Sakura blossoms are beautiful, but their taste is one of the more difficult floral flavours to acquire a taste compared to jasmine, rose or chamomile. But in comparison to the sakura blossoms, the use of the tree leaves in this Fukujuen Sakura Sencha provides a more gentle entry to the flavour.
The tea consisted of a pyramid tea bagged blend of sencha and sakura leaves.
Steeping one 2 g tea bag in 150 mL of water at 75ºC for 70 seconds, the infusion was a clear yellow green colour with a gentle sakura aroma that recalled a hint of almond. Served hot, vegetal notes of the sencha came through mellow before the slightly saline profile characteristic of sakura came through in the body to add an umami-like quality to the sencha and incredibly smooth mouthfeel before a clean aftertaste.
In the first infusion, the addition of sakura removes the sweetness in the green tea that florals like jasmine and rose retain. On a second infusion, the vegetal notes of the sencha are brisker and came through with the same prominence as the sakura, which has lost its saline undertones.
This Fukujuen Sakura Sencha contained 5 x 2 g tea bags. The tea originated in Japan and was purchased in Uji, Kyōto, Japan in 2015.