it sometimes occurs that i will find a tea at my local
vendor's shop the fragrance of which attracts me
mightily. it likewise sometimes occurs that i am dis-
appointed by the tea which is subsequently pro-
duced from said leaves. it would follow from this
that leaf fragrance is not a solid indicator of qua-
lity. there are, of course, many things which need
be tested in determining quality, but it is passing
strange that a batch could give up an entirely
pleasing aroma in leaf form and then fall short in
taste.

any illumination of this would be welcomed.

wizard of ahhs/

��**©© > writes:

> it sometimes occurs that i will find a tea at my local vendor's shop
> the fragrance of which attracts me mightily. it likewise sometimes
> occurs that i am dis- appointed by the tea which is subsequently
> pro- duced from said leaves. it would follow from this that leaf
> fragrance is not a solid indicator of quality. there are, of course,
> many things which need be tested in determining quality, but it is
> passing strange that a batch could give up an entirely pleasing
> aroma in leaf form and then fall short in taste.
>
> any illumination of this would be welcomed.

Maybe said leaves prefer to be brewed differently from the way you
tried. If you could identify the tea and tell us what you did with
it, we might be able to help.

/Lew
---
Lew Perin /
http://www.panix.com/~perin/babelcarp.html

In article >,
Lewis Perin > wrote:
of this would be welcomed.

> Maybe said leaves prefer to be brewed differently from the way you
> tried. If you could identify the tea and tell us what you did with
> it, we might be able to help.

thanks for your offer of help. i'm a tea drinker of
some 25 years. i've run this tea thru the paces in terms
of getting it to speak.

what i am interested in is the phenomenon of a tea
which appeals to the nose, but does not live up to
its fragrance.

wizard of ahhs/

In article k.net>, ˆ†ˆ†**©© > wrote:
[snip]>
>what i am interested in is the phenomenon of a tea
>which appeals to the nose, but does not live up to
>its fragrance.

interesting question.

it's jasmine tea or rose tea (camilia sinesis) or most tea added with flowers.

also most tissane (herbal infusion) smells good but taste not as interesting.
a little better than bland H2O, to me. :-)

regards,

Pam @ Home

Cort Furniture Rental and Honesty are two exclusive concepts.

.net9/30/04 17:38

>> Maybe said leaves prefer to be brewed differently from the way you
>> tried. If you could identify the tea and tell us what you did with
>> it, we might be able to help.
>
> thanks for your offer of help. i'm a tea drinker of
> some 25 years. i've run this tea thru the paces in terms
> of getting it to speak.
>
> what i am interested in is the phenomenon of a tea
> which appeals to the nose, but does not live up to
> its fragrance.

Teas that feature fragrance over taste are known as "nose teas"; those that
feature taste over fragrance are known as "mouth teas". I've found that it
is better to "pull" nose teas and "push" mouth teas; that is, green teas
with a lovely fragrance seem to appreciate a lower temperature than teas
whose fragrance is less of an issue. Experimentation will tell the tale.

Michael

.net9/30/04 17:38

>> Maybe said leaves prefer to be brewed differently from the way you
>> tried. If you could identify the tea and tell us what you did with
>> it, we might be able to help.
>
> thanks for your offer of help. i'm a tea drinker of
> some 25 years. i've run this tea thru the paces in terms
> of getting it to speak.
>
> what i am interested in is the phenomenon of a tea
> which appeals to the nose, but does not live up to
> its fragrance.

Teas that feature fragrance over taste are known as "nose teas"; those that
feature taste over fragrance are known as "mouth teas". I've found that it
is better to "pull" nose teas and "push" mouth teas; that is, green teas
with a lovely fragrance seem to appreciate a lower temperature than teas
whose fragrance is less of an issue. Experimentation will tell the tale.

Michael

Floral scents in most cases mask a non descript tea. Most smell great
but taste flat. Japanese Cherry Blossom is usually matched with
mediocre bancha. It is harder to find a fragrance and good tea. I
recently found Osmanthus and traditional hand rolled whole leaf
oolong. Nice. I just started buying dried flowers and adding them to
my teas.

Jim

��**©© > wrote in message hlink.net>...
> it sometimes occurs that i will find a tea at my local
> vendor's shop the fragrance of which attracts me
> mightily. it likewise sometimes occurs that i am dis-
> appointed by the tea which is subsequently pro-
> duced from said leaves. it would follow from this
> that leaf fragrance is not a solid indicator of qua-
> lity. there are, of course, many things which need
> be tested in determining quality, but it is passing
> strange that a batch could give up an entirely
> pleasing aroma in leaf form and then fall short in
> taste.
>
> any illumination of this would be welcomed.
>
> wizard of ahhs/

If the tea of which you speak is one in which scents were added, take Jim's
advice, and ignore my previous post on the matter. Like Jim, if I want
additives, I'll add them myself, thank you.

