★★★☆☆
Nice cup of tea for an early evening. An acquired taste for sure, but not bad. Grassy and mild flavor.
Classic steamed tea from Shizuoka, Japan. Rich, brothy texture (when steeped as strongly as you might find in Japan), refreshing aroma. Rounded finish that coats the palate, sweet flavor reminiscent of tender steamed veggies and fresh seaweed.
Customers use these reviews to describe their experience with Sencha Overture, including flavor, aroma, preparation preferences, strength, and how the tea fits into daily routines. Browse the full review history page by page to compare tasting notes, steeping tips, and favorite ways to enjoy this tea.
Nice cup of tea for an early evening. An acquired taste for sure, but not bad. Grassy and mild flavor.
I'm not going to rate this lower because it's really personal preference that makes me not like it. It's grassy and I'm sure green tea lovers will really enjoy it. There is something about certain green teas that just makes me a little queasy and this tea has whatever it is that does that to me.
I received a sample of this tea with the communiTea, so here we go, after having had 1 cup of it (2 brews, though).
I brewed this tea for approximately 3 minutes, in water that's about 165 degrees. Fairly ideal for this tea, if I remember correctly.
It is a solid green tea. A light flavor, with a hint of green, and not too bitter or anything like that. Just a standard, run-of-the-mill green tea. I brewed it a second time, for 3-4 minutes instead, at about the same temperature of water, and it was about the same. A little more bitter, but not bad at all.
I'm fairly meh about it, as I'm not fond of green tea, but I'm glad that I can now confidently say that, rather than assuming it based on previously-brewed cups that weren't ideal. While I likely won't buy this tea for myself, it's one that I wouldn't quietly re-gift like others that I've received or tried.
This is a nice a smooth green tea without the jasmine or grassy notes. I brewed this at the recommended 165°F temperature, but I steeped it for 3 minutes, which was probably too long. It's good, but not good enough for a second steep.
The scent of the dry tea was grassy. The flavor was buttery, and grassy, a bit more on the savory side. I was very mindful of the temperature to try to keep the astringency and wet grass/hey flavor at bay. I believe I succeeded, it was just lightly astringent, and the flavor reminds bright. I finished the cup, but it's not my favorite green tea, I didn't go back for a second steep.
Steeped 165F 2m
Not particularly a fan of this green tea. The leaves are gorgeous, and the dry scent is fresh. Steeped, it's a bit seaweedy for me. I think I'll give a few different green teas a try
Mmmmm, edamame water! This is a brothy, savory, amino-acid-ful green tea, just the way I like them. The sencha distinguishes itself from other Japanese greens by its bright, zing-y, almost acidic finish; it's the energetic young adult upstart to kukicha's innocent child and gyokuro's elegant lady. A second steep reveals grassier tones, bringing to mind a thick, emerald lawn just after an early summer rainstorm. I don't always feel inspired to wax poetic about a tea, but this one definitely brings out my effusive side! (2m30s @ 165 F, two steeps, no additions)
The leaves are a beautiful shade of green, and they brew up into a beautifully-colored yellow-green liquid. This tea tastes like a very classic Japanese green tea. I thought about taking one star off because it's not chocolate, but it's growing on me the more I drink! (3 mins @ 165 F, no additions)
A nice grassy green tea. I added a bit of sweetener
Couldn’t even drink. Couldn’t get past the smell. Black tea for me..
An excellent, mild, smooth green tea. I don't enjoy an overly grassy/seaweed green tea flavor, and this one was pleasantly mild.
I first tried this as part of the Japanese greens sampler, but today I'm reviewing through CommuniTEA. This is the first one I tried from the sampler because it seemed like a good Japanese green baseline. CommuniTEA and that sampler have shown me that I really enjoy these savory, brothy teas. I like a chance to expand my palate, and I liked this one a lot more than I originally expected. This tea has a savory, brothy, full bodied taste -- vegetal, like steamed greens, with a little bit of a seaweed taste and maybe the slightest bit of a salted butteriness. There's a slight natural sweetness despite the savoriness. I like it plain, no sweetener! This tea pairs well with savory food. It reminds me a little bit of miso soup so sometimes it makes me crave sushi, though today I had it with toast with hummus and artichoke hearts. For me, this cup is addictive and I just keep taking sips. Now that I've tried more greens, I think I like the kukicha a little bit more, but I enjoy keeping this one in my pantry! (2 mins @ 165º, multiple steeps --- it's key to steep this one as directed, not too long nor too hot!)
