Hello, fellow tea enthusiasts! I hope you had a great week. Today’s post is another Taste of Tea entry in which I’ll relay my notes from my tea-tasting journal entry for the Sencha Overture loose leaf tea from Adagio Teas. I purchased this tea as a part of Adagio’s Teas of Japan sampler; this is the third (of four) of the teas I’ve posted about from the set, so once you’re done here you can check out my previous posts on the Hojicha and Kukicha teas from the set.
Type of Tea: Green Tea, loose leaf
A quick bit about Sencha Overture Tea Sencha is a type of Japanese green tea [1], which is lightly steamed [2], and then rolled and dried; the leaves are rolled into a characteristic needle shape [2]. Adagio’s Sencha Overture is picked in early summer from the second flush [1].
Tasting Notes The dry leaves were a very dark green. Interestingly, in the soft light of my kitchen, they almost appeared to a metallic onyx-like color. The tea was only composed leaves, primarily smaller leaves that were rolled into a needle-like shape.
The dry leaves had a sweet grassy scent. There was maybe just a hint of pine and a bit of a light roasted note.
To prepare the tea I infused it for about 45 seconds in hot, but not boiling, water. No initial rinse.
After brewing the first infusion, the roasted note in the scent of the wet tea was heightened. The wet tea still had a grassy scent, but now more like wet grass with a touch of a minerality.
The tea liquor had a yellow-green hue and was a little cloudy.
The scent of the tea liquor was mostly grassy and semi-sweet. The texture of the liquor was mildly astringent with a somewhat dry, but sweet finish. The sweetness of the finish tended to linger in the back of my mouth. The taste was grassy with maybe a slight bitter note. There was an effect that I think was umami; there was a lingering feel on the tongue and the back of the mouth that accompanied the dryness, which elicited a salivary response.
The color of the leaves was more vibrant after being hydrated during the infusion.
Quick Summary
- Tea: Sencha Overture, loose, green tea
- Pick: smaller leaves, some tea fluff
- Processing: steamed, rolled, and dried
- Origin: Japan
- Retailer: Adagio Tea
- Current Price: $19/4 oz and $39/16 oz
- Texture: mildly astringent
- Flavor Notes: grassy, sweet, mild roasted notes, umami
- Finish: dry and sweet finish, lingers in the back of the mouth
Final Thoughts I enjoyed the sweet and grassy flavor of this tea. The mild astringency added some interest to the texture, and the lingering sweetness in the back of the mouth after the dry finish was pleasant. Overall, I found this to be a very enjoyable green tea. If you enjoy grassy green teas then I think you’ll enjoy this one as well.
Thanks for reading! Have you ever tried this tea before or a similar one from another retailer/provider? If so, please comment and share your thoughts. If you enjoyed this post or found it useful, then please like and share.
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References:
- “Sencha Overture Tea.” Adagio Teas. Accessed October 22, 2018. https://www.adagio.com/green/sencha.html.
- “How Sencha Is Processed.” How Sencha Is Processed | IPPODO. Accessed October 22, 2018. http://www.ippodo-tea.co.jp/en/tea/sencha_03.html.
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