Xue Ya Ballad

Tea: Xue Ya Ballad
Vendor: Adagio Teas
Price: $9/ 3 oz.
Source: Keemun, China
Vendor Description: An early spring harvest green - unusual for the Keemun region - this tea features gentle chestnut notes and complex fruit-like, mellow sweetness with a delicate yellow cup color. Once you have heard its lovely notes, you will return to it again and again.

Leaf: The leaf for this tea is dark green with some silver hairs to it. Overall the colors of the leaf are rather muted and dull. They are relatively long leaves, with a thin twisting to them. No notable aromas to the dry leaf though.

1st Infusion Parameters: 5g, 5oz, 185F, 45s

1st Infusion: This tea has a yellow green hue to it. It is lightly murky with a sharp and distinctively Chinese green aroma to it. It can best be described as being vegetal in nature. The tea has some early marine flavors which transition into a pan fired sharpness. There is no aftertaste to speak of, but the core of the flavor is rather bold. It feels somewhat complicated, but at the same time a bit muddled.

2nd Infusion Parameters: 30s, 185F

2nd Infusion: This infusion has a bolder, stronger yellow color to it. Overall the color is much more intense. It again is lightly murky. This time around though the tea exhibited a medium sense of astringency, but it lacks the marine hues of the first. There is a strong central flavor to be found here with some strong roasted notes to it. It feels very much like a Long Jing without the creaminess.

Rating: 5/10

Conclusion: Overall a fairly average tea, not too expensive, but not too fabulous either. It would probably make for a good staple Chinese green tea if you're looking for one, but personally I would like to stick to something a bit more fantastic.

Silver Star

Tea: Silver Star
Vendor: Red Leaf Tea
Price: $3.59 / .4oz - $8.99 / 3.2 oz
Vendor Description: The Silver Star is a fragrant tea from Europe that combines the full-bodied flavor of black tea and the rich taste of black currant tea. The tea is packed with the goodness and benefits of strawberry leaves, known to relieve diarrhea and a host of other ailments. The currant also lends a sweet flavor to the Russian Silver.

Leaf: The leaf for this tea is a smallish orthodox black leaf. The leaves are smaller than most orthodox leaves. There are some small light white/green pieces of leaf mixed in. It has a smooth and sweet aroma to it, the specific aroma feels very hard to pinpoint as it seems with almost all of Red Leaf Tea's offerings so far.

1st Infusion Parameters: 3g, 5oz, 208F, 3 min

1st Infusion: This tea produced a red-brown hue. It has the same sweet aroma as the dry leaf, and is still rather difficult to pinpoint. The tea itself is rather bold and flavorful. It has no bitterness or astringency and a generally fruity flavor overall.

Rating: 5/10

Conclusion: So far this has been the best of the Red Leaf Tea offerings. According to the vendor description the aroma is from strawberry and black currant leaves added in. They produce a decently subtle yet sweet flavoring to the tea, but it is a bit on the mundane side. This tea isn't terribly outlandishly priced, but is still on the higher end for a flavored black tea. Overall somewhat average.

Teabag - Genmaicha

Tea: Genmaicha
Vendor: Maeda-en
Price: $4.50 / 10 teabags
Vendor Description: Craving a good cup of tea, but not in the mood to deal with the mess? We have just the solution for you!
Maeda-en is proud to offer you deliciousness and convenience all at the same time: crushed Genmai-cha (leaves AND rice!) are packed in mesh pyramid bags for the maximum steeping & easy clean up. It brews the beautiful green liquor, and tastes just like a whole leaf brew!

Teabag: The teabag for this tea has some very small rice in it. I would guess to say that the rice has been crushed like the tea. There is a quite a bit of dust on the teabag as well as inside of the package. There is a moderate amount of stem pieces in the mix. The mix reminds me quite a bit of the mix that was in the sencha teabag.

1st Infusion Parameters: 185F, 3min, 5 oz, 1 teabag (2g)

1st Infusion: The tea comes out lightly murky, through the murkiness there is a lightly radiant yellow-green color. The aroma is very broad and strong and is primarily represented by the toasted rice aroma. It reminds me very much of rice crackers. The flavor of the tea itself has a medium strength with a very soft flavor. It is very much dominated by the rice flavor.

