Sencha's grassy backbone gets a soft edit here: Tea & Coffee blends aloe vera into the leaf for a cup that's still recognisably green tea but rounded off at the edges. The sencha itself comes from Japan, where it accounts for roughly 80% of the country's tea production and traces its history back to the 17th century. The leaves are steamed, a step that halts oxidation early and keeps the colour a vivid green rather than the duller tones you get from other processing methods. Aloe vera, used across various cultures for centuries, is folded in to soften the brew's usual bite.
In the cup, the tea leans grassy and vegetal, with sencha's characteristic brisk edge meeting aloe vera's lighter, cooler note. There's a crisp, natural sweetness up front, a subtle vegetal aroma through the middle, and a soothing, lingering finish, closer to calm than to sharp. Tea & Coffee suggests a slice of lemon or a touch of honey for anyone who wants to nudge the flavour further in either direction.
Caffeine is present but restrained: about 20-30mg in an 8-ounce cup, enough for a gentle lift without the jitters of a stronger brew. Shortening the steep time is one way to pull less of it out, if that matters to you.
To brew it, use a pot with a strainer and about a teaspoon of leaf per cup. Water should sit around 80°C, since boiling will scorch sencha and turn it bitter, poured over the leaves and left for one to three minutes depending on how strong you like it. Strain before serving. Once opened, keep the leaves in an airtight container, away from light and moisture, somewhere cool and dry; sencha's delicate structure degrades quickly if left exposed.
Aloe vera has long been used for its soothing properties, and this blend carries some of that reputation forward alongside sencha's usual antioxidant content, though it's worth treating those as traditional associations rather than guarantees.
