Maeda-en

Having brewed this the first time with probably too much leaf and maybe too much water temperature, I pulled out my bag of this tea and brewed it the way I brewed the other five shinchas in the tasting set. I found it much more palatable.

The aroma was light, but quite briny when it made it’s way through my nostrils. Flavors in the first steep were bright, clean and had strong doses of kelp, spinach, and watermelon rind. It wasn’t as sweet as most of the other samples I’ve had, but was up there. The best part of the first steep was that it a fantastic minty cooling sensation on the lips, tongue, and back of the throat that lingered long after the soup disappeared, making me want to return to my cup for more.

I even took this tea out to a fourth steep since it was my only session this morning and was amused to find that it looked much like the first steep, but tasted like thin tea-water. The second and third steeps gave full-flavored and rich cups, but they held the more classic profile of ocean vegetables, salty brine, and melon pith. I think this is an exemplary and clean example of the classic profile of flavors for a decent shincha.

Full blog post: http://tea.theskua.com/?p=21

In terms of flavor, this tea was clean and delicious, if a bit one-dimensional. It had friendly vegetal greenness, a faint bit of brine, and some distant tangerine leaves. The viscosity of the brew was enjoyable, with a long, lingering thick sweetness, dappled with near-savory umami. I did think, though, that the proportion of near-dust was rather high and may have contributed to my initial bitter brew.

What this tea did remarkably well was load me up with a massive theanine glow. It was nearly immediate, strong, and beautiful. A sensation of heaviness came over me, and I just sat on the patio, smiled, and watched the Sunday morning open with high clouds, a gentle breeze through the garden, and the cheerful song of goldfinches dance across the yard.

Blog post: http://tea.theskua.com/?p=21

I tried the tea bag sample of this last night.
I have no real experience with gyokuro (though, I’ve been intending to try it)…the only time I’ve had something like it was not great (Gyokuro blend Sencha by Yamamotoyama… I don’t recommend this really).

Like others mentioned, the flavor wasn’t very strong. I used 4oz of 160 degree water, and steeped for 2 minutes. While it did have some watery flavor, the tea flavor was excellent. Pure sweetness and an aftertaste that was also a little sweet but filled the mouth. For a teabag, this was really good tea (and got multiple steepings)… I would buy this if I found it in the Japanese store and wanted to get a good quality tea in bags.

Full disclosure: this tea was sent to me as a free sample by the vendor. However, there was no expectation that I would provide a review.

Gyokuro is probably my most preferred Japanese style tea, so I’m eager to see how this tea-bag example show.

160F water for about 2 minutes. Clean bright lime green soup. Flavors and textures are hearty and satisfying, if a touch light. The flavors are clean and enjoyable, though, with bits of orange-like citrus, a faint glow of pine, and some sweet grasses. Nice lingering sweet silkiness on the finish.

This was a bit light for my tastes and I might have brewed it a little longer with less water next time, but for a tea bag, I thought this was decent brew. Nice clean flavors.

Full disclosure: this tea was sent to me as a free sample by the vendor. However, there was no expectation that I would provide a review.

May as well move on to my other genmai-cha sample. This one a bit dustier and without so much rice.

Flavors are toasty but swing towards a sweet greenness quickly. Lingering glutamates from the rice stick on the palate. Still pretty rice heavy, but with more leaf and more kelpiness. Enjoyable, but simple.

At higher temps, this tea exudes bright tangerine, but I still find the puffed rice a little overbearing.

Full disclosure: this tea was sent to me as a free sample by the vendor. However, there was no expectation that I would provide a review.

Spent some time on the porch this morning and tried this tea out in further preparation for the full on shin-cha experience.

I must say I’m a little skeptical of shin-cha mixed with toasted rice and coated in matcha. Can the base leaf itself really be that good if there’s this much other stuff going on? Maybe this is the best use of shin-cha this year, considering the variable and broadly poor harvest.

The first steep is viscous, but largely tastes of strongly toasted rice. Maybe the first 6g of tea that tapped out of the bag had an inordinate amount of rice kernels, but this is one toasty cup of green tea. Dark emerald green soup. In the flashy finish quick glimses of tangerine citrus and umami-forward theanine sweetness. This tea has a real savory edge to it, hinting at sesame and green onion. Mild and a little heavy on the rice.

The second steep was completely empty. This tea does not steep more than once.

