I’m new to Japanese green tea, so I did a taste test at home of 5 teas from TeaSource. I brewed 3 grams of each at 175 degrees for 3 minutes. 1. Cascading Hills Sencha - More yellow than green at 175 degrees. Crisp, clean and flavorful. Tasting notes say “mountain aroma” and that is accurate. Not broth-y or saline, more mineral in taste. This is one of my two favorites in the group, but it’s quite pricey. Totally different flavor from the other four. 2. Clearwater Sencha - Definitely more green than yellow at 175 degrees. The most green of the group. Rich, broth-y flavor, but not oily or buttery. More saline. Of the “broth-y” teas in this group (#2-5), this is my favorite. It is tied with the Cascading Hills for my favorite, but a totally different flavor. Significantly cheaper than the Cascading Hills, but still on the expensive side. 3. Dancing Crane Karigane - Definite light green tones at 175 degrees, but not as green as the Clearwater Sencha. Very good, rich flavor. Definite “broth” flavor, a touch of grass. Buttery and rich. Much more depth than the next two, but not nearly as much flavor as the Clearwater Sencha. Still, it has to be said that this is the best bargain in the group. You can get 4 ounces of the Dancing Crane for almost the same price as 2 ounces of the Clearwater Sencha. Plus, the leaves look beautiful, with a two-tone color scheme (presumably due to the inclusion of stalk material). Definitely the most attractive leaves of the group. 4. Aurora Asanoka - More yellow than green at 175 degrees. Light buttery taste. Light yet still slightly oily (in a good way — that isn’t a criticism). Not particularly grassy, but slightly brothy. This is the most expensive tea of the group (even more than the Cascading Hills), yet it barely has more flavor than the Scenic Mountain Sencha. It doesn’t taste bad, but at this price I see nothing to recommend it. 5. Scenic Mountain Sencha - More yellow than green at 175 degrees. Very light flavor. Not broth-y, not vegetal, not mineral. This is the cheapest tea in this group, but I still wouldn’t recommend it because the flavor is so light. I think you still get better value for money with the Dancing Crane. Overall, #1 is a totally different flavor from #2-5. Those are all similar in flavor, with #2 the strongest, going down in strength and depth of flavor to #5. I highly recommend #1 and #2 if money is no object. #3 is the Best Buy by far, and if I weren’t tasting these back to back, you could probably serve me the #3 (Dancing Crane), tell me it was #2 (Clearwater), and I’d believe you. They aren’t massively different when tasted on their own.
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Comprised of both leaf and stalk from shade-grown tea only. The dry leaf is an attractive color contrast and the cup is gentle and bright with fresh vegetal flavors.
This tea was produced in 2025 by Otsuka Green Tea Co., a family-owned tea company that was founded in 1869 in Shizuoka, Japan. It’s been owned and operated by the same family for five generations. Their tea factory is located near the Nissaka area of Shizuoka, not far from Mt. Fuji.
Karigane is made specifically from Gyokuro (shade-grown) plants. It consists primarily of stems, but also includes some leaf material. “Kari” means “wild goose”. The tea is named for the shape of the stem, which mirrors a stick that a bird would rest on. During processing, the tea leaves are shaken and blown through a high-tech machine with over 700 cameras in a line that can sort the leaves by color (the leaves must go through this process twice). Otsuka deliberately includes the lighter-colored stems to create contrast in the finished product.
Ingredients: green tea
Steeping Instructions
3 grams | 10-12 oz water | 175°F | Steep 3 min.
Number of Cups
2 oz makes 19 cups, 4 oz makes 38 cups, 1 lb makes 151 cups
Ingredients
Steeping Instructions
Western Steeping Method
Steep 3 grams of tea in 10–12 oz of 175°F (79°C) water for 3 minutes.
Approximate Cups of Tea per Package
This estimate is based on the recommended steeping instructions for this tea. Actual yield will vary depending on your steeping method and personal preference.