Rating: 5/10

Conclusion: Like the sencha this teabag was an improvement on their previous product's design, although like the sencha I would have liked to see more leaf in the bag. I also didn't really see any reason to crush the tea, larger leaf like that used by most nicer teabag producers would have probably been nicer.

Teabag - Sencha

Tea: Sencha
Vendor: Maeda-En
Price: $4.50 / 10pc
Vendor Description: Craving a good cup of tea, but not in the mood to deal with the mess? We have just the solution for you!
Maeda-en is proud to offer you deliciousness and convenience all at the same time: crushed Sencha leaves are packed in mesh pyramid bags for the maximum steeping & easy clean up. It brews the beautiful green liquor, and tastes just like a whole leaf brew!

About this tea: Recently Maeda-en contacted me and wondered if I would like to give their teabags another go around. It seems that since my last review of their gyokuro teabags they switched from using a satchel type teabag to using a tetrahedral teabag shape.

Teabag: Each of these teabags comes individually wrapped. When opening up the teabag, quite a bit of powder comes out with the teabag. The amount of tea reminds me of a matcha laced genmaicha, but this is just because maeda-en apparently crushes their sencha for packing in the teabag. The teabags are in fact now a tetrahedral shape, and they are filled with small pieces of sencha leaf. The leaf is all very uniform in size and shape, it is smaller than rooibos in size. There is a noticeable light green glint of stem in the mix. The aroma of the teabag is a bit unusual, it is lightly marine in aroma and smells very broad in nature. Unlike some of the more specific teas it has a very overall green aroma to it.

1st Infusion Parameters: 1 teabag (2g), 5oz, 185F, 2min
1st Infusion: This teabag produces a murky darker green colored tea. There is not much of an aroma to it. The flavor is light and clear. The flavor is quite broad with a light central flavor to it. There is no astringency or bitterness, but overall the flavor seems a bit light. The used teabag is not pressing against the sides of the mesh strongly meaning plenty of space in the teabag, but at the same time there is room to have added more leaf in and still not see any size issues.

Rating: 5/10

Conclusion: While this is a significant improvement from the satchel type of teabags before, the tea is not terribly impressive. Granted it probably felt a bit weak due to the ratio I used, one teabag held 2g, wheras for this volume of water I'm normally using 3-5g at a shorter infusion time. The flavor was very broad, which I am getting the feeling that this was intentionally blended as such. All in all it's a somewhat inexepensive solution for individually wrapped teabags, good for taking tea on the go.

Marrakesh Mint

Tea: Marrakesh Mint
Vendor: Mighty Leaf
Price: $9.95 / 15 teabags
Vendor Description: Marrakesh Mint green tea is made from China Gunpowder green tea blended with refreshing Moroccan peppermint. Packaged in a silken tea pouch, our gourmet teabag, this blend will whisk you away to cascading waterfalls deep in the mountains of Morocco. Host friends and family with this lively green tea brightened with peppermint cultivated on a mountain in Tiznit.

Teabag: The teabag is made in the typical style for Mighty Leaf, sewed together mesh pouches. There really wasn't anything truly remarkable about this teabag, it has a rather strong peppermint aroma to it, but aside from that appears to be a pretty normal green tea.

1st Infusion Parameters: 1 teabag, 5oz, 185F, 3min

1st Infusion: The tea produces a surprisingly deep brown hue, one of the darker I've seen for a green tea. The tea has a very crisp mintiness to the flavor, it's the most noticeable portion of the flavor, behind that though is a rich tea flavor that plays second seat to the peppermint. The tea provides a good overall tea feeling where the peppermint does well to shine forward as mint normally does. There is a little bit of astringency on the back end.

Rating: 5/10
Conclusion: Nothing truly remarkable here. It is a simple green tea with some peppermint added in for a crisper flavor. If you're looking for a mint flavored green tea teabag this is a good option, but if that's not what you're looking for, there's probably something else you want.