Flickr photo at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/the_skua/4668561111/

Full disclosure: this tea was sent to me as a free sample by the vendor. However, there was no expectation that I would provide a review.

Still at work, so let’s keep drinking tea. I’ve had enough caffeine today, so I’ll start to mellow out with something without. I must say I have mixed emotions about houji-cha as a style of tea in the first place. The concept of taking poor quality green tea and roasting it to produce something light, caffeine-free and easy to brew is, in my mind, not something to get all worked up about. On the other hand, it has a nice roasted flavor that’s rare in the tea world outside of a handful of oolongs.

At 200F and 90 seconds this brew comes through a little lighter and littered with dust (again). The flavors are bit coarse and charred. Faint bits of espresso, some tannic, dried autumn leaves and a touch of dark caramel. The body of this tea seems surprisingly thin and really parches out the tongue. I believe I’ve had deeper and fuller examples of the style, so I’ll go ahead and say this isn’t particularly exemplary in my mind.

Full disclosure: this tea was sent to me as a free sample by the vendor. However, there was no expectation that I would provide a review.

Continuing to explore the Maeda-en tea bag line in preparation for sampling the shin-cha this weekend, I moved onto the Premium Sen-cha. I turned up the heat a bit, seeking a little more thickness than the last brew.

I was surprised at how much dust came out of the nylon bag, but I think it was worth it, because I didn’t get that chalky paper taste from the nylon bag. This cup is sweet, clean and crisp, but lacks an overall depth of flavor and complexity. It’s bright, green, and heartily satisfying, but I want a little more from my sen-cha, some chewiness, some more chlorophyll, some more nuance. This is an improvement over the last bag, in my opinion, as it lacks the masking toasted character, the paper bag flaw, and improves in breadth of taste. However, it’s still rather light and simple. Glad to see, though, that it can take some heat without getting bitter.

Full disclosure: this tea was sent to me as a free sample by the vendor. However, there was no expectation that I would provide a review.

With my houhin at home and a handful of tea bags from Maeda-en at my disposal, I look to this sen-cha as an afternoon pick-up at work.

I’m not sure I’ve ever had a sen-cha as roasted as this one, with a distinct cooked chestnut and toasted rice overtone. It’s like having houji-cha and sen-cha at the same time, yet the roasted character drowns out most of the green or kelpy aspects of the tea, which show up as juicy vegetal flavors in the finish. Very light. A simple smooth drinker.

sooooo rich and soothing.

an afternoon pick-me-up. unfortunately, does not pair well with donuts.

after lunch tea :)

A quick “wash” or a 30-second steep in hot water does magic for this year’s new crop tea. I was a little meh about last year’s Oohashiri (but then again, if you’re not used to new crop, Oohashiri can be a bit shocking with its very vegetal nose), but the 2010 Oohashiri makes me very, very hopeful about this year’s harvest.

This is a great iced green tea! Since moving from my stay in Japan I really missed the cold green teas… I just add one of these tea bags in a water bottle and shake it up for about 10 seconds, and the flavor is refreshing and great tasting. I usually can add more water in my water bottle or glass for a second helping, and the flavor is still very vibrant. Also, I tried this tea bag for a hot cup of tea as well, and it also has the same great taste and the same bag can be used for multiple cups.

Reminds me of the times spent at the kaiten-zushi restaurants in Japan. As the manufacturer describes on their bag, Kona-Cha has dark green color, and a strong yet clear flavor that goes well with meals. Tea is very robust and works fine with hot water directly from a Keurig, and with a strainer (I use a finum brewing basket) to hold the kona-cha to steep for around 30 seconds, the result is a great cup of tea that can be enjoyed throughout the day.

A good anytime-sencha. Nothing special, but good flavour overall.

I’m up for just about anything this company produces. Wonderful quality sencha for a good price.

Last weekend some friends and I went to club/bar that had $15 all you can drink beer and rails, needless to say, shit got crazy and it was a blast…. But the next morning I wasn’t feeling so great…. Britt told me that she just recently read something that banana milk shakes apparently are good for hangovers because the banana helps calm the stomach, and with the honey, builds up the depleted blood sugar levels. The milk soothes the stomach and re-hydrates your system. Bananas are also rich in the important electrolytes, magnesium and potassium, which are severely depleted during heavy drinking, thus giving you a nice energy boost in the morning. Sadly, last weekend I didn’t have any bananas, so it was just water and Gatorade for me.

