Sencha Premier Customer Reviews

You know that awesome, tingly sense of being truly alive that you can only experience on a fresh new morning in Springtime? Well, if you could transform that feeling into a tea, Sencha Premiere would be that tea.

In the packet, this tea smells like freshly mown grass. Such a pleasant aroma. The leaves are a lot smaller than I am used to in a tea and they looked beautiful dancing around in my IngenuiTEA brewer, turning the water a beautiful jade color as it brewed. The smell, however, caught me totally off guard. This tea smells like buttered spinach or greens while brewing! I seriously couldn't believe it. My mouth was watering because it took me back to fried chicken dinners on weekends as I was growing up.

In the mug, the tea was a delicate light green color that is so eye pleasing. The same buttered spinach aroma was present. The flavor is light, grassy, slightly sweet and floral and...wait for it...it has a savory buttered greens note also. Not a strong greens flavor but it's there and it is delicious. Super fresh and so different from the tea I usually drink.

I will admit that, like plain black tea, I don't usually partake of plain green tea because...well, it's plain green tea and what fun is that? Therefore, I probably wouldnt have tried Sencha Premiere if it werent for the CommuniTEA. I'm so glad for the opportunity to expand my tea horizons!

45 helpful votes

It is really tasty green tea. I recommend to ty it.

5 helpful votes

I did some research on different types of Japanese Green Tea to find one similar to what they serve you at most Japanese restaurants I have been too. I was happy to find most of them available here on Adagio and they're amazing! Got to try them all if you love green tea.

5 helpful votes

Very good!! I got this for my boyfriend and he asked for the biggest bag after!

2 min steep · 2 helpful votes

Oh my goodness! I've had sencha before but never this good. Highly recommended!

2 helpful votes

Fabulous grassy, clean flavor. This is probably my favorite, and is difficult to find elsewhere as green an unoxidized as what I've found with Adagio.

3 helpful votes

Delicious green tea. Similar (and lower in cost) to Dragonwell

2 helpful votes

Liked this tea quite a bit. It is fragrant, vegetal, and a little bit floral. It's just delicious.

3 helpful votes

This tastes every bit as good as the expensive Masters sencha; very delicious. It's important not to overbrew it.

2 min steep · 165°F · 3 helpful votes

The flavor is a little heavier than expected. Not quite smooth, probably normal for this grade.

2 helpful votes

I was pretty underwhelmed with this tea at first. I got it as part of a Christmas gift, and I had used it here and there, but overall I wasn't that happy with it. It was pretty thin, a bit astringent, and didn't feel like it had any real depth or sweetness. However, I have been experimenting pretty heavily with my water supply recently. I hadn't thought about it much because my town has some of the best tap water in all of the United States and I was using charcoal filtered fridge water, but from the looks of it, the fridge water has far too many dissolved solids in it. I am getting a filter soon, but here is how I combat harder water. Firstly, boil the water. Then add in more cold water to cool the boiled water down to temperature. Makes for a fantastic, sweet, soft cup.
Brewing method: I don't usually measure out my water or weigh out my tea, but if I had to guess I'd say that I used about 4 or 5 grams of tea with 150 ml of water in my clay kyusu. First infusion was at 165 °F roughly, and I infused for one minute. It ended up being a little bit astringent at first, but mellowed out towards the end. My second infusion was also at 165 °F for 30 seconds. Now that the tea leaves opened up this was my favorite cup probably. Third infusion was 170 °F for 45 seconds, fourth was 175 °F for about 1:15, etc.
Wet leaf nose: I primarily get edemame here. There are some other more savory notes and some more green notes, but mostly edemame.
Taste: It varies slightly infusion by infusion, but primarily it is a thick, smooth, sweet vegetally taste. I didn't write notes down so this is all off the top of the noggin, so unfortunately it won't be too detailed. Not super umami heavy in my experience, but has just enough to round out the flavor of the vegetally notes. Finish leaves your mouth hydrated and sweet.
This review was quite badly organized, but hopefully you all get the gist. Highly recommended, just make sure that you are using a quality filtered water source!

1 min steep · 170°F · 1 helpful votes

Bought a sample size as a gift for my brother and he loved it! Said it was “to die for” and bought another 16 oz package the same day.

2 helpful votes

I have nothing but praise for this sencha but...I have to spend a fortune if I want to get this tea in bulk. Sadly, I can t buy it, it really hurts the wallet

2 helpful votes

So good! Sencha is a favourite of mine and this is a good one .

it tastes like expensive grass, and i mean that in a good way!!

1 helpful votes

A good sencha! A slightly more warm/toasty scent than what I m used to from a usually dark/grassy tea, but still delicious.

1 helpful votes

This is a good sencha tea for someone who is new to trying quality Japanese green teas. Some of the less positive reviews on here make me wonder if some people really knew what they were drinking (a side effect of all the CommuniTea revews that get posted now). This is not a Chinese green tea, and it really should be experienced as they would brew it in Japan at least once. Yes, there are some broken leaf bits. There are in other sencha teas. Broken leaves are not an automatic signifier of low quality tea. at least with Japanese green tea. There are some fukamushi style senchas that look bad but taste amazing. Lower temperature brewing is important. You will be rewarded with a somewhat brothy brew that tastes fresh, thick, and is not bitter or overly grassy. This tea could easily be resteeped 2-3 times (each steeping will be different but no less tasty), and even if you push it to a 4th steeping at high temperature, it will not be a bitter, astringent mess. like some other teas. Don't forget that you can try cold brewing this tea, too.