Tea was okay, in a green, grassy seaweed kind of way.
I enjoyed this green tea very much! I was worried about the “grassy” flavor mentioned in the reviews so I used a larger quantity of water and that worked to my advantage. Some sips were on the slight bitter side and others were on the slight seaweed side but nothing too extreme. I would drink this again!
I liked this green tea, but it's not my favorite. That's why it didn't get a five star from being a sample of my CommuniTEA box this month. For those who like a bold green tea this would be a good recommendation.
I love green tea. Just not this one. Mine had an ocean aftertaste and non of the freshness I usually associate with a good green tea. Nope, nope, nopeadope.
I wasn't big fan of the seaweed taste. It was surprising and not my favorite flavor
I'm a bit hit or miss wjth green teas but this one was so smooth and tasty.
I followed the advice of the CommuniTEA chat today and only steeped for 2 minutes with water below simmering. My tea was not grassy at all but it still had that 'green' taste. I didn't taste the veggie flavor some others got. This tea has the same buttery feeling as Silver Sprout but this flavor was stronger and a bit earthier. (The flavor wasn't as strong as another brand of sencha I've tried though.) Silver Sprout has a bit of grape-like flavor to lighten things up too but this is all green. It was a little bitter as it cooled but not nearly as much as Dragonwell was for me. I would get this if I wanted a smooth green tea with a stronger flavor than Silver Sprout. The resteep was pleasant but quite weak, I should have used less water or something. A 2nd resteep with less water was too weak to really taste.
I’m not the biggest green tea person but brewed through the Keurig and steeped for two mins was perfect for me. Not to grassy (I hate grassy or soapy tastes), gentle like white tea and such a delicious flavor. I would repurchase if I hadn’t already stocked up on Silver Needles but this is definitely on my list!
Today's tea was a decent, simple green tea. Steeped at the recommended 165 degrees for 2 minutes, it had a stronger flavor than some of the teas I've tried from Adagio that made it more substantial than drinking hot water, with more of a bite and some slight bitterness on some sips. The flavor was a bit stronger on the second steep, as I steeped it slightly longer for 2 1/2 minutes. Still a subtle sort of tea, but good, although I personally wouldn't go out of my way to purchase it had it not been today's CommuniTEA sample.
Smells awful. Reminds me of the fish tank filter when it needs cleaning. Giving this one a big pass.
This tea was just okay for me. I loved the way it smelled when it was dry, like freshly cut sweet hay. Had it tasted the same way, I'm sure I would have loved it. But the flavor was more like steamed spinach for me. Maybe I just brewed it in too hot of water. The lowest temp on my electrical kettle is 180°, so I allowed my water to cool a few minutes before I added the leaves. I guess I should have waited a little longer.
If you're used to black teas, a 2 minute steep at 165F seems like nothing, yet it produces such a full-bodied tea. It's a beautiful clear golden color and has a wet hay smell (better than it sounds!). It tastes about 50% grass and 50% seaweed, so neither is overpowering. I'm surprised I like it, since I usually can't stand fish/seaweed flavors, but it somehow works. The tea is very rich and smooth, filling up the whole palate and then gently warming all the way down. The second steep (again 2 minutes) was much more grassy than seaweed-y, and I enjoyed it even more than the first.
This tea needs to be babied, so monitor the water temp and steeping time closely. The whole ritual of preparing it can be very enjoyable and the end product is worth the effort.
This was a very enjoyable and pleasant gentle sencha. I think I'm missing some of the fun grassiness I'm used to with senchas, but maybe with subsequent steepings I can find it! Steeped 2:15 at 165F, going to steep again at maybe 170 for 3:00.
165 degrees for 3 minutes. Japanese green tea that brightens a cloudy, cold day with its cloudy gold color. Definite vegetal overture that mellows with additional steepings.
These tea leaves are dark green with a rich and grassy odor. I confess, I didn't have a thermometer, so I boiled water, let it sit 2 mins, and then steeped 1 tsp in a strainer in 8 oz of water for 2 mins (I know, please forgive me, tea leaves). The resulting liquor was quite pale, a trend I'm noticing for many of Adagio's plain green teas. The taste was pleasant but shocked me that it was buttery-creamy with barely any vegetal notes or astringency. It had a smooth mouthfeel and only a bit of a grassy aftertaste. By far, this was the gentlest sencha I've tasted, pleasant and profound but perhaps lacking umami. I rebrewed at a bit higher temperature and did get some grassy taste. by the third brew, only nuances of taste remained. Subsequently, I brewed 1 tsp in 4 oz without a strainer, and noted a much richer and grassier taste with that brewing. Conclusion: for a gentler taste, brew less leaves for less time at a lower temp. For a nice astringent vegetal umami experience, you might need more of these leaves per cup than other brands.