Sakura

Tea: Sakura - 5804
Vendor: Lupicia USA
Price: $8.50 / 50g
Vendor Description: Black tea blended with cherry leaves produces a sweet yet refreshing taste. Tea to announce the arrival of spring. The slight saltness goes well with both Japanese and Western sweets.

Leaf: The leaf consists of a typical flavored black leaf. There is a fair amount of stem in the mix though for a flavored black. There are small pieces of chopped green leaves added into the mix, presumably these are sakura leaves. There is also a very bold sakura aroma from the leaf.

1st Infusion Parameters: 3g, 5oz, 208F, 3min

1st Infusion: The tea produces a rich clear brown hue. The black aroma mixes well with the araoma from the sakura leaves. There is a light saltiness that is not overpowering like some of the sakura teas offered by Lupicia. This actually pairs fairly well with a nice rich flavor. There is a light sense of astringnecy, but no bitterness to this tea. The sakura flavor itself pokes out slightly at the end, aside from that the actual flavor of this tea shows through just as a typical black base.

Rating: 5/10

Conclusion: The flavor of the sakura in this tea isn't terribly outstanding. It blends in mostly with the regular black tea base. The aroma is very outstanding and enjoyable though, and the saltiness of the tea isn't as noticeable as say the Sakura Houji. Overall this is a bit unimpressive, but nothing really detracting either.

Thai Chai

Tea: Thai Chai
Vendor: Adagio Teas
Price: $7.00 / 4 oz
Vendor Description: Silky sweet coconut and playful bright lemongrass highlight this seductive black tea chai blend. Let the aroma draw you in and you’ll swear you hear it beckoning…come closer, just take a sip.

Leaf: This is a traditional orthodox black with some ginger, lemongrass, and coconut. There is a very thick and heavy aroma to this tea. The lemongrass portion of the aroma reminds me of thai food.

1st Infusion Parameters: 3g, 5oz, 5min, 208F

1st Infusion: This infusion has a lightly murky brown hue to it. There is a distinctive sweetness to the aroma, probably partly due to the coconut. It still has a good chai aroma to it. The flavor is light and lofty. It is not a very deep flavor, but more uplifting. It has no aftertaste and the lemongrass component feeds in a nice crispness to it.

Rating: 5/10

Conclusion: There is nothing terribly spectacular about this tea. Coconut is a nice addition to most chai blends i'm finding, but i'm a bit torn on the notion of the lemongrass. Thai chai tries to be a balance between a sharp lemongrass and a round and sweet coconut addition. Nothing terribly spectacular, but no great faults here either.

Huang Jin Gui

Tea: Huang Jin Gui - 7005
Vendor: Lupicia USA
Price: $7.00 / 50g
Source: Fujian, China
Vendor Description: Famous oolong tea from Fujian Province. It is very popular with its light refreshing taste. A tea with golden water color and elegant aroma like Osmanthus flowers.

Leaf: The leaf for this tea ranges in color from a light to dark green leaf. It is rolled, but not quite like some tightly rolled Taiwanese oolongs. It's loosely rolled. It has a light dry aroma to it.

1st Infusion Parameters: 5g, 5oz, 208F, 5s rinse, 45s

1st Infusion: This tea has a very flowery aroma to it. It is very crisp and uplifting. The color is a clear pale yellow hue. The flavor is very crisp, pairing well with the aroma. There are floral notes in the aftertaste. There is no bitterness to astringency, simply a smooth light floral flavor.

2nd Infusion Parameters: 208F, 45s

2nd Infusion: This infusion was a darker yellow-green hue. The flowery aroma still remained, but it hinted almost to the sweetness of a dan cong aroma. The flavor was overall stronger with a mouth watering feel to it and left with a light clean aftertaste.
3rd Infusion Parameters: 1:15, 208F

3rd Infusion: This infusion was a yellower hue than before, but retained hints of green. There was effectively no aroma to this infusion. The flavor was bold and up front this time. There was an empty feeling in the central flavor. It then finished off with a light sense of astringency on the back end.

4th Infusion Parameters: 208F, 2:00

4th Infusion: This infusion was a lighter hue than before. There was no astringency this time around, and overall the flavor was very unassuming and conservative.

