The third shincha of 2020.
I don’t think I’ve ever gone through a Japanese tea as quickly as this one. Usually it takes me a while to get through a bag of sencha but I’ve already polished off half the 100g pouch in only a month. Have to pace myself now so I don’t go through my stash too quickly because that’s how good this tea is.
This is a tamaryokucha, which is processed differently from regular sencha resulting in less astringency and a smoother flavor. It’s more forgiving to oversteeping and water temperature.
The tea itself has a subtle and unassuming appearance. Small broken leaves that have a mild grassy aroma. The brewed tea is a buttery sweet fruity explosion with nice umami and floral overtones. Smooth, crisp, and full bodied. Upping the leaf quantity intensifies the umami. Second steep is a denser cup, vibrant lime green with grassy chlorophyll flavors. The third and final steep is lighter but delightfully fruity and sweet. There was little to no bitterness and no sulfuric edge that Japanese greens can sometimes leave behind even when I really push the steep.
This was a marvelous tea exhibiting the best characteristics of sencha without any of the off-putting ones. It’s less finicky to brew and has more sweetness than other Japanese greens I’ve tried which I like . Easily the best shincha this year and the best Japanese green I’ve had recently.
Flavors: Citrus, Corn Husk, Floral, Fruity, Grass, Sweet, Umami
Preparation
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Sounds lovely. I learn so much from my fellow Steepies—had never heard of tamaryokucha before!
Yum! I really enjoyed the Tamaryokucha I tried from Obubu. I haven’t order from Yuuki-cha yet, as I’m always so overwhelmed by the endless number of teas! Plus 100g is a lot for me, especially when I’d like to try multiple things… XD
@Cameron B, Yuuki-Cha is generally very good quality but yeah I wish they would offer smaller sizes too so I could sample everything
I’m at a point now that no matter how much I want something, if I can’t find it in 50g or less, I refuse to buy it. The only time I might make an exception is really heavy/bulky fruit teas that are quite heavy and I pretty much exclusively make as cold brew, which requires a lot of that bulky “leaf” per batch. But for plain tea leaf? No way. I have learned just how impossible it is for a single person household to get through 100g of the same tea…
Sounds lovely. I learn so much from my fellow Steepies—had never heard of tamaryokucha before!
Yum! I really enjoyed the Tamaryokucha I tried from Obubu. I haven’t order from Yuuki-cha yet, as I’m always so overwhelmed by the endless number of teas! Plus 100g is a lot for me, especially when I’d like to try multiple things… XD
@Cameron B, Yuuki-Cha is generally very good quality but yeah I wish they would offer smaller sizes too so I could sample everything
I’m at a point now that no matter how much I want something, if I can’t find it in 50g or less, I refuse to buy it. The only time I might make an exception is really heavy/bulky fruit teas that are quite heavy and I pretty much exclusively make as cold brew, which requires a lot of that bulky “leaf” per batch. But for plain tea leaf? No way. I have learned just how impossible it is for a single person household to get through 100g of the same tea…