Japan Greentea Co, Ltd

Sipdown! (14 | 417)

Two wrapped bags of this tea were part of a small Christmas gift from an Instagram friend. Thanks, Tiana!

Honestly, I wasn’t expecting much. Sakura teas are often flavored to taste like cherry, which I hate. I do love the real thing though, and this one is actually quite nice. The hojicha is toasty but mellow, and the sakura tastes authentic – softly floral and a touch savory, with a subtle cherry note to it.

This reminds me, I have a sakura hojicha from Lupicia that I haven’t opened yet… I should try that one soon!

Oh, that aroma is terrible. One big face full of nope. A medicinal nose bath of wtf. Then you kind of get a sense of hojicha and then it runs away again. Then again, I don’t drink sakura petals much so maybe that’s the dried aroma? I love the smell of them when they bloom. Yeah.. okay. I can see it now. But I still don’t like it. It is floral in a medicinal sort of way. The hojicha barely makes a stand.

So I got this here in Japan as something different to drink when I wanted no caffeine at night. It’s hard being a caffeine-free girl in Japan, and I’ve essentially given up. I can either drink way overpriced coffee, or I can drink caffeinated coffee. I can drink delicious but caffeine filled teas, or miss out on savoring beverages that make me swoon. But I try to do what I can.

So, this tea is one I chronically oversteep. It recommends a 3-5 minute steeping time at full boil, and I tend to just leave the tea bag in my cup, letting the brew become a bit bitter. It doesn’t bother me, but I could avoid bitterness by removing it promptly.

As for vigor, I had no idea this was supposed to give me vigor until right now- I didn’t know the word Hatsuratsu. But I don’t think it’s done much on that account.

As far as taste, this is a very Japanese herbal tea, meaning it isn’t gunked up with all of the sweetners and ornaments we like in our herb teas. (No, they save that for desserts over here.) Instead, it tastes like herb. Like a kind of generic green grass, but definitely not grassy in the way green tea is. This is like the tea equivalent of chewing a leaf of romaine lettuce. It’s actually rather pleasant(ly neutral).

I thought safflower was always sweet in teas, so I am surprised.