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.
Cascading Hills Sencha | Green Tea
products.product.pickup_availability.unavailable
We're hoping to source a new lot in the future, but there is no guarantee.
Known for its “mountain aroma,” this tea is resolutely light with a fresh-morning mouthfeel and boundless charm. The strong mineral cup character is softened by the presence of lime and pine. Clean and pure as a mountain stream.
This lightly-steamed sencha from the Okuharuka cultivar was harvested March 2025 in Honyama Town, Shizuoka Prefecture and processed by Fumiki Kawaguchi in Sayama town of Saitama prefecture. The Honyama region is one of the oldest tea-producing areas of Shizuoka and its high-altitude climate is part of the tea’s signature character.
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