Oh my god, this is so good.
This is a steamed green tea from Korea. Unfortunately I can’t recall if this one was picked before or after the rains. I picked up a sample from House of Tea in Toronto.
The dry leaf is intense green and needle like, like a sencha. It has a sweet, nutty smell.
Steeped for 1.5 min at 90C, it produces a clear, bright green liquor. The taste of it is incredible. It’s very broth like, with a medium body and smooth mouth-feel. Notes of nuts, umami, grass and sweetness are very well balanced. On the first steep there’s no astringency or bitterness at all, and on the second steep only the faintest hint.
This reminds me more of a gyokuro or kukicha, more than a sencha.
I’m really tempted to go pick up a bag of this, even though 100g seems like an awful lot.
Flavors: Grass, Nutty, Smooth, Sweet, Umami