffeine: Unknown
- Ingredients: Green tea, cherry flowers and leaf
- Company: Kyoto Obubu Tea Farms
The question of the post: What reminds you of spring?
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