Fast forward to this weekend… after a night of Gin N Juice, Smash Bros, and Bang!, I didn’t wake up hungover, but I still didn’t feel like 100%…. So since I now have bananas, I decided to give the banana shake a try even though I wasn’t feeling too bad. But then I remembered reading in a tea book that green tea is good for hangovers, then it hit me…. Banana Matcha Milkshake!

So, pulled out my remaining shiki matcha powder (about 1.5tbsp), added 3 bananas, 2-3 tablespoons of honey, 2 cups of milk, and a handful of ice cubes to add a nice texture too it (plus, H20 always helps with re-hydrating yourself)… BAM! Heaven in a cup…

Boy, does this hit the spot… Great form of sustenance, I feel like I don’t even need to eat breakfast now, I’m actually full from drinking this….. Like I said, this morning, I’m really not hungover, just feeling really lethargic… I already feel a nice little boost of energy from this… So I could definitely see how this would be a nice hangover remedy…

This is a perfect blend of banana and matcha… You get a nice banana flavor, with grassy undertones that mix well together. Then you get that little extra bit of sweetness from the honey… With how glorious this tastes, you’d think it wasn’t healthy for you at all… BUT IT TOTALLY IS!… So I’ll definitely be making this in the future for hangovers or if I just want a nice, refreshing, and healthy drink to satisfy my sweet tooth!

Now I’m just gonna sit here and relax while drinking my shake and watching highlights from last night’s Blues game….

There have been a couple different types/brands of matcha in the past that I’ve tried that have been much darker in color (maybe due to not being made from Gyokuro but instead Sencha, or maybe they were burnt due to not being processed properly?), not the vibrant green color of typical matcha. As for this matcha, it is not bad for being a fairly cheap average quality matcha that you can find at an international food market.

Whenever I make typical usucha (thin tea), I use half a teaspoon of this matcha and about 1/4 of a cup of water at about 175 degrees. Then whisk it until all the clumps of tea are broken up and dissolved. It makes for a nice light, slightly bitter shot of energy.

Since this isn’t high quality matcha, I typically use it to make Matcha Lattes (which is actually what I started my morning off with today). I usually use about 1-2 teaspoons of matcha, 1-2 cups of milk (soy milk is a nice substitute), and a tiny bit of sugar, sweetener, or honey. I stir everything together just to get it mixed a little, then stick it in the microwave for about 1-2 minutes on high (making sure to watch that the milk doesn’t start to bubble or froth over). I then use a hand blender (or latte frother if you have one) to mix everything together thoroughly. A great and healthy way to start off your day and only a fraction of the cost of something from Starbucks!

SENCHA WIN!

I think I got the hang of this now.

Today I was determined to get this tea correct. I messed up so badly the first time through, that I wanted the second time to be pitch-perfect. So I used a teaspoon of this in 8 oz. of water (instead of a tablespoon in 9 oz.) and steeped it for a minute. I started my pour at about 50 seconds, just to make sure I wasn’t going overboard.

And WOW, okay, the difference is astounding just in color alone. I’ve got here a clear, lime-green liquid. It’s absolutely stunning to look at. Not olive-green sludge that I had the last time. There’s a bit of green, foamy-looking sediment at the bottom. Nom nom.

And the smell coming off of the cup is definitely more of what sencha is supposed to smell like. It’s highly grassy, with buttery undertones. It smells like a fresh-cut lawn.

Now the taste. Okay, you know what? I can get behind this. I get this. There’s definitely a high grass content to this, so if grass isn’t your thing, then this shouldn’t be for you. It melds into a very light, butter note,. This is chased by a more savory element to the tea, a briny element that reminds me of kelp or seaweed. Rounding out the flavor is a touch of bitterness. It’s bitterness, mind you, not from oversteeping. It’s an inherent and almost pleasant quality.

There’s a mouthfeel too! Not as silky as something like Samovar’s Ryokucha, but it feels full and dense.

I recommend waiting a bit between sips, because a most wonderful aftertaste will grow across your tongue. I can’t describe it, but it almost tastes like you’ve sucked the chlorophyll out of a leaf. Even though I’ve never done that before… that’s what it tastes like. A very specific, juicy-green sweetness. Really bright and pleasing.

So yeah, I think I’ve got the idea about this sencha thing now, and it’s actually a lot better than I thought it was going to be! Thank you, Steepster, for helping me figure out what was wrong with my abysmal first steep, and thanks to takgoti, for being kind enough to send me some of this to nom on!