Someone push me along here...

[LavenderPekoe]

or stop me if you think you should.

I got my first ever Den's order today (not much of a green tea drinker), but I am afraid to try it because I only have my ingenuiTea pot here and I have brewed lots of blacks and oolongs in it. This is what I got:

1 x Iced Green Teabag (10 tebags) (5206)
1 x Pear Iced Green Teabags (10 teabags) (5205)
1 x Powdered Sencha 30g (1.07oz) (6201)
1 x Green Tea Kit (9101)
1 x Sakura Sencha(Cherry) (2oz/56g)

I don't have my water bottle, so I can't try the first 3. There are 2 teabags in the green tea kit I should probably start with...I just don't want to mess up so that I hate green tea forever or not get the true flavor of it. Should I wait until I get home and use my English style ceramic pot?

[Victoria]

Replying only to the iced green tea bag issue, since I'm a newbie myself to grreens - but those are designed to go in regular bottled water bottles. You don't have any of those around? If so I'd start with the unflavored first. It was pretty refreshing and crisp and very true green. You may want to keep adding water as you drink, so it doesn't over steep towards the end. :o)

[LavenderPekoe]

Replying only to the iced green tea bag issue, since I'm a newbie myself to grreens - but those are designed to go in regular bottled water bottles. You don't have any of those around? If so I'd start with the unflavored first. It was pretty refreshing and crisp and very true green. You may want to keep adding water as you drink, so it doesn't over steep towards the end. )

Nope, we don't have regular water bottles in the office. The boss doesn't like them. I guess I could just use a glass....hmm.....

[Samovar]

Lavender Pekoe, let us know what you think of the Sakura Sencha(Cherry) tea. I've been pondering this tea also.

Samovar

[LavenderPekoe]

I will let you know, if I ever get up the courage to make it.

[Cinnamon Kitty]

I will let you know, if I ever get up the courage to make it.

It is not too difficult to brew. The directions on the back of the package work well. Flavored greens are more forgiving than unflavored greens, so it would probably taste fine if brewed any where from 180 to 190 F. I've tried it in both my kyusu and just an infuser basket with similar results.

It still tastes leafy with a cherry scent and cherry after taste no matter how I brew it. Just be careful of the little flower pieces getting stuck in whatever you use to make tea.

[hop_goblin]

They should of sent you some directions. Sounds like a very diverse selection you chose.

[LavenderPekoe]

They did send directions. I don't have any nice pots, though, and it seems kinda like I should. I looked over at my ingenuiTea and it just looks so...dirty. I will take the Sakura home and at least use my ceramic pot.

I put one of the cold brew bags in a glass that is about half a liter (it says to use a whole liter of water) and kept adding water to it as I got to the bottom. That seems to have worked out pretty well so far. I can handle that.

[TimeforTea]

Hi LP,

If you're ingenuiTea pot seems dirty, you can try to soak it in hot water and a little baking soda, and then wash it regularly.

Let me know what you think of the powdered sencha. I made it only once, and it wasn't quite what I thought it would be like.

Are you enjoying the grapefruit oolong and cherry rooibos?

or stop me if you think you should.

I got my first ever Den's order today (not much of a green tea drinker), but I am afraid to try it because I only have my ingenuiTea pot here and I have brewed lots of blacks and oolongs in it. This is what I got:

1 x Iced Green Teabag (10 tebags) (5206)
1 x Pear Iced Green Teabags (10 teabags) (5205)
1 x Powdered Sencha 30g (1.07oz) (6201)
1 x Green Tea Kit (9101)
1 x Sakura Sencha(Cherry) (2oz/56g)

I don't have my water bottle, so I can't try the first 3. There are 2 teabags in the green tea kit I should probably start with...I just don't want to mess up so that I hate green tea forever or not get the true flavor of it. Should I wait until I get home and use my English style ceramic pot?

[Ladytiger]

Let me know how you did your pear iced green tea, I can't get it to taste anything like pear, maybe because I'm not waiting long enough before i drink it?

[Proinsias]

*PUSHES*

[LavenderPekoe]

I guess I need to post an update since it has been all weekend without word from me (it was busy, I am still not caught up; there are still 230 posts left for me to read).

Teasweetie - I clean the ingenuiTea often, it has been a while, though, and I don't have access to baking soda or OxyClean (what I use more) at work. Thanks, thought. I really like the Grapefruit oolong, I am trying not to drink it too fast. It would be gone by now, if I wasn't careful. As for the cherry rooibus...well, it's ok. Rooibus isn't my favorite, but it is a nice change of pace in the evenings. I have been trying to cut my caffeine down at night. It isn't helping my sleeping issues, though. :S

Ladytiger - The pear tea, well, I think it smells like pear, the flavor is different, not exactly a good Bartlett pear, but I kinda like it.

Ok, so I have tried the Sencha Fuka-midori this morning. The first steep was ok, kinda grassier than I would like. The second came out bitter. Not really sure what to change. I tried the Sakura this weekend and I think I made it a bit too week. I liked what I could taste of it, but it didn't have a whole lot of flavor. I am used to black tea English style, so this is a huge change for me. All of the cold brews have turned out favorable. None of it has really knocked my socks off or anything, though.

I may just not be a green tea drinker, but I am not going to give up yet. I will drink everything I got from Den's and may purchase more of the cold brew items. I don't, however, like having to be fussy about making tea. I hate bitterness (hence the hate of coffee) and when a tea ends up bitter (mostly only happens to me with greens) I tend to not reach for it.

Thanks for all of the suggestions and pushes, I did get there eventually.

[MoGa]

Ok, so I have tried the Sencha Fuka-midori this morning. The first steep was ok, kinda grassier than I would like. The second came out bitter. Not really sure what to change.

I can't give you any advice on your particular brands of tea, but I have made lots of cups of lots of kinds of green tea.

Obviously, the temperature of the water is incredibly important. What concerns me in this thread is that you haven't mentioned at all how you are cooling the water to the right temperature for green tea.

Assuming that the first steep was fine for this sencha (you might like to try with water that's just a little cooler if the grassy taste was too strong) -

* Be sure that every last drop of liquid is drained away from your first steep at the time you pour out your cup/s. Any liquid left in the pot will become bitter (and spoil the taste of future steeps). This is vital.

* Take the lid off your pot in between steeps. With the lid on the tea leaves continue to steam and this can contribute to a bitter taste.

You might also like to try adding slightly cooler water to the second steep and/or not brewing it as long for the second steep as for the first. Both of these steps may help rid you of that bitterness.