Bancha
I recommend this tea. It is is wonderful, soothing with no adverse reactions. I love it. Thank you and Blessings to Arbor teas.
Our organic Bancha (pronounced BAHN-cha) is an outstanding everyday organic green tea with a refreshing flavor that is both moderately vegetal and savory. Bancha is a common style of traditional organic Japanese green tea made from large, more mature leaves and stems of the autumnal and winter harvests. This organic loose tea renders a light-bodied golden infusion with a pleasant roasted note and creamy mouthfeel.
Ingredients: organic Japanese green tea
Located in central Japan, Shizuoka is known as the capital of Japanese green tea production. Though it is not the oldest producer of green tea, it is the largest: this prefecture alone accounts for 40 percent of all green tea production in Japan. However, much of the world never experiences organic tea from Shizuoka because tea is so popular in Japan that most tea grown in Japan is consumed in Japan; very little is exported. Shizuoka lines the Pacific, and runs into the Japan Alps and other mountains, including Mt. Fuji. For those concerned with the implications of the Fukushima-Daiichi disaster, we continue to have our organic teas from Japan independently tested for radiation.
At Arbor Teas, we believe tea should be brewed to suit your personal taste. We’re happy to make recommendations to get you started, but don’t hesitate to experiment! When brewing your tea, your main considerations are tea quantity, water temperature, and steeping time. We recommend green and white teas to be steeped for 2 to 3 minutes in water heated to not-quite-boiling, just as bubbles begin to form on the bottom of the pan (approximately 170 to 180 degrees F). For the best flavor, use fresh water whenever possible. Try not to steep your tea longer than necessary, as you’ll extract undesirable bitterness from the leaves. If you want a stronger brew, don’t steep longer, just use more tea. And don’t forget to re-steep your tea leaves to get the most out of your leaf!
Looking for more info? Check out our How-To Guides and Eco-Brewing Tips!
"Our Organic Bancha is much smoother and less astringent than many of our other Japanese Green Teas. So, if you are looking for a Japanese green tea that is less astringent than Sencha, Gyokuro, or Kukicha, then Bancha is a great alternative."
I recommend this tea. It is is wonderful, soothing with no adverse reactions. I love it. Thank you and Blessings to Arbor teas.
I devoured my sample of bancha from my last Arbor Teas order and this time purchased a full-sized bag. While not as boldly flavorful as its sencha and gyokuro siblings, I find that this tea has a more subdued, gentle vegetal and creamy flavor. I like that it’s lower in caffeine so that I can drink it well into the night without anxiety over being able to sleep. Awesome tea!
I've been trying out different green teas lately, so I thought I should give Bancha a try. Overall, I'm disappointed. It's not bad, it's just not much of anything. It does have some virtues: it's low in caffeine and almost impossible to over-steep. But there really isn't much flavor here, especially compared to some of Arbor's other greens like gyokuro, sencha, and kukicha, all of which are great. It's probably not fair to compare them, since bancha is known to be lower-quality, but the difference is really large. If you want a very subtle, very light tea, give this a try, but I personally prefer stronger, more full-flavored teas.
This is an alright Bancha especially for the price. I've had better qualities but those also cost quite a bit more. This one is missing the sweetness and fruity notes I've had from the higher grades but is drinkable none the less. Only reason I gave 3 stars is this Bancha has a bitterness and slightly more astringency than I like even with adjusted steeps and temps. It's just always present unfortunately.
Though by no means the richest, boldest, or most unique tea available on this site, this Bancha offers a great experience very indicative of Japanese greens as a whole. In this brew you'll find elements of Sencha's sharp grassiness, Kukicha's buttery zucchini notes, and some of Gyokuro's umami. If you're looking for a strong expression of any of those elements, then you should look elsewhere, but this Bancha is sure to please those who already like Japanese greens, as well as anyone looking for a good place to start.
Seems to me like a good everyday green tea as others have said. If you avoid over-steeping this tea it has a bold flavor while still remaining free from bitterness. I can tell that there are better teas than this with more complex flavors, but for the price I really am happy I have this tea. As far as green teas go this seems like a neutral option. I am somewhat of a novice when it comes to green teas in particular, so take my opinion with a grain of salt.
excellent
This tea has a great finish and aftertaste. To me, it's a milder form of some stronger green teas, and I think this makes it drinkable for everyday. It's a great afternoon pick-me up!
This tea has a great flavor. To me it is very low in caffeine. I prefer more caffeine in the morning.
I'm a Black Tea lover. I keep trying Green Tea for the health benefits, and end up throwing the bag away. This is the first Green Tea I have ever really enjoyed. It is mild and flavorful at the same time, if that makes any sense..... bottom line, I anticipate drinking this as often as Black: it's that GOOD!
This is certainly a good try! It is very smooth and light! The creamy buttery mouthfeel is certainly one of the most pleasant. It's great to lighten up the palette after a heavy meal without feeling too grassy. It is on the lighter side, so I might just add a touch more leaves to have slightly stronger taste. Just can't go wrong with easy going tea like this one.
I tried this one alongside Arbor Tea's Sencha. Very, very different vibes. The grassy and vegetal notes of the Sencha was replaced in the Bancha by nuttiness and roasted wood. Not roasted like a Hojicha or anything, but still a little more than I expected. Among the four teas that I ordered, this was my least favorite of the bunch. Not bad by any means, but just not my bag.
I was looking for a green tea to drink every day and after trying a few, this one hit the spot. It tolerates variation in temperature and time of brewing and it's pretty much exactly what I expect out of a green.
I really like the nutty, malty taste of this green tea. It is light, and not terribly astringent. It reminds me of the green tea with toasted brown rice in it, although I have not yet tried the variety sold here, so that may taste quite different.
This has been a favorite of mine for a while. Even though it's toasted, it's not bitter or heavy. it has a bit of the bite of Japanese green tea that I like with a bit of mellowness to balance it. Give it a try!
I began my green tea adventure with this one and after some experimentation in the brewing department, I have found this to be quite subtle and refreshing if done properly.
I had never tried this tea, so i ordered a sample with my last order, and it's great. A clean bright flavor, nice and lively. Definitely a new favorite!
Toasted flavor of brown rice over rich vegetalness of sencha style green tea
Moderate bitterness and slightly nutty with notes of dark leafy greens like kale