1st Infusion (5 g in ~170 mL water @ 165 deg F for 2 min): lighter yellow liquid with a fresh aroma and a little thickness in the mouth. The taste is a little floral, grassy, sweet, and savory (almost like a hint of salt). There is a touch of bitterness on the finish.

2nd infusion (30 seconds @ 165 deg F): the floral notes are mostly gone with a deeper yellow color this time, but they have been replaced with more vegetal notes such as stewed greens, roasted vegetables, edamame, and some standard grass notes, too. This is more savory than the first infusion.

3rd Infusion (2 min and 30 s @ 180 deg F): more astringent and bitter but not at all unpleasant. Still has vegetal notes. The color is a more golden yellow at this point.

4th Infusion (3 min and 30 s @ 195 deg F): still more astringent and bitter - not bad, though. Grassy notes are still present. This is probably as far as one would wanna take this tea.

2 min steep · 165°F · 1 helpful votes

It’s hard to go back to drinking any other green tea after tasting this. I buy this by the pound now! It’s so soothing and almost brothy (in a good way). A little sweet on the finish without any bitterness even if you steep it a little too long.

3 min steep · 170°F

Very good, but I'll stick with my usual Sencha Overture, which is a little less expensive.

2 min steep · 165°F

This is a great tea. I started at a low temperature out of caution but I actually think it’s a bit nicer at a higher temperature with a slight bit more astringency. It is somewhat grassy but nowhere near what gyokuro is. I think this is a great everyday Japanese green tea.

1 min steep · 160°F

This is the best premier sencha tea I have had. And I have tried several brands.

2 min steep · 160°F

Don't miss out on not having this tea in your stash. It's so good!

Honestly, not worth the hype or the price. Tasted like freshly cut grass, but not in a good way

Easily my favorite green tea. has a very sweet taste

2 min steep · 165°F

I could drink this tea every day for the rest of my life. I make two cups and add a couple Splenda packets. (I know, sacrelig, but I like it)

This is my go to morning drink and it does not disappoint. Everything about it is perfect.

2 min steep · 150°F

Beautiful, quality green tea. A must for any avid tea lover.

I love how grassy and nutty this tea is. It almost has an umami flavor and it smells so fresh. I enjoy the pretty green color in a clear cup as well.

1 helpful votes

Reminds me of the tea they serve on a Japanese airline but better!

Strong grassy notes upon opening package. Tea is long, thin needles, with a fresh colour. Liquor brews up a startling shade of green. Clean, creamy mouthfeel with grassy flavours and a sweet aftertaste. Definitely an indulgence, but worth the money for an elegant cup of tea to be enjoyed on its own or with small sweets and fresh fruit.

4 min steep · 175°F · 1 helpful votes

This was a yummy green tea. It smelled great. I enjoyed several steeps each time

2 min steep · 160°F

A solid Japanese style green. I enjoyed it, but I didn't feel compelled to order again. I currently have the Kukicha, which is filling the Japanese style niche for now, and the Kukicha is more interesting in my opinion. May try this again, as it's been a while since I last had it.

2 min steep · 180°F

A favorite green tea of mine, a bit astringent and grassy. An excellent first cup of tea in the morning.

3 min steep · 180°F · 1 helpful votes

This is a really good tea. I really like it a lot.

Quite frankly, not as good as the Sencha Overture. This has more volume, but the flavour profile is a bit dankier, more earthen.

5 min steep · 200°F · 1 helpful votes

Less of the marine/seaweed flavors of the Overture. Overall good, tho I prefer stronger grassy flavors

2 min steep · 175°F · 1 helpful votes

I'm a sucker for green teas and this delivered. Would definitely recomend.

3 min steep · 212°F

Sencha is new to me,I have only one other to compare it to. They both are good but highly different. This one is much more forgiving if over steeped.

2 min steep · 165°F

A very strange first sip, far more like drinking a vegetable than a normal cup of tea. Edamame is right, but I really like edamame, so I was pleasantly surprised. My first time trying sencha, and I think I m a fan of it.

2 min steep · 165°F · 11 helpful votes

I like this tea for the price. It’s my go-to Sencha

I have rather enjoyed the gyokuro and sencha varieties lately being currently almost exclusively the type of green tea I drink. I can t speak a ton on the flavor, but it leans a fair bit towards vegetal, and is quite pleasant.

2 min steep · 165°F · 1 helpful votes

I have learned to steep it for less time at 170 degrees and it's less bitter...I'm a tea nut but I like my teas weaker than most people.

2 min steep · 170°F

This is an amazing tea. It's like a buttery, herby green tea. I got this once before and over-steeped. That ruins it for me! I gave it another shot and watched it carefully. Made all the difference. I love this tea!

8 helpful votes

I expected this to be a little stronger; I enjoyed my second cup much more (2 tsp.). Eventually though, I found the right quantity to use and now it is something I use very frequently, and guests seem to love it’s balanced and savory body.

4 min steep · 165°F

I am in love with this tea and am so glad I found Adagio teas. It is hard to find a sencha I like, because most are too weak in flavor, but when my favorite tea shop changed their source, I thought I would give Adagio a try. I have been drinking this every day for years and never tire of it.

A beautiful light, grassy tea. I would say probably mid-high quality sencha

1 min steep · 190°F · 1 helpful votes

This is great sencha! Very earthy and just ever so slightly sweet in a grassy kind of way. Sencha has always been my favorite green, but this is particularly good.

2 min steep · 165°F · 1 helpful votes

An incredibly fresh and bright cup. First steep even smelled a little of fresh fruits. This is one that I will keep coming back to.

I had high expectations for this, it was so-so. I prefer gyokuro better compared to this one

I think sencha is the best Japanese tea and it is hard to find good quality sencha. I did find my here at adagio

2 min steep · 175°F