For a green tea it was better than I thought. You have to be very careful with this one, temp just heated. A quick brew and I got a nice mouth feel. It was just a nice simple cup of tea and not strong and grassy like most greens are.
Grass belongs outside, not in my drink. However, I understand that some people love greens teas, and purposely seek out this flavor. I am just not one of those people.
The CommuniTEA packet for today smelled like fresh vibrant Japanese green tea. I was elated to find this one in today's packet, because Japanese style green teas are definitely one of my favorites green varieties. I decided to go full-on traditional style and brew it in a cast iron tetsubin pot. Steeped for 3 minutes at 165°F, it produced a glowing vibrant green liquor.
The first sip was invigorating and calming, with sweet vegetal and grassy notes. It had a full and soft bodied character with a sweet, bright and fresh quality. The sweetness lingers and morphs into a gentle astringency.
The second steeping is a bit less strong, and tones down all the flavors, leaving me wanting to brew another fresh pot of Sencha or Gyokuro to regain the full-bodied sweet, bright, and revitalizing umami flavor.
With fine steam dried green teas, it's important to make sure not to steep too long or with too hot of water to avoid any bitterness. (2-3 mins @ 165°F)
I'm one of those weirdos that loves grassy green teas. The grassier and seaweedier (??) it tastes, the happier I am. So this tea ticked all the boxes for me. So, if you are like me, then this tea is for you! If you are put off by very grassy green tea, stay away from this one.
Let me preface this by saying I'm a nori fanatic; I've been 'wishlisting' teas that may resemble seaweed but by sheer luck, I've seemed to find one!
In reading the description of this tea a few months before tasting, I got the sense that this one would be mildly vegetal and seaweedy without really delivering on what I wanted from it. However, that is simply not the case! This sencha is, like others have stated, bold but not obnoxious and carried by its smoothness.
Would I recommend this sencha to someone who likes more contemporary, flavored fare? Probably not. Will I let that stop me from ranting about it in my tea group chat? Absolutely not.
It may be a wonderful green tea for those who like green tea. To me it tastes nothing like tea and way too much like grass.
Part of the February 2021 CommuniTEA box. Mild and broth like - when I think of a pure green tea, this is what I expect.
From the first whiff of my CommuniTEA packet I was sure I’d not be a fan. The contents looked and smelled like lawn clippings after a springtime mow, and I’m allergic to most things Spring. My packet had about 1.5tsp of greenery and a lot of small dusty clingy particles. I steeped slightly under 2min at 165F. This yielded a big clump of wet shredded spinach and a mug of what smelled like a promising soup broth but tasted like tinny water left from a can of vegetable medley, plus butter flavoring. Nope.
I cannot fault the tea. It delivered as advertised. The best part of CommuniTEA is getting to try these things you’d never pick out for yourself and one of those times it will be an unexpected favorite. Today was definitely not it for me. If you are a big fan of grassy vegetable water, this is for you.
This is a very grassy green that tastes a bit like seaweed. A bit of sugar helped me like it more.
This was a delightful green tea with wonderful light seaweed notes and a dry finish. The astringency is very mild. My kettle doesn't have a 165 F button, so I guessed when to turn it off.
This is my first introduction to Sencha Overture. I've learned that sipping this Japanese green tea with food is encouraged. It isn’t a good one to drink on an empty stomach. Upon opening the CommuniTEA packet, the loose tea had a strong grassy smell with a smokey presence. The slender tea leaves dark green in color brewed to a pale green and was less grassy in aroma when hot and the smoky presence vanished. I steeped twice at 163F for 2.5 minutes and experienced no bitterness. Care with brewing took care of that.
The taste of the tea was savory and of a green vegetable flavor rather than being a sweet and floral variety of green tea. I experienced a dry mouthful after a few sips and decided to add some mild honey to remedy the lawnlike savoriness. The honey add sweetened the tea nicely and shifted the taste from a serious grassy flavor to a mild and sweet hay-like one. I preferred the sweeter taste.
