Wegmans

(Review of the decaffeinated variety) I can barely taste the tea, and I usually prepare this tea with reasonably hot water. Normally, decaffeinated varieties pale in great comparison with the caffeinated versions of the teas-known for being much more robust in taste.
Anyways, I think all the Wegman’s Just Teas are fairly good, as long as you’re not buying the decaffeinated versions.

Today has been a chill day, and I do not just mean it is freezing cold and we are under a Winter Storm Warning (oh please, please let us get snow!!) Today I have spent mostly relaxing before the inevitable onslaught of holiday cheer. I spent the day working on a massive castle in Minecraft, so far I have the outer walls and part of the turrets complete, it will be my biggest build yet. Plus my shoulders and wrists needed a break before I get back to finishing all the crafty gifts I need to make. All this holiday business puts me in the mood for Spring, so it is time for a Springtime tea from the annals of my notebook.

Sakura Sencha from Wegman’s Food Market (originally by Ito En) is a Japanese treat evoking the delicate blossoms of spring, blending Kagoshima Sencha and Sakura blossoms. The aroma is tart and sweet with an undertone of fairly mild vegetal and a touch of grass. The sakura blossoms add a gentle floral tone with a touch of citrusy fruit that reminds me a bit of dragonfruit. The aroma is very much so reminiscent of springtime blending new growth and flower blossoms, overall the aroma is very delicate.

Once brewed the aroma, while still being fairly delicate, increases the intensity. Not only is there the floral aroma but now I notice notes of cherries and freshly mown hay and it blends wonderfully with the aroma of the sakura blossoms. The liquid has a sweet, fruity aroma with undertones of freshly mown hay and a hint of almonds. The aroma is still delicate and fairly enticing.

The flavor is sweet and floral with notes of almond and cherries. The mouthfeel is smooth and the aftertaste is that of fresh grass. This is probably one of the few times I will offer advice like this, but do not follow the directions on the website/tin. I found that if I brewed the tea at 175 degrees it turned out a bit bitter, very much so the flavor of a tea brewed at the wrong temperature. I brewed the tea again at a lower temperature (150 degrees) and all the bitterness was gone and I was left with a smooth and pleasant tea. As the tea cools the sakura flavor becomes stronger and the tea becomes sweeter, it is a wonderful reminder of springtime and perfect for a relaxing sipping experience.

I should note there is a slight chance that I might miss a few days posting a blog in the upcoming week. There are a lot of very social events I am supposed to attend and being an introvert these things kinda wear me out. Hopefully I will have a blog out everyday but if not, now you know why. Happy Holidays!

For blog and photos: http://ramblingbutterflythoughts.blogspot.com/2013/12/wegmans-food-market-sakura-sencha-tea.html

I bought this tea because I was running low on my fresh TGY from Verdant, and wanted to find one I could use as a daily drinker (I love Verdant’s, but unless it’s on sale like when I bought it I tend to only drink it occasionally.) I brewed this at the same time and temperature I give all my oolongs when I’m first trying them, ~185 for 30 seconds, increasing by 5 seconds each steep. This tea is not bad, though not as subtle and complex as Verdant’s. Its floral taste is a bit stronger than I imagined, so I might tone down the steeping time next time I brew this. It seems to be a decent daily drinker, but will by no means replace Verdant’s as my fancier TGY.

I’ve been kind of ho-hum about this tea, but I have to say that today’s cup was really nice. There were the floral notes with the muscatel flavor following at the end of the sip which had been my normal experience with this tea. Today, however, there was also a silkiness to the tea that made it so delightful.

I think the reason for the change is that my water was cooler than usual when I poured it onto the leaves. I’d turned my kettle off and then was distracted for five or so minutes before I poured the water and began brewing the tea. A very serendipitous turn of events that had me practically swooning over my cup.

I may tape a note to my tea tin reminding me to always let the water cool for a few minutes for this particular tea. Come to think of it, I may need to go brew myself another cup right now just to make sure… you know… for science. ;-)

My morning cup. Nice, easy to sip, and it’s keeping me warm. While this isn’t my favorite Darjeeling I’d never turn down a cup if it was offered. I find this has a lot more floral notes and far fewer toasty ones than other Darjeeling blends making it taste more like a first flush Darjeeling though I doubt it is.

