2022 UJI GYOKURO FROM KYÔ-TANABE, "YONETA" GOKÔ from thes du japon in hokujo shibo picked up from .m.
What Green Are You Drinking
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Masterjeff
- Posts: 27
- Joined: Wed Sep 06, 2023 5:07 am
Enjoying a favorite among Japanese cultivars, a Sofu sencha from Haruno, Shizuoka (tea from Thes Du Japon). This is a sencha with a nice balance between normal sencha characteristics and the more exotic qualities of an inzatsu tea. It reminds me of the green muscadine grapes that I enjoyed a few months ago, fruity, floral, sweet, with a bit of tartness to balance it out.
I've found that brewing at a higher temperature compared to some sencha (80C), does produce a more interesting brew which expresses the unique aromas better, but with caution as it can quickly turn overly astringent when overbrewed.
A very good representation of the Sofu cultivar and a great sencha overall. I will say the other TDJ Sofu sencha I've had, from HonYama, was superior, but at something near 4x the price (which is understandable due to factors such as being hand picked, but it is worth noting).
I've found that brewing at a higher temperature compared to some sencha (80C), does produce a more interesting brew which expresses the unique aromas better, but with caution as it can quickly turn overly astringent when overbrewed.
A very good representation of the Sofu cultivar and a great sencha overall. I will say the other TDJ Sofu sencha I've had, from HonYama, was superior, but at something near 4x the price (which is understandable due to factors such as being hand picked, but it is worth noting).
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Trying yume suruga for first time. A tenryu light steamed sencha from yunomi.
https://yunomi.life/products/kaneta-ota ... ume-suruga
https://yunomi.life/products/kaneta-ota ... ume-suruga
Another yunomi offering - a yame gyokuro that placed 9th in the natonal competition. Leaves are surprisingly broken. Soup is straightforward - umami, more umami and more umami.
What distinguishes from others ive had at this price point that are not competition tea - is the persistent softness and consistent umami flavor almost completely absent of astringency and bitterness - even when heavily brewed
https://yunomi.life/collections/engawa/ ... g-gift-can
What distinguishes from others ive had at this price point that are not competition tea - is the persistent softness and consistent umami flavor almost completely absent of astringency and bitterness - even when heavily brewed
https://yunomi.life/collections/engawa/ ... g-gift-can
Last edited by LeoFox on Thu Feb 27, 2025 1:10 pm, edited 1 time in total.
A very nice morning session with Obubu's 'Wind' sencha, per the description on the label, 'Tea from tall mountains with a spring-breeze-like sweetness. ' And indeed, this has been a very friendly sencha, just a hint of astringency distinguishing it from a lightly shaded gyokuro, sweet, delicately vegetal, and altogether lovely.
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Sweetestdew
- Vendor
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I found some 2024 unopened Ding Gu Da Fang and Qimen Huang Shan Mao Feng.
Not fresh but also not completely stale. Good enough for granpa style at work
Not fresh but also not completely stale. Good enough for granpa style at work
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Masterjeff
- Posts: 27
- Joined: Wed Sep 06, 2023 5:07 am
Two contrasting sencha (and an old friend from the past), ones from the hot and sunny island of Tokunoshima, and the other from the mountains of Honyama in Shizuoka.
The Sofu from Tokunoshima (which is mainly known for the pink tea cultivar sunrouge) was quite unusual for a sofu tea, this tea was extremely citrus like as opposed to the normal grape and floral notes with a background of umami usually associated with sofu. I had some pomelo not long before opening it so that's what I was thinking of, but grapefruit would also be relatively appropriate I think. This tea had it's strength mainly in the body, though aftertaste was also nice it