Aug 29
Review: American Tea Room Special Reserve Midori Sencha
American Tea Room, Green Tea, Melon Tea, Sencha Tea Add commentsLynn’s Teaview Snapshot
 | "As soon as I opened the envelop, the scent of fresh cut melon rose to my nostrils. And I’m not waxing poetic— it literally did."
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9.5/10
The delight of Le Palais Gourmet’s Special Reserve Midori Sencha begins with the eye. Or it did for me; my sample arrived in a clear plastic envelop. What appeared to be a sprinkling of crimson and saffron yellow flower petals contrasted beautifully against the luster of the dark green sencha leaves. I’ve read about tea leaves having a luster, but this is the best example I’ve seen.As soon as I opened the envelop, the scent of fresh cut melon rose to my nostrils. And I’m not waxing poetic— it literally did. It makes sense, since “midori” is Japanese for melon. According to Le Palais Gourmet’s website, this tea is “a blend of lightly steamed organic sencha with two types of Japanese melon.” To my American nose, it smelled like fresh cut slices of cantaloupe and honeydew, nothing artificial about it. The mellow scent of the sencha leaves provided the perfect base note, keeping it from being overpoweringly sweet.
1st infusion: I brought the water to 176F, and, using a porcelain infuser cup, steeped two generous teaspoons of the tea in eight ounces of water for two minutes. The wonderful aroma spread through the kitchen.
Having had several disappointing tea experiences earlier in the day, I was a little hesitant to break the spell, but tasting only confirmed my hopes. This is not only a fine tea, but deserves the title “special reserve.” As in it should be reserved jealously for special moments when it can be properly savored. As I raised the mug to drink, my nostrils filled with the fragrance of melons. The initial taste of the tea, however, is pure, bright sencha—bitter across the top of the tongue, sweet along the sides, with a refreshing pull. It doesn’t taste at all like melon, except that after I’d swallowed that first sip my mouth and nose were filled with the wonderful fruit scent that was almost as good as tasting. Every sip built on that layered, highly nuanced— is “aromascape” a word? That’s the best way I can describe it. The only one of my five senses the tea hadn’t engaged was sound, unless you count a lot of happy sniffing and sipping.
Both fragrance and taste held up well as the tea cooled, and when I had finished the first cup the inside of my tall infuser cup smelled just as strongly as ever of melon. That aroma is integral to the enjoyment of the tea, an equal partner to the taste of the fine sencha.
2nd infusion: When I came back to the leaves in the infuser basket, they were as sweet and fresh as before, with no stewed smell. Although broken, I could tell from the unfurled pieces that the sencha leaves had been of a good size. The second infusion, steeped for three minutes, was almost as intense as the first, but in different ways. The melon fragrance was still there, and very enjoyable, but not as powerful as before. This time the taste of the sencha took center stage, still brisk, astringent, but with more hints of sweetness on the back of the tongue.
I set the cup in the fridge to cool, wanting to try out the purveyor’s suggestion for iced tea. As I waited for the tea to cool, the melon and sencha flavor lingered at the back of my mouth. Once the tea had cooled down, I poured it into a tall glass, stirred in a little raw cane sugar and added ice to chill it. It was excellent, even for a second steeping.
For my final test I put a spoonful in a tall glass of water, covered it with cling wrap, and set it out in the sun to brew for a few hours. As I sit here sipping the iced result, I can say without fear of contradiction that it makes delicious sun tea, too.
The purveyor’s description does not say that this is a first (ichibancha) or second (nibancha) flush, which suggests that it’s probably from a later, less expensive plucking. That’s the only thing I can think of that would improve upon this exceptional tea.
$22.00 for a ¼ lb. package might sound expensive, but when you factor in that it will make 35-40 servings, that’s less than 65 cents per cup. Compare that to a glass of fine wine, or a can of soda! For a tea experience like this, it’s more than worth the price. Very highly recommended.
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