Japanese Cherry with Flowers Tea by Tea & Coffee | Teatico
Overview
Cherry blossoms are the whole point here, and this one leans into that with real rose petals mixed through a Japanese green tea base. The result is smoother than most Chinese greens, a difference that comes down to how the leaf is processed, and it carries a light sweetness alongside cherry notes that match the tea's name. Expect a green, fairly light liquor in the cup, with tasting notes that run grassy, floral, and fruity, plus a thicker mouthfeel and touches of rose underneath the cherry.
Green tea's place in Japan goes back to the 8th century, when Buddhist monks are said to have brought it over; Emperor Shomu reportedly served it at a Buddhist ceremony in 729 CE. That first introduction didn't stick, and for roughly four centuries tea fell out of use in Japan for reasons historians still debate. It returned for good in the early 13th century through another Buddhist monk, Eisai, who wrote a text on tea and health in 1211 and introduced it to the samurai a few years later. From there it spread to the shogun and kept gaining ground through the 17th and 18th centuries, to the point that green tea is now an everyday drink across the country.
Serve this one on its own rather than with milk or sweeteners, which lets the cherry and floral notes come through clearly. Brew with water around 75 to 80°C and steep for two to three minutes — much past that and the leaves turn bitter rather than sweet.