Rating: 5/10

Conclusion: This was overall a very unassuming and mundane oolong. While there were no significant faults to it there were no major selling points either. It's an average green oolong with a somewhat average price to it. It's a bit high, but within acceptable tolerances. It would be a good tea to introduce someone to a general green oolong.

Organic Earl Green

Tea: Organic Earl Green
Vendor: Mighty Leaf
Price: $9.95 / 4 oz
Vendor Description: Our Organic Earl Green tea, an organic Darjeeling green tea blended with bergamot, is a unique twist on the classic Earl Grey black tea. One of our employee favorites, Organic Earl Green makes a great breakfast tea or can be enjoyed all day long. This loose tea is ideal for friends who are new to green tea. Also refreshing on ice.

Leaf: Considering this is a green tea, you could have fooled me. The leaf is dark, with shades of browns and black. I would have guessed it to be a mix between a Darjeeling and orthodox black. There is a little bit of silvery leaf mixed in as well. There is a very strong citrus aroma (which I believe is the bergamont aroma, but never having smelled true bergamont it's hard to say for sure) The aroma reminds me somewhat of lemon pledge.

1st Infusion Parameters: 5g, 5 oz, 185F, 45s

1st Infusion: This tea has a medium citrus aroma to it. The tea has a green-brown hue. The flavor is very strong and intense, filled with a strong feeling of citrus. It's hard to find the portion of this tea which is really that green. There is a sharp bitterness to it and a medium sense of astringency on the back.

Rating: 5/10

Conclusion: I've never really understood the fascination with Bergamont flavored teas. Earl Grey is probably one of the most singularly famous teas. Right down to the Star Trek references for the stuff. This tea has a strong flavor to it, so if you enjoy bergamont you will probably enjoy this tea. It feels more like a black tea than a green, but it must be brewed as a green. It is lighter than an earl grey so that part is a bit more enjoyable.

Melon Oolong Cold Brew

Tea: Melon Oolong Cold Brew - 8239
Vendor: Lupicia USA
Price: $9.00 / 50g
Vendor Description: Sweet aroma of juicy melons and aromatic Taiwanese oolong tea.

Infusion Parameters: 15g, 1 L , Overnight steep in refrigerator.

Infusion: This tea infused into a clear yellow color. It has a sweet aroma, it's like a light cantaloupe aroma. The flavor is somewhat unusual, it is very cool and light. The strength of the flavor on my tongue very much reminds me of a piece of cantaloupe. The tea feels crisp overall with an aftertaste that reminds me of melon rind.

Rating: 5/10

Conclusion: I liked this tea this way. It was cool and refreshing, but the price of the tea is a bit high considering the ratio used. It makes for a somewhat expensive cup of iced tea. It is however very cool and refreshing. I wonder what this would be like with an actual piece of cantaloupe.

Yume

Tea: Yume - 5520
Vendor: Lupicia USA
Price: $6.00 / 50g
Vendor Description: A taste of happiness with the sweetness of vanilla, sweet-sour fragrance of fruits, and delicate rose buds. "Yume"means dream in Japanese.

Leaf: The leaf for this tea is sweetly aromatic. It has a hinting at being like a flavored strawberry. The mix is comprised of orthodox leaf. The leaf is expectantly very black in color. There are some yellow and pink petals mixed in for some color.

1st Infusion Parameters: 3g, 208F, 4 min

1st Infusion: The tea has a very sweet smooth black tea aroma. The tea has the color of a light cup of coffee. The flavor is light bodied and crisp. It is lightly fruity with a clean aftertaste.

Rating: 5/10

Conclusion: Another flavored black tea in the giant pile of flavored black teas. Nothing truly outstanding about this tea, yet nothing offputting. As with most Lupicia black flavored teas I would have liked more flavoring.

Dian Hong

Tea: Dian Hong
Vendor: Swan Sisters
Price: $8.00 / oz
Source: Yunnan, China
Harvest Date: Spring 2008
Vendor Description:
Yunnan Imperial known in Chinese as Dianhong, is from Fengqing county, Yunnan in Southern China. It is made from the same variety of tea plant as found in Darjeeling (A tea growing town/region in the Northern Indian state of West Bengal) and grown directly across the Himalayas. This tea is China's answer to those who love robust black teas. Yunnan imperial is high in tannins with a malty flavor and deep amber color which holds up well to milk. Production, almost exclusively for export, started in the 1960's when the officials of Yunnan where looking for revenue for the poor rural areas.

