I love sakura flavored anything, so when Yunomi rolled out this new blend a couple of weeks ago I rushed to order a sample. I was especially excited that this was a naturally flavored tea, scented only with real cherry flowers. Salt pickled sakura blossoms notwithstanding, nearly every cherry blossom tea I’ve come across has added flavoring which I’m not a fan of. The only other one I’ve liked is Den’s Sakura Sencha.
Upon opening the pouch, I immediately felt transported to a field of blossoming cherry trees in springtime. The aroma of the tea is almost ethereal, fruity and elegantly floral. There’s nothing artificial about it at all, neither in aroma or flavor. The taste is exquisitely subtle, more sencha than sakura. You taste the fresh sencha first followed by a delightful cherry blossom flavor that gently dances across your palate. I recommend letting the tea cool a bit to really taste the sakura. The base sencha is buttery and light, and unlike Den’s blend, is not very grassy. Its mellow body lets the soft cherry flavor shine through.
The flavoring here is verrry light. For some it may be too weak but as someone who finds most flavored teas too overpowering, it was perfect for me. This is the first flavored tea – aside from jasmine – that I could drink straight without needing to underleaf or blend with a straight tea. I think this one will appeal most to those who drink straight green teas.
Compared to my other favorite, Den’s is a deeply grassy green tea with a stronger cherry flavoring that can taste a bit medicinal while this is a more low-key affair and is by far the most natural tasting sakura tea I’ve ever tried.
Flavors: Butter, Cherry Blossom
