Tea for two...or one.

I dedicate this post to Angela of Oh She Glows because she inspired me to try Japanese Sencha Green tea. She even did a post on it. I highly recommend visiting to understand why Japanese is superior to Chinese green tea.


I've always been a tea lover, but have mostly stuck to flavored green teas (Chinese), or herbal teas for bed time. When I worked nights for a short period of time (shudder), I really enjoyed a nice cup of  black tea with vanilla bean flavor, and a splash of almond milk. The first tea I ever tried was green tea. And I liked it!
But all of those were from a tea bag, not loose. I know everyone says loose is better, but I just never got around to trying it. I love to read about teas, and the customs that go along with them. Mostly from the Asian side though. British type of teas do nothing for me.
Sitting on top of my fridge in the midsts of my cookbooks is, "20,000 Secrets of Tea: The Most Effective Ways to Benefit from Nature's Healing Herbs." Whenever I purchase a new tea blend, I like to look up each one individually and see what the books says regarding the specific health benefits. I take most of it with a grain of salt, but it's interesting nonetheless.

Yesterday afternoon we went to the mall in Tampa because they have a Teavana. You walk in and you're surrounded by cute tea cups and pots. Seriously, don't go in with a wad of cash and the urge to spend because you might be tempted. I LOVE tea pots and tea cups. But it seems kinds of stupid for me to purchase a whole set since it will mostly just be me drinking from it!! ha! But anyway, sometimes it's nice to have "pretty things," am I right? Moving on...


I purchased an infuser mug and 2oz of Sencha Green tea. There was also a Gyokuro imperial green tea, but for about double the price. I was surprised by how knowledgeable the sales associate appeared. He was Mirza's age, and I don't see a lot of men like Mirza going around drinking tea...just sayin'! Yes, I judge books by their covers. I stuck with the "cheaper" Japanese Sencha since I wasn't sure if I would like it.

It has a beautiful grass-like, vegetable smell. Kind of hard to describe, but refreshing.

This is the infuser mug that I purchased...
In went one teaspoon of the tea...

I was kind of bummed that some of the leafs did sneak out of the slits and into the cup...

Still cool!!
I ended up restraining it again through a fine mesh strainer  and drinking it from my favorite tea cup...

I bought this cup about 3 years ago from Ross. I absolutely love it, but cannot find it again. I actually just contacted the company on the bottom of the cup to find out if they are still being made. Investigational work. The cup is called, "Fruit Story."

Verdict?
I think that loose leaf is the way to go. The flavors of this tea are sweet, yet grassy...almost vegetable. But mild and clean. Sweeter than I had anticipated. There is no bitter after taste. Also, you need to make sure that you do not pour boiling water over the leaves, as this will burn them and they will taste bitter. I am NO expert, but what I did was boil my water, and then remove it from the heat and sit for a little bit to let it calm down, and then used it. No bitter taste here. I love it!


Now, if only I had these beautiful views to enjoy my tea...






(source: blog.brillianttrips.com)


Someday.