Tea Review: Super Twist Organic Green Tea (Mana Organics)

Super Twist Organic Green Tea
Mana Organics
Type: Green
Origin: India, Assam, Chota Tingrai Estate
Product Description:

Light, and refreshing, we grew this organic Assam green tea on our family tea estate, Chota Tingrai (27.458869 N, 95.354856 E). This Organic Assam Green Tea promises to soothe and rejuvenate with every sip.

This is a green tea like no other. Upon brewing, you first encounter the wholesome scent of a fresh cut garden as the liquor turns a spring leaf green. Upon tasting, you find a bright sweetness, accompanied by a massaging mouthfeel. The initial brightness soon subdues into a feeling of calm. As you savor each drop, you taste the clean fresh rain that falls on Chota Tingrai. The exceptionally sweet after-taste will have you reaching for the kettle before you know it. Which is OK, because you can brew this tea twice and get an even more exceptional taste the second time! 

We crafted this exclusive experience by wedding Japanese sencha tea manufacturing techniques with premium Assam leaf. We nurture every tea plant with 100% organic compost made on our estate. Our pluckers skillfully select each leaf. We make the tea on state-of-the-art Japanese machines. Tea Master Yanagawa-san oversees the processing himself to ensure that every batch meets the highest standard.

Temperature: 195° F
Amount: 3 grams
Steeping Time: 3 minutes

The dry leaves have a spring green aroma with light peppery notes.

The liquor is pale yellow-green with an aroma that is sweet, savory, green, and nutty and a savory vine-green taste with moderate astringency.

The best results are in the first two infusions, though the milder third infusion is still nice.

This tea was provided as a free sample without guarantee of a review.

Tea Review: Hojicha Green Tea (Mana Organics)

Hojicha Green Tea
Mana Organics
Type: Green
Origin: India, Assam, Chota Tingrai Estate
Product Description: A roasted green tea with golden liquors and smooth, smoked barely flavor reminiscent of open blue skies in peak summer. This special tea is a unique pairing of Japanese and Assam styles. Our hojicha makes a fortifying draught that ensures no matter how hard you partied the night before you will make that morning meeting.

Temperature: 175° F
Amount: 3 grams
Steeping Time: 3 minutes

The dry leaves have an aroma of seared wood and roasted nut shells.

The bright amber infusion has the aroma and taste of roasted nuts and nut shells.

This is the first non-Japanese hojicha I've encountered and it shares a lot of the characteristics of  a Japanese hojicha while still being unique.  Though the best flavor is in the first infusion, using more leaf would make a second steeping well worth exploring.  

This tea was provided as a free sample without guarantee of a review.

Tea Review: BOPSM (Mana Organics)

BOPSM
Mana Organics
Type: Black (CTC)
Origin: India, Assam, Chota Tingrai Estate
Product Description: Not provided.

Temperature: 208° F
Amount: 3 grams
Steeping Time: 3 minutes

The dry leaves have an aroma of wheat, sugar, malt, and grapes.

The deep red infusion has an aroma of baked squash, malt, and fruit.  The taste is moderately astringent, especially toward the back of the palate, with a long dry finish.

As is expected with a CTC tea, the astringency is moderately high and the full flavor comes out in the first cup.  It's designed to hold up well with milk and it does just that, producing a nutty, brown bread-like flavor that wasn't apparent without milk.  A second steeping isn't recommended, though it does produce an equally deep red liquor and a delicious aroma.  The taste of a second infusion is very astringent and might only be approachable with milk.

This tea was provided as a free sample without guarantee of a review.

Tea Review: Chota Tingrai Green Tea Fine (Mana Organics)

Chota Tingrai Green Tea Fine
Mana Organics
Type: Green
Origin: India, Assam, Chota Tingrai Estate
Product Description: Not provided.

Temperature: 175° F
Amount: 3 grams
Steeping Time: 3 minutes

The dry leaves have an aroma of licorice (when the package is first opened), oats, and spicy pepper.

The infusion is light golden-green with a savory and nutty aroma.  The taste is savory, green and astringent with a long dry finish.

Beyond the first infusion, the savory taste faded while the green notes became more prominent.  The astringency was a bit too much for me at a 2-3 minute steep and enjoyable at a 1 minute steep.  Shorter steeping times also resulted in a greener liquor.

This tea was provided as a free sample without guarantee of a review.