【Japanese x Tea】Tea Flight with 5 Teas!Which one’s best for After Meals?The most Fragrant?Japanese people’s Flavor Analysis and Recommendations!

2023-03-25
boss/smile
Konnichiwa everyone! Japan is now officially spring! and today...... we are thinking of doing a comparison of a spring staple!! It’s Boss from Japanese Snacks Republic!
saori/question
Konnichiwa everyone! It’s Saori from Japanese Snacks Republic!Spring staple......? What could it be? We’ve just done the wagashi tasting......
【Ultimate Wagashi】Which is the most delicious Wagashi (Traditional Sweets)!?
We did a Wagashi Tasting of the Super-Value Assorted Pack with 8 Different Types!!
https://japanese-snacks-republic.com/blog/entry_116.html?ref=blog
boss
Yes! Not wagashi today! But just as perfect for spring...... we’re going to do a tasting comparison of 5 unique types of tea!

【Japanese x Tea】Tea Flight with 5 Teas!Which one’s best for After Meals?The most Fragrant?Japanese people’s Flavor Analysis and Recommendations!

saori/smile
Whoa~! That’s a lot of familiar looking tea!
boss/smile
Yes, we are going to do a tasting of 4 Japanese well-known teas and a spring-time only Sakura Tea which is very popular at Japanese Snacks Republic! I’m sure that those of you reading this article are also curious about the various types of tea, what they taste like, and how Japanese people drink them, so we’ll go right ahead and do a review about that!
※This review is opinions based on Saori and Boss’s tasting and preference!
We know that every person has different preference for timing of and types of enjoying tea, so find your best teatime!

Kunitaro Genmaicha (Brown Rice Tea)

https://japanese-snacks-republic.com/product/product_page_11559.html?ref=blog
  • The tea with the strongest flavor of today’s tea flight!
  • The fragrant taste of roasted rice is characteristic and its best appeal! The fragrance is strong and noticeable, so drinking this tea will leave you highly satisfied!
  • Because the flavor is strong, rather than post-meal or with food, it’s a good tea to drink by itself (without food) when you want to take a break, in my(personal)opinion!

Itoen Oi Ocha Houjicha Roasted Japanese Tea

https://japanese-snacks-republic.com/product/product_page_15243.html?ref=blog
  • Of the 5 tea that we compared today, this one is the most aromatic! fragrant!
  • Mild taste, and it leaves a fragrant aftertaste that’s different from the roasted tea above! Its aftertaste is refreshing and so it’s easy to drink. It’s recommended for when you want to take a breather like after a meal!
  • It’s aroma is strong and the taste is distinct, so in my opinion, this tea goes better with wagashi than with sugary sweets! It’s non-disruptive and good to have while working like coffee too.

Harada Seicha J Tokuyou Sencha Japanese Tea Bags

https://japanese-snacks-republic.com/product/product_page_11972.html?ref=blog
  • Both the fragrance and the taste is subtle in impression, but the slight bitterness that leaves inside of the mouth is the secret to its deliciousness!
  • Of the tea that we compared today, this one is lighter in its taste, so it’s excellent to pair wagashi of course but also western sweets too without any flavor clashes!
  • Like the above reviewed houjicha (roasted tea), this is a tea that’s good for drinking after eating. Roasted tea has a significant taste and will leave an aftertaste, but sencha disappears with a mellow softness. This is recommended for when you just want to drink something or want warm tea after eating!

Ujien Mugicha (Barley Tea) from Kumamoto

https://japanese-snacks-republic.com/product/product_page_12212.html?ref=blog
  • Mildest taste of all, rather than for refreshment, this tea is recommended if you are wanting to enjoy sweetness!
  • It’s similar type of fragrance and taste as houjicha, but this one has a softer finish. I think this is easy to drink even for people who are not fans of houjicha too!
  • Of all the tea that were compared today, this is the only one that is delicious cold too! More so than after meals, this is a multipurpose tea that is ‘delicious and easy to drink with meal too’!

Nihon Ryokucha Center Sweet Sakura Tea Ouka

https://japanese-snacks-republic.com/product/product_page_16537.html?ref=blog
  • The most exotic of all tea of this tea flight!
  • This is not tea bag, it’s tea that’s flavored by Sakura extract and salt, and it can be enjoyed both by both its flavor and looks! Just like Sakura itself!
  • Flavor-wise, you can enjoy the salt and Sakura-mochi (Sakura rice cake) like wagashi-ish sweetness! It’s not too strong, so as far as situation goes, it’s perfect for accompanying wagashi during snacking!
saori/closeeye
So I realized after taking the picture of Sweet Sakura Tea, it would been much better if I took the pic with it in a see-through glass~!!!
boss/smile
Yes. It’s definitely a better-looking tea as a side view in a clear glass than from the top. It looked like the Sakura petals were really blossoming in the hot water, absolutely gorgeous~!!

A Summary!Best for after a meal!
Best alone, and such, here is the best sipping occasion from a Japanese person’s perspective!!

★Best for a cup after eating!Strong flavor and fragrance, highly satisfying!
Houjicha
Genmaicha (Brown Rice Tea)

★Good for sipping during meals or in place of water, for casual drinking! Mild flavor and easy to drink!
Sencha
Mugicha (Barley Tea)
(Delicious cold too!)

★For special occasions, a special tea that’s beautiful to look at too!
Sweet Sakura Tea

saori/question
By the way, we featured Sencha today, but what’s the difference between Sencha and Ryokucha?
boss
The simple answer is that there is a variety called Sencha within the Ryokucha category. So Sencha is a type of Ryokucha.
saori/fedup
???
boss/smile
It’s like the relationship between ramen as a category to shoyu ramen as a type.
saori/closeeye
Ah I see! That makes sense!
boss
Well so we had and compared a lot of tea, but which tea was your favorite Saori?
saori/high
I’m a genuine Houjicha fan, so I pick Houjicha all the way! When I work or play games at night, I drink this warm and solid-flavored Houjicha, it really helps me get my work done! I love it!!
saori
How about you, Boss, which tea do you like?
boss/smile
Me? I like all tea in general but I guess I like Sencha the best after all~! I like that it can be deliciously enjoyed whenever the timing, and I also appreciate that it doesn’t interfere with the taste of paired snacks! When I drink tea to warm up, I definitely go for Sencha!
saori
Those of you reading this article, at what timings and what kind of tea do you drink? If there are tea that catch your attention, we hope you can try it at the timings that we recommended today!
saori/smile
Now now that’s about it for today! See you in the next article!
Bye~!

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