Leaf: The leaf for this tea is black and gold in color. The leaves are long and twisted with a rich and sweet aroma. The aroma reminds me somewhat of coffee.

1st Infusion Parameters: 5g, 5oz, 208F, 1 min

1st Infusion: The tea has a rich black tea aroma to it. The aroma is thick and heavy with a strong sense of intensity. The tea itself is a rich dark red-brown hue. The flavor is smooth and rich. It is full bodied and is definitively a Yunnan black tea. It finishes off with a long lasting aftertaste.

2nd Infusion Parameters: 208F, 1:30

2nd Infusion: The second infusion still shows the rich black aroma. The flavor is bold and strong, but has developed a light sense of bitterness and a medium astringency. The flavor is snappy and sharp.

Rating: 5/10

Conclusion: This is is very characteristically a Yunnan black tea. The leaf has an appropriate color as so, with golden leaf mixed with the rich black colored leaf. There isn't much that unique about this tea though, at least not enough to warrant the price. It's definitely a good stop if you're looking for a black tea outside of the Darjeeling/Assam/Ceylon ranks.

Strawberry

Tea: Strawberry
Vendor: Adagio Teas
Price: $6.00 / 4 oz
Vendor Description: Historians believe that the name 'strawberry' comes from an Old English tradition of placing straw on the ground around this fruit, preventing slugs and other insects from enjoying a free lunch. Once you try our delicious Strawberry Tea, you're sure to see why they were so protective. Combining the succulent taste of sweet strawberries with bright Ceylon black tea, this is a treat you'll keep for yourself!

Leaf: The leaf is a very black colored tea. It has a few small green leafy bits to the mix and a very strong strawberry aroma to it. There are a few small dried fruit bits in the mix as well. The leaf looks like smallish orthodox leaf.

1st Infusion Parameters: 3g, 5 oz, 208F, 5 min

1st Infusion: The tea has a dark chocolaty brownish red hue to it. There is a strawberry aroma to the tea that is masked by the boldness and intensity of the black tea. The flavor is rich and smooth. It is just strong enough to add a little bit of bitterness to the tea. There however is not much strawberry flavor to be found in the tea, just in the aroma. Aside from the aroma component I would be inclined to believe that this was just a plain black tea if this were served to me. It finishes with no astringency though.

Rating: 5/10

Conclusion: Nothing spectacular here, yet no major faults either. The strawberry flavor could stand to be more significant and intense, but at it's price it's not a bad offering. It's a very standard feeling flavor from Adagio though.

Genmaicha

Tea: Genmaicha
Vendor: Wegmans Food Markets
Price: $16.99 /lb

About This Tea: This tea is another one that I picked up from Wegmans, and I'm not sure how well it matches up with the Ito-en offering of a matcha coated genmaicha. The price at wegmans was almost $1/oz, whereas the Ito-en version is closer to $3/oz.

Leaf: The leaf for this tea has a large amount of rice and is heavily coated in matcha. The tea has a very strong rice aroma, although it has a very dry sense to it. The matcha coating has a very dull pale color to it. It feels almost like it's washing out the color of the tea.
1st Infusion Parameters: 5g, 5 oz, 185F, 1 min

1st Infusion: The tea has a rich rice aroma that is mixed with a certain driness. The infusion is a murky green color. The flavor is light and sweet. It primarily sticks to the front of the tongue. It is dominated by a very present rice taste, which is not surprising considering the rice:tea ratio present in this tea. There is not that much of a tea flavor in this infusion.

2nd Infusion Parameters: 10s, 185F

2nd Infusion: The tea is still murky, which is surprising for a second infusion of matcha coated tea. The aroma has a dustiness again. The flavor is light and clear, but there is not much flavor in general.