Michael


Space 10/1/04


> Floral scents in most cases mask a non descript tea. Most smell great
> but taste flat. Japanese Cherry Blossom is usually matched with
> mediocre bancha. It is harder to find a fragrance and good tea. I
> recently found Osmanthus and traditional hand rolled whole leaf
> oolong. Nice. I just started buying dried flowers and adding them to
> my teas.
>
> Jim
>
> ��**©© > wrote in message
> hlink.net>...
>> it sometimes occurs that i will find a tea at my local
>> vendor's shop the fragrance of which attracts me
>> mightily. it likewise sometimes occurs that i am dis-
>> appointed by the tea which is subsequently pro-
>> duced from said leaves. it would follow from this
>> that leaf fragrance is not a solid indicator of qua-
>> lity. there are, of course, many things which need
>> be tested in determining quality, but it is passing
>> strange that a batch could give up an entirely
>> pleasing aroma in leaf form and then fall short in
>> taste.
>>
>> any illumination of this would be welcomed.
>>
>> wizard of ahhs/

Space Cowboy wrote:
>
>Japanese Cherry Blossom is usually matched with mediocre bancha.

Where, Starbucks? There is a beverage called Sakura-yu, but this is
salt-preserved cherry blossoms steeped in hot water, drunk usually at
auspicious occasions like weddings. But bancha with cherry blossoms is
pure imagination. You're just trying to get under my skin, aren't you,
Jim.

--crymad

I can buy Cherry Bancha and Cherry Sencha at our annual Cherry Blossom
festival. The scent is so strong I buy Cherry Bancha so change
mediocre too cheap. Next year I'll try the blossoms off my own trees
if there is no early freeze like the last two years. The teas I buy
have no blossoms and I've always suspected an industrial adulteration.
It's too sweet.

Jim

crymad > wrote in message >...
> Space Cowboy wrote:
> >
> >Japanese Cherry Blossom is usually matched with mediocre bancha.
>
> Where, Starbucks? There is a beverage called Sakura-yu, but this is
> salt-preserved cherry blossoms steeped in hot water, drunk usually at
> auspicious occasions like weddings. But bancha with cherry blossoms is
> pure imagination. You're just trying to get under my skin, aren't you,
> Jim.
>
> --crymad

Space Cowboy wrote:
>
> I can buy Cherry Bancha and Cherry Sencha at our annual Cherry Blossom
> festival.

This is in American, I gather. Whereabouts?

> The scent is so strong I buy Cherry Bancha so change
> mediocre too cheap. Next year I'll try the blossoms off my own trees
> if there is no early freeze like the last two years. The teas I buy
> have no blossoms and I've always suspected an industrial adulteration.
> It's too sweet.

So it's not just Japanese tea adulterated with actual cherry blossoms,
but rather tea with sprayed-on artificial flavoring? In the manner of
those horrid coffee beans made to taste like orange amaretto
cheesecake? This is sick, man.

--crymad

>
> Jim
>
> crymad > wrote in message >...
> > Space Cowboy wrote:
> > >
> > >Japanese Cherry Blossom is usually matched with mediocre bancha.
> >
> > Where, Starbucks? There is a beverage called Sakura-yu, but this is
> > salt-preserved cherry blossoms steeped in hot water, drunk usually at
> > auspicious occasions like weddings. But bancha with cherry blossoms is
> > pure imagination. You're just trying to get under my skin, aren't you,
> > Jim.
> >
> > --crymad

Where there is a Japanese community you'll find a Sakura festival.
The teas I buy are from Japanese merchants but I've always wondered
why no blossom and I feel the taste is syrupy sweet. I just bought
some from my local tea shoppe and the same taste. If the tea is
suppose to taste like cherry cordials then it is too much for me. It
is almost like a perfume. You can find my geographical location using
Google usenet and my moniker. I don't mention it here because I don't
want someone showing up at my door asking me what I think of some tea
they bought from a website.

Jim

crymad > wrote in message >...
> Space Cowboy wrote:
> >
> > I can buy Cherry Bancha and Cherry Sencha at our annual Cherry Blossom
> > festival.
>
> This is in American, I gather. Whereabouts?
>
> > The scent is so strong I buy Cherry Bancha so change
> > mediocre too cheap. Next year I'll try the blossoms off my own trees
> > if there is no early freeze like the last two years. The teas I buy
> > have no blossoms and I've always suspected an industrial adulteration.
> > It's too sweet.
>
> So it's not just Japanese tea adulterated with actual cherry blossoms,
> but rather tea with sprayed-on artificial flavoring? In the manner of
> those horrid coffee beans made to taste like orange amaretto
> cheesecake? This is sick, man.
>
> --crymad

Hi Space Cowboy,

> The teas I buy are from Japanese merchants but I've always wondered
> why no blossom and I feel the taste is syrupy sweet. I just bought
> some from my local tea shoppe and the same taste.

I don't know if your tea is made the same way as the "sakura shincha" we get
here (about anywhere in Kansai) during the hanami season. Here, it's simply
flavored with an essential oil (like earl grey). It's not "sweet" at all and
the flavor doesn't last long. Even if you don't open the package, in June,
all the flavor is already gone. I wouldn't drink some regularly, but one or
two cups in season, that's refreshing.