I wrote a note for this, but Steepster ate it. sigh Short version…

This is a very nice tea. Lovely amber color with the smell of dry grass and flowers. The muscatel flavor is faint at first, but it becomes more pronounced as the tea cools. It’s crisp and clean at the finish which I found really refreshing. The second stepping was much like the first with perhaps a bit more of a grapey flavor throughout the sip.

I’m super happy Wegman’s is carrying this! I think this is the tea I’ll serve with dessert at our Thanksgiving meal.

I was somewhat excited to see that my local Wegman’s had more many more oolongs than last time I went. I had some moderate success with my previous teas there and as a lover of oolongs decided to try out their Wuyi oolong. I brewed this gungfu style. I would like to note that this tea was extremely inexpensive. The flavor of the tea was dry and somewhat earthy, not exactly what I was expecting. It was nothing phenomenal, but not bad. There was very little mouthfeel. I brewed this 4 times before I stopped. I probably could have gotten more steeps out of it, but I was not inspired to continue. This may brew well western style. This is by no means a bad tea, especially for its price. I may use this as a daily drinker, or if I ever get into the habit, one that I drink in the morning.

Two steepings, 4 min each, 190 deg F. First steeping tasted nutty, second steep tasted earthy and more full bodied. Steepings after the second yielded tasteless results. This is a dark Ti Guan Yin that needs a lot of room for leaves to unfurl.

Well, this is pretty basic and somewhat uninspiring stuff but I don’t want to drink anything awesome or, god forbid, new, as I wouldn’t be able to taste it right today anyway.

The base tea is pretty astringent and I don’t get very much of the vegetal notes that are usually in a sencha. I am guessing they are covered up by lavender. It is not, all in all, an unpleasant combination. The lavender is either that strong or I am regaining the sense of taste again ;D Because I can most definitely taste it… and taste it.

I am kind of indifferent to the flavor (or scent) of lavender but I have noticed that it does relax me. Perhaps I should look for some awesome herbal bleds with lavender in it?

It is a very satisfactory chai, although kind of generic… It has just enough spice to it to call it ‘chai’ but not much of anything else to make it stand out. Still pretty good for a grocery store acquisition. I just realized though that this is the only loose chai that I have right now in my ‘cupboard’ (countertop of a dishwasher more like it). An excuse for some tea shopping… NO!

You know… I really wish this was about half the price. It’s nothing special, but if it were cheaper, it’d easily be my go-to oolong for daily drinking. It’s got a lot of flavor when brewed right, even if it’s not a very special flavor. It stays strong on the second steep, too, which is a great quality. If only it were cheaper!

Pretty dull for a TGY, some bitterness I never worked my way around… maybe a longer rinse is in order. Also a very mineral taste. It’s interesting, but not exciting. Pleasant enough to keep drinking, but maybe not worth the price.

Finally drank the last cup. I think I was too critical before, this is just a really really finicky tea. You’ve got to do it just right. Apparently 3 minutes at 175 with 1 tbsp and an extra pinch for a mug is the right recipe. Not only was the jasmine just right, but the tea itself was extremely pleasant, with a subtle but sweet taste and that wonderful, almost minty aftertaste I wish every cup had. Only rated so low because of how picky the tea is about how it’s treated.

Lowered temp and steep time to try to curb the bitterness. It worked, but I was left with a watery cup. Fragrant, but barely a hint of flavor.

Got this hoping it would be a cheaper way to satisfy a jasmine craving. It’s a bit bitter at first, though gives way to a smooth cup with a hint of astringency. It’s not very good, but does deliver a nice kick of jasmine. Don’t think I’ll buy again.

Used less leaf and a shorter steep this time. The aroma was less overpowering, but still a head-ache inducing smokiness reminiscent of swallowing a cigarette. No subtlety. This is a full-on assault to the face.

Too much leaf or steeped too long. Even with flash rinse far too aromatic and left a burnt taste on the tongue.

I made this tea in a single cup brewing basket with a teaspoonful and a quarter of the tea. The brew was chartreuse and opaque which I wasn’t expecting, and the smell was fruity and citrusy. It has a very mild astringent flavor which could probably be corrected by changing the steep time and temperature. The flavor does not reflect the smell of the tea and is slightly grassy. It was enjoyable, but I would want to experiment with the steeping instructions a little bit.