Pairing this green tea with a honey nut rice cake made this a nice sipping experience. I’m not a green tea drinker and when I do reach for one it is of a sweeter variety that is fruity or floral. However, I enjoyed the savory side of green tea today while nibbling a sweet treat. My rating of 4 stars doesn’t reflect the tea quality, just my preference for other teas that are not as savory and vegetal in flavor. However, in a Japanese restaurant, enjoying a Teriyaki glazed meal while sipping this tea may be the perfect match of sweet and savory.
This is an extremely grassy green tea, and the description of steamed vegetables and seaweed is very apt. I usually prefer a more smoky kind of green tea, but this is fresh and bright, a very literal take on 'green' tea. I prefer this better warm than piping hot, but it's very nice at either temperature. This is the perfect tea to drink as a palate cleanser between meals.
3mins at 175F
Not a fan of this green tea. Very savory and tastes strongly of seaweed and spinach. I think Sencha's are just not for me.
I give this 3 stars for living up to the description, it has a smooth, buttery mouthfeel and is more like broth than tea. I do not love green tea and would not have tried this if not for the communiTEA packet this morning. Some green teas have surprised me in a good way, this one was not one of those and personal taste would give it one star. It was also VERY astringent, but I think that might be user error of over steeping - so beware and do not over steep. (reviewed through CommuniTEA; 2.5 min @ 175F)
I think I may have finally found a Japanese green tea that I enjoy. This one smells grassy and slightly nutty, with mild seaweed notes. Steeped at 160°F for 2 minutes, the taste is pretty mild but smooth with only a very slight bitterness. I mainly get buttery and nutty flavors, a light natural sweetness, and an overall savory quality. It reminds me of Adagio's genmaicha but without the toasted rice flavor. It is a satisfying cup and I would probably order more to play around with steep times.
The sencha overture tea is definitely a green tea. Grassy and dry. this hay colored brew is not bitter when brewed at a lower temp for no more than 3 min. It is very enjoyable when hot, but takes on a different astringency as it cools. I would recommend this for an afternoon of reading or reflection.
I again find myself saying that I am not a very big fan of green teas. And this tea did nothing to change my mind on that front. It was just not a tea for me.
This is a green-lover's green. Whether or not you like this tea is going to depend on if you're at-home with the grassy, vegetal notes of an unflavored green. It's lightly bitter and astringent, and would definitely be brash and off-putting if oversteeped.
Personally, I'm enjoying it, but I'd need to be in the right mood to reach for it again.
Full disclosure, green tea is not my favorite, but I always try to keep an open mind and try each and every tea with no preconceived ideas. I brewed this up at 165 for 2.5 minutes and ended up with a light yellowish/green brew. The taste was brothy, and tasted like wet, soggy green vegetables(buttered), with a touch of seaweed. I really love vegetables, but this was not a tea that I enjoyed. I did sip at it for a while to see whether it grew on me, but ultimately decided that life is too short to drink a tea that I am not enjoying. I have been surprised to really like some of Adagios green teas, but this was not one of them.
Why? Why would anyone purposefully drink a cup of green water that literally tastes like you are drinking the water left over after steaming spinach?
This CommuniTEA offering was out of my comfort zone. Green teas are not a favorite, so I look to these teas as an opportunity to expand my horizons. After reading notes from other members, I steeped this tea at 165 degrees for 3 minutes. A peaceful light green color filled my cup, beckoning me to partake. The fragrance was not strong, more like a delicate essence of a spring day, the flavor was light and green, delicate and almost wistful. This was a tea for stopping and enjoying the zen of the moment. While I still prefer a more floral essence to my green teas (Phoenix jasmine Pearl is my only chosen green in my tea cupboard) this one was a pleasant gift from the universe, a reminder that I need to be open to new experiences.
Today’s communiTea was a very strong Green tea. As it steeped, it was missing was that typical light grassy smell, interesting my kitchen seemed to fill with an overwhelming wet hay, dirty barn aroma. Hmmm. As I sipped, only could manage four sips, I was hanging on as if watching an opera that just might grab my heart, but today’s performance was missing that earthy note, to calm my cup. Instead it took a dramatic turn, someone scooped up a cup of old, wet, seaweed and plopped into my cuppa tea. Sencha overture just not my tea. I love green tea and opera, but this ending was too much for me. But, like any performance, if you truly love a strong cup of Green, this one just might surprise you in the end. (2mins @ 160F temp control kettle)
I am not a green tea lover and this tea was no exception. It was a good quality green tea, for sure, just not for me. With a bit of raw sugar it was soothing.