By A.C. Cargill

The Subject: Japanese Sencha Kyoto Cherry Tea from The English Tea Store.

Rating:

Water temperature: 180° F
Steeping time: 3 minutes

Tea type: Green (Japanese)
Scents, flavorings, etc.: Cherry
Aroma, dry: Strong cherry
Aroma in the cup, plain: Cherry with slight grassy
Taste, plain: Cherry and slightly grassy
Aroma in the cup, enhanced: N/A
Taste, enhanced: N/A

2nd Infusion: Lighter color, cherry taste much milder so that tea taste comes through, no bitterness

Chilled: Refreshing, cherry taste maintained, good as is, better with sweetener

Comments:
Dry, the cherry scent is strong and overwhelms the smell of the green tea. Fortunately, in the steeped tea, the cherry flavor is lighter than anticipated. The mild green tea grassiness comes through with no bitterness or harsh aftertaste. However, the cherry taste seems to be cumulative, that is, it gets stronger with each sip since the flavor lingers on your tastebuds and builds up. By the time I finished a small cupful the cherry taste was downright overwhelming. Hubby, though, thinks this tea compares favorably to Monk’s Blend, one of his favorites.

Definitely a tea we could drink daily and one of the best flavored teas we’ve tried to date. Also, add it to your list of teas to try chilled. We did and were quite pleased overall. I did notice that there was an after-aroma of strong grassiness after each mouthful. The sweetener helps reduce this. Still very pleasant, though.

Disclaimer: This tea was provided by the company named. However, the rating of the tea and any opinions concerning it are always strictly objective.

Thinking of trying out some new teas this summer? Check out A.C.’s blog, Little Yellow Teapot Tea Reviews, for some great suggestions!