I was recently introduced to a newer tea company based in British Columbia. Yannoko Tea’s founder, Iain Scott, says his tea company was “born of a desire to further my own tea journey, with it’s ever broadening horizon, to entice others to join this journey of discovery and to provide the finest variety of small production teas at fair prices to you.” After tasting a few teas that are a part of the company’s catalogue, here are my tasting notes on the Bancha green tea Yannoko Tea carries.
– TEA INFORMATION –
Origin: Otsuka, Wazuka-cho, Japan
Ingredients: Green tea (June, machine picked)
Water Temperature: 85 degrees Celsius
Steep Time: 1 minute
– APPEARANCE+AROMA –
Dry Leaf: irregular, long and flat leaves. mix of dark and light green with stems, straw-like scent
Wet Leaf: green, leaves and stem, still straw-like scent and slightly floral
Liquor: yellowish green, grassy
First Sip Thought: “Toasted rice.”
Tasting Notes: Bancha is usually harvested during August and October, but I always heard that the best quality bancha comes from a June harvest. I was thrilled to see that this Bancha from Yannoko Tea is just that! The appearance of Japanese bancha reminds me of Chinese long jing, but the taste reminds me of a cross between Japanese sencha and hojicha with its vegetal and roasted profile. Think spinach with a hint of chestnuts. Bancha green tea is a lower grade than Sencha green tea, and you’ll notice a difference in price. Despite the lower grade, it’s still a popular tea for everyday drinking. The grassy flavour from this bancha is more subtle than what you might get from a sencha. Also, this bancha definitely was not roasted like hojicha, instead I found it tasted like toasted brown rice was added to the mix. The mouthfeel is super smooth with a clean finish and little to no astringency. Overall, this is a decent, extremely affordable everyday green tea.
Verdict:
*Interested in this Bancha green tea? You can find it online here.