Yuzu Berry Sencha Tea

In my late teen years, around the same time I met alcohol, I also met jasmine tea. I had only ever had Lipton tea before then, so the idea of a scented, loose leaf tea was enchanting and amazing. My tea interest bloomed into a tea obsession when I worked near Chado Tea House in Pasadena, but it took hold when my husband and I moved back to Pittsburgh, and we started buying tea at Prestogeorge in the Strip District, which to this day is my favorite tea shop. It was there that I discovered my favorite and (for a long time) my most commonly reached for tea, Yuzu Berry Sencha.

This tea in particular was a tea that was a staple in our household when we quit drinking on May 7th, 2014. We turned to tea because the warm liquid coupled with the comforting ritual soothed our spirits. Did you know that the liquor of the tea is the liquid that results from steeping it? It was somehow comforting to us that we were replacing one liquor with another.

I love so much about this tea — from its fruity, sweet floral scent to its delightful berry tartness. I especially like it with a pinch of stevia leaf added for that perfect balance of sweetness. When I first discovered it, I loved sharing this tea with so many people! It was amazing to hear how many enjoyed it and integrated it into their tea collections and their tea drinking (it’s also interesting just how many tea drinkers you can get to know in a cubicle farm).

Imagine my excitement to share this beloved tea, and how to get it, with an online community! Unfortunately, it was met with more than consternation, but outright disgust, and in some instances pity that I didn’t have a palate fine enough to appreciate true teas. These fine folks of the internet insisted that sencha was just common table tea — no one with a clue of what a good cup of tea was would ever drink something like that, or anything with added flavors like my prized Lady Grey Tea.

So uncertain of myself that I was certain strangers on the internet must be right, I launched myself into a litany of tea taste tests. I focused on what this community insisted was the best and most sophisticated of leaf waters — I sampled aged pu-ehrs (both fermented and non), no fewer than seven different milk oolongs, and even several lapsang shouchongs. I didn’t allow sweetener to touch my tea or extracted flavor to grace a single leaf. I faithfully recorded my feelings and ideas in a tea tasting bullet journal layout. I even selected a favorite milk oolong from the Republic of Tea that has delightful characteristics and body that changes as you steep it.

It took until my mid-life crisis and our move to Oregon for me to try yuzu berry sencha again. And do you know what? Despite what the internet says, I still love this tea, and I like it best with a pinch of stevia.