What makes Tazo Zen green tea so pleasantly bitter?

June 3, 2009 5:09 PM

What ingredient(s) cause the "tangy" astringent aftertaste of Tazo brand Zen green tea?

I have been drinking the Tazo "Zen" green tea at work lately. The tea has a very specific aftertaste which I haven't experienced from any other teas or beverages -- I guess I would describe it as pleasantly bitter. The aftertaste seems to hit especially strongly on the sides of my tongue, which if I remember correctly from pre-school is where most of the "sour" taste buds are located, although I've also heard that that's all BS. Anyway, it's an incredibly strong sensation and I can't for the life of me figure out what might be causing it.

The ingredients per their website: green tea, lemon verbena, spearmint, lemongrass and "natural flavors". I can taste all of the listed flavors in the tea itself but this aftertaste is something altogether different.

Anyone with a sharper tongue than mine have any ideas? I would love to be able to cook with this flavor or incorporate it into other (mixed?) drinks.

posted by hamsterdam to food & drink (11 comments total)

Their decaf green tea has ginger in it. Is that it?
posted by B-squared at 5:19 PM on June 3

A lot of bottled teas include a relatively large amount of citric acid, which I think is sometimes lumped in with "natural flavors".
posted by Inspector.Gadget at 5:22 PM on June 3

Perhaps it has more tannin than you've experienced with other teas?
posted by hot soup girl at 5:30 PM on June 3

Do you drink it bottled, or from teabags?

It's been a while since I've had their teas, but I'm thinking you're tasting a sort of bitter-citrus, volatile-oil kind of flavor, as tasted in stuff like lemon zest and orange peel. Assuming those things aren't included in 'natural ingredients,' the source is probably the lemongrass and/or the lemon verbena.
posted by box at 5:33 PM on June 3

Thanks for the answers so far. Actually, I've made myself another cup and I noticed that this flavor is extremely evident in the scent of the dry tea bag. In case someone has some lying around...

Maybe it is the lemon verbena? I realized I don't actually know what that is, other than what I'm reading now about it on Wikipedia. Any other dishes lemon verbena might be in?
posted by hamsterdam at 5:38 PM on June 3

I might be off-base here, but you may be mistaking "bitter" for "astringent." Tea has astringent properties naturally, which is why Tazo Zen green tea (I've had many cups before from the office single-cup coffee/tea machine) leaves your mouth feeling dry. Cranberry juice, another astringent, does the same thing.

Bitter is a different taste, it's the kind of note you get from Radicchio or a strong IPA.
posted by thebergfather at 5:52 PM on June 3

I was going to suggest the tannin as well.
posted by Nattie at 8:15 PM on June 3

Upon further reflection, yeah, it totally might be tannins. Do you like red wine? What other kinds of teas do you drink?
posted by box at 8:34 PM on June 3

My own experience with green tea is that if I leave the leaves to steep for too long, it produces a very bitter brew. Green tea is different from black, you should steep it at a lower temperature and for shorter time than black. Try removing the tea bag after 15-30 secs or so and see how it tastes. It could also be the flavor of the tea bag itself.
posted by fan_of_all_things_small at 9:34 PM on June 3

Tannins was the first thing I though of.

I find that pomegranate juice also has this effect.
posted by Deathalicious at 10:19 PM on June 3

Green Tea steeped in boiling water has the nasty habit of cooking the leaves and creating a very bitter brew. Otherwise, Lemongrass, for all of it's lovely flavor, can sometimes have a very deep, bitter "tang" if used in a large amount.
posted by GilloD at 3:07 AM on June 4