The "sakura" flavor is that of a sort of "pickled cherry blossom". The
blossom has little flavor and perfume by itself, except a few uncommon
species, Japanese cherry blossom are just for the view, no perfume and no
cherries later. Most of the "sakura" flavor comes from a liquid you get when
you prepare umeboshi (salted unripe plum + shiso). They traditionnally use
that flavor and coloring sweets, that are popular in guess what season.
There exist chemical substitutes too. Adding some directly to the tea leaves
is certainly "an invention". So what ? Now it's invented. From what I got,
it existed in Japan before M*rr*ge Fr*r*s stole the idea.

Crymad, Jean-Luke was the girl with the grapefruit sencha.

Kuri

cc wrote:

> I don't know if your tea is made the same way as the "sakura shincha" we get
> here (about anywhere in Kansai) during the hanami season. Here, it's simply
> flavored with an essential oil (like earl grey). It's not "sweet" at all and
> the flavor doesn't last long. Even if you don't open the package, in June,
> all the flavor is already gone. I wouldn't drink some regularly, but one or
> two cups in season, that's refreshing.
>
> The "sakura" flavor is that of a sort of "pickled cherry blossom".
[...]

Sounds odd. I wonder if this is a Kansai specialty, then. I never
encountered it in Kyushu, where I lived. Given Kyushuers' fondness for
sweetness, Jim's local version might have a better chance of catching on
there...

--crymad

cc wrote:ame taste.
>
> I don't know if your tea is made the same way as the "sakura shincha" we get
> here (about anywhere in Kansai) during the hanami season.

A Yahoo Japan search for ??? yielded two hits, both originating from
Miyanabe Tea Company:

http://www.miyanabe.co.jp/lineup/spr_1.html

Is this stuff really that common?

--crymad

crymad wrote:
>
> cc wrote:ame taste.
> >
> > I don't know if your tea is made the same way as the "sakura shincha" we get
> > here (about anywhere in Kansai) during the hanami season.
>
> A Yahoo Japan search for ??? yielded two hits

Actually, the search was for "$B:y?7Cc(B". Stupid no-cut-and-paste-kanji
newsreader...

--crymad

"crymad" > wrote in message

> Is this stuff really that common?

Yes and no. It's know part of the hanami "good" that reappear in most shops
during the hanami season only, but I wouldn't know where to buy any today.
It's like Santa Klaus clothes, I wouldn't say it's common usually in Osaka,
but in season, you can see 50 persons wearing some on the same train
platform. Maybe in Kyushu, there follow less the crazy trends.

For the other flavored senchas, I have never seen any on sale, for the
reason I never go to the Parisian tea shops here, but they have been
extremely popular with young women in the recent years. Other people don't
know that exists.

I don't think you'd become a fan of such teas.

Kuri

Thanks Kuri. I might find the taste more tolerable since there is a
version that is suppose to taste that way. This would make a better
iced tea. M*rr*ge Fr*r*s has a book in the stores for about $50.
Better have some free sample coupons. A couple of decades ago we had
a fashionable Parisian department store that sold a brand of expensive
tea called Fauchon. They were gold 1oz cannisters. Ring a bell?

Jim

"cc" > wrote in message >...
> Hi Space Cowboy,
not snipped but mowed down
> The "sakura" flavor is that of a sort of "pickled cherry blossom". The
> blossom has little flavor and perfume by itself, except a few uncommon
> species, Japanese cherry blossom are just for the view, no perfume and no
> cherries later. Most of the "sakura" flavor comes from a liquid you get when
> you prepare umeboshi (salted unripe plum + shiso). They traditionnally use
> that flavor and coloring sweets, that are popular in guess what season.
> There exist chemical substitutes too. Adding some directly to the tea leaves
> is certainly "an invention". So what ? Now it's invented. From what I got,
> it existed in Japan before M*rr*ge Fr*r*s stole the idea.
>
> Crymad, Jean-Luke was the girl with the grapefruit sencha.
>
> Kuri

Thanks Kuri. I might find the taste more tolerable since there is a
version that is suppose to taste that way. This would make a better
iced tea. M*rr*ge Fr*r*s has a book in the stores for about $50.
Better have some free sample coupons. A couple of decades ago we had
a fashionable Parisian department store that sold a brand of expensive
tea called Fauchon. They were gold 1oz cannisters. Ring a bell?

Jim

"cc" > wrote in message >...
> Hi Space Cowboy,
not snipped but mowed down
> The "sakura" flavor is that of a sort of "pickled cherry blossom". The
> blossom has little flavor and perfume by itself, except a few uncommon
> species, Japanese cherry blossom are just for the view, no perfume and no
> cherries later. Most of the "sakura" flavor comes from a liquid you get when
> you prepare umeboshi (salted unripe plum + shiso). They traditionnally use
> that flavor and coloring sweets, that are popular in guess what season.
> There exist chemical substitutes too. Adding some directly to the tea leaves
> is certainly "an invention". So what ? Now it's invented. From what I got,
> it existed in Japan before M*rr*ge Fr*r*s stole the idea.
>
> Crymad, Jean-Luke was the girl with the grapefruit sencha.
>
> Kuri