Apr 22
Review: Baxter Tea Company China Green Mandarin Sencha
Baxter Tea Company, Green Tea, Orange Tea, Sencha Tea Add commentsTroy’s Teaview Snapshot
 | "A Chinese Sencha (yup thats right Chinese) Flavoured with Mandrin Orange blend well to create something unique."
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9/10
This is a Chinese Sencha, wait what? Huh? Try as I might I can't find any reference that makes the phrase "Chinese Sencha" anything more than gibberish. Is there in fact a thriving Sencha trade in China that I know nothing about? I suppose its entirely possible, and considering the size of Japan and the current size of the Sencha market maybe quite probable, so why can't I find anything about it online? Is it a dirty little secret? and if so why is Baxter Tea advertising this fact clear as day? I don't think there is anything wrong, in principal, with Chinese sencha, but I'm a bit surprised that nobody is saying anything about it.The Baxter Tea website only says that its "A flat shiny green leaf that brews up bold for a green tea with a clean Mandarin Orange finish." That sentence is literally it. In fact their humility knows no bounds and you have to dig to find out that they donate 10% of every purchase to Baxter State Park. I'm not sure why this isn't all front page material. Tea drinkers, in general, seem to love a good story. We like to know where our teas come from, how their made, who made them, what methods are used to make them, and what the tea picker had for dinner. Give us a good tea and you win over our bellies, give us a great story and you get a chance at the heart. Wont you tell us the story of that little Sencha factory that could in china Baxter?
A three minute rest in a hot, not boiling, pot released all the tension that comes from the stressful life of a tea leaf, and also released a pale green/yellow essence in my cup. Both the Sencha and the Mandrin in this blend are incredibly fragrant, so much so that I still wonder where the bits of orange are hiding. All I see mixed with the leaves are little bits of red flowers, not the chunks of Orange I can easily smell. I sat there for a good five minutes looking like a retarded rottweiler trying to stay out of the argument as my eyes said something off colour about my noses mama.
The common mistake of blending storng herbals with weak tea was not made here. This tea is richly viscouse, as it smothers the tongue and mouth, and rouses the taste buds. It is clearly, and unequivocally Sencha with Mandrin flavoring, and not the other way around. The grassy tang of the Sencha is a good pairing for the orange, and creates something with notes of lemon grass, but used in a unique melody. Its bitter, but its the refreshing bitterness of Italian greens, not that of cooked black tea. THis is something I'd definitely buy again... But not until someone explains the phrase Chinese Sencha...
— To purchase Baxter Tea Company China Green Mandarin Sencha, or for more specific information on ingredients or the story behind this particular blend, click here to go directly to the manufacturer's web site.
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April 22nd, 2009 at 6:49 pm
I did notice the China reference and thought it might refer to the Mandarin orange flavor rather than the Sencha. However, it is an odd name regardless. China Green Mandarin Sencha—to me, the bigger question was is there Green Mandarin?
April 22nd, 2009 at 6:49 pm
Troy, the Chinese tea company hat provided me with the Lapsang Souchong I recently reviewed also gave me some Japanese-style sencha. The Chinese are, indeed, creating sencha.
It is here, on my blog: http://39steeps.blogspot.com/search/label/Sencha
April 22nd, 2009 at 7:01 pm
THERE IS BUT ONE TEA BLOG AND ITS NAME IS TEAVIEWS! AND STEPHEN IS ITS PROPHET! THERE IS BUT ONE TEA BLOG AND ITS NAME IS TEAVIEWS! AND STEPHEN IS ITS PROPHET!
Sorry.. have to say that…
The Chinese are always up to something aren’t they…
Actually it doesn’t seem that odd since there is a growing market for Japanese Tea.. and Japan itself is staying about the same size.
April 22nd, 2009 at 9:06 pm
If the Koreans can do a matcha, then the Chinese can do a sencha.
I still reserve the right to giggle.
April 22nd, 2009 at 9:08 pm
Korean Matcha? LINK!
And besides Matcha was invented in China, exported to Japan.. then immediately lost in china.
April 23rd, 2009 at 3:59 am
Powdered tea was indeed from China, but the refinement of Matcha was perfected by the Zen Buddhists.
If you want to buy into the rhetoric.
Link not necessary, just go to the Boulder Tea site. They have one. (Although I don’t recommend it.)