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I once attended a matcha-themed event in New York City and was pleased to encounter a new-to-me Japanese tea brand called Senbird Tea. The founder, Celia, was excitedly sharing a delicious cold-brew tea and I knew that I just had to check them out. Senbird Tea later reached out to see if they could send me their Green Tea Gift Set.
My backlog of reviews kept me from posting right away, but I’m happy to finally share my thoughts. Senbird Tea’s Green Tea Collection includes full-size tins of 3 Japanese teas: Sencha, Genmaicha, and Hojicha. The box was nicely designed and very sturdy with a magnetic closure.
Sencha Hatsuzumi
This is a deeply steamed sencha. As a result, the leaves have a bit more of a broken appearance. I noticed a wonderfully fresh and grassy aroma even before brewing. I prepared it using the recommended parameters of 167℉ water and an infusion time of 1 minute. Sencha Hatsuzumi steeped up a yellow-green tea liquor. The taste was vegetal and sweet with surprisingly little astringency.
Genmai Matcha Suzu
Genmai Matcha Suzu is a blend of sencha with roasted brown rice and matcha. There were some popped pieces scattered throughout. I prepared it using the recommended parameters of 180℉ water and an infusion time of 1 minute. Genmai Matcha Suzu brewed up a greener, slightly cloudier liquor than the sencha. The taste was earthy, toasty, and sweet with a mellow vegetal backbone.
Hojicha Yuu
Hojicha Yuu was dark brown with quite a few stems and mostly broken leaves. They had an earthy, slightly smoky aroma. I prepared this tea using the recommended parameters of 203℉ water and an infusion time of 1 minute. Hojicha Yuu brewed up an amber liquor. The taste was smooth and sweet with a subtle smokiness that echoed the smell of the dry leaves. There was hardly any astringency.
I really enjoyed this thoughtfully curated and beautifully packaged collection. It would be a perfect gift for a friend who is just starting to explore Japanese green tea. They were all approachable and unfussy but still very tasty. My one gripe might be that the lids of the tins did not stay on very well. That is nothing a little tape can’t fix.
Have you ever tried any of these teas? I’d love to hear from you in the comments below!
Use code nicole15 for 15% off AT SENBIRD TEA
Green Tea Gift Set provided for review by Senbird Tea.
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