Rating: 5/10

Conclusion: This is not a terribly impressive genmaicha, but it's significantly lower price makes it a lot more attractive. This tea may have been better with a longer first steep and steeped only once. At it's price point I would not feel bad about doing this. I'm a little disappointed by the dusty aroma to this tea, this aroma is most likely due to the matcha coating, and the tea may be better served without any coating at all.

Kaiseki Hojicha

Tea: Kaiseki Hojicha
Vendor: Wegmans Food Markets / Ito-en
Price: $43.99 /lb / $8.40 / 3 oz.
Vendor Description: Delicate twigs from the first flush are lightly roasted, rewarding the tea lover with a deep, sweet, well-rounded flavor that is almost chewy. "Kai" means "gathering", making this the perfect tea for dining.

Leaf: This is best described as a Kukicha Hojicha. It consists primarily of teas stems which have been lightly roasted. It has a light roasted aroma that is characteristic of a hojicha. The tea itself has a very light brown color indicating the light roasting.

1st Infusion Parameters: 5g, 5 oz, 208F, 3 mins

1st Infusion: The infusion produced a dark brown colored hojicha that almost reminded me of coffee in color depth and chocolate in hue. The flavor was rich and bold with a medium sense of bitterness in the aftertaste. The flavor was very strong, but only had a light sense of body to it. It felt very subdued. It wasn't strong early on, but the tea built up flavor to have a strong showing in the ending flavor and afteratste. It had a medium sense of astringency to it, and left me with an impression that no matter how bold it felt on the back end it seemend a bit bland.

Rating: 5/10

Conlcusion: This isn't an outstanding hojicha, but it's not bad either. It's priced very reasonably, although a bit on the higher end for a hojicha. For it's price in the hojicha pricing scale there are other more oustanding hojichas available. I do agree with the vendor description for this tea though that it is well suited for dining. It has a very good cleaning flavor to it, and would not dominate over food.

Emerald Needle

Tea: Emerald Needle
Vendor: Adagio Teas
Price: $18.00 / 4oz
Vendor Description: Sweet young buds, not quite open, make up the leaves of this fine tea. The pale yellow liquor releases a softly vegetal yet floral aroma. Delicate and light, this tea refreshes with the fruity-floral character of a dewy spring morning.

Leaf: The leaf for this tea reminds me of Meng Ding Huang Ya. It is only the buds like in a silver needle, but is not covered with fuzzy hairs like the silver needle. There are a few hairs on the buds, but it has mostly a smooth appearance. The shape and texture of the leaves gives it an almost fluid motion when moved around in the bowl, as opposed to the dustball motion of silver needle.

1st Infusion Parameters: 5g, 5 oz, 3 min, 185F

1st Infusion: This tea produces a surprisingly brown colored infusion. The leaf is much lighter shade of green once it has been infused. The tea has a very sweet and floral aroma to it. The flavor is crisp with a medium sense of bitterness. It has an almost sublime light fluffliness to it that paired with the crisp flavor and medium bitterness gives it a very lofty clean feeling.

2nd Infusion Parameters: 185F, 1 min

2nd Infusion: This infusion still had a light brown color to it. The flavor was light and sweet with a light sense of astringency. This infusion felt very smooth

Rating: 5/10

Conclusion: This tea is a rather unique tea. It straddles the borders of green tea / white tea / yellow tea expectations for me. It's not particularly potent for it's weight like the Yunnan Noir was, but it is not prohibitvely expensive either. This is a tea that if you are a fan of the style you would probably enjoy, but in general it's nothing to write home about.

Chocolate Chai

Tea: Chocolate Chai
Vendor: Wegman's Food Markets
Price: $26.99 / lb

Leaf: This tea had large chocolate chips in it along with pieces of coconut. The leaf seemed larger than that of the Masala Chai. The mixture has a very sweet aroma to it.

Mixture:
4 oz water
4 oz milk
1 tsp honey
1tsp leaf mixture

Infusion: This infusion gave off a warm milky cinnamon aroma. It was very sweet smelling with a chocolaty brown color. There are small flakes which float to the top. The flavor is just as it looks, it is light and chocolaty. It reminds me of a light mix of hot chocolate. The coconut flavor blends in quite well with the chocolate and gives a very enjoyable sense of sweetness.

Rating: 5/10

Conclusion: If you are looking for a warm chai drink this is a good one. Especially good if you are a chocolate fan. What I didn't really like about this tea though is that that all of the additives to this are really hiding any tea flavor that would have been there to begin with. Between the milk, honey, chocolate and coconut I didn't really notice any tea flavoring. But if you don't mind that about your chai, then this may be a good one for you.

Genmaicha Satsuki

Tea: Genmaicha Satsuki
Vendor: Den's Tea
Price: $3.75 / 2 oz.
Source: Shizuoka, Japan
Vendor Description: Genmai Satsuki is an interesting and flavorful blend of tea leaves with Genmai. It provides roasted flavor and aroma. Den’s Tea strongly recommends Genmai Satsuki to new green tea drinkers transitioning from coffee or black tea.

Leaf: The leaf for this tea was huge leaf. It is probably the large that I have ever seen for a genmaicha. There was a moderate amount of popped rice. The toasted rice has a few more roasting protrusions than normal. It seems like the rice was roasted a bit longer than most other genmaichas that I have tried. This would result in the increased amount of popped grains and the small protrusions.

Infusion Parameters: 5g, 5oz, 1 min, 185F

1st Infusion: The first infusion had a pale green color. The rice aroma was very prominent. The flavor was very crisp and characteristic of a genmaicha. The flavor was light all around, but was in good balance. If anything the flavor was shifted a bit toward the side of the rice flavor.

2nd Infusion Parameters: 185F, 1 min

2nd Infusion: This infusion had a bolder yellow hue to it. The rice aroma was greatly reduced and the flavor was quite light. There was a bit of a starchiness in the flavor on the mid-end transition of the flavor.

Rating: 5/10

Conclusion: This is a good example of a genmaicha. The flavors are present and appropriate. In both infusions the flavors were a bit weak. In later experimentation with this tea I found that it was a better tea when infused with more leaf / water. The price is good for this particular tea. There is nothing particularly outstanding about this tea though. If you want an example of the flavors in a genmaicha this may be a good one for you to try.

Genmai Chai Masala

Tea: Genmai Chai Masala
Vendor: Yogic Chai
Price: $10.00 / 2 oz.

About this tea: When I first started looking through Yogic Chai's selection of Chai teas I was rather surprised to see this one. It seemed like a very odd combination in an unusual multinational way. Genmaicha is traditionally Japanese and Masala Chai is traditionally Indian. So this felt conceptually like having a piece of naan with some sushi.

Leaf: The leaf for this tea has a very strong clove aroma with a very light genmai aroma to it. It looks very much like I would imagine if I were to mix masala spices with some genmai.

Brewing Parameters: To brew this tea I brought 8 oz of water to a boil and added 3g of leaf to it and let it steep for 6 minutes. This was the recommended method based on the vendor packaging. No milk or sweetener was used for this.

Infusion: The tea had a alight brown color to it. There was a very distinct aroma of cloves mixed with roasted rice. This was a bit confusing. The flavor was short with a light sense of bitterness. The tea combines a light genmai flavor with the strong and prominent flavor of the chai spices. The flavor combines into a very smooth flavor which is distinctively chai. There is a detectable taste of ginger midway through the flavor of the tea and it finishes with a light sense of astringency.

Rating: 5/10

Conclusion: This tea was rather unusual. The tea felt very much like two separate flavors of the chai spices and the genmaicha. There wasn't much harmony between the two flavors, but each flavor on it's own was pretty good. Without sweetener and milk it didnt' feel much like a chai, but it wasn't recommended to add to this tea.

Cold Water Matcha

After having the Lupicia Okabe matcha the traditional way I decided to try this one with a bit of a twist to it. I tried making it using cold water rather than hot.

Infusion: The flavor of this matcha was very creamy and had just a bit of bitterness to it. The flavor was sweeter than the traditional matcha. Interestingly it had a very strong and intense flavor on the center of my tongue. It was very refreshing and enjoyable.

Rating: 5/10

Conclusion: This was a very untraditional way to prepare matcha, but it was an enjoyable bowl. I'm not sure that this would become my preferred method of making it, but I suppose it would be more enjoyable during the summer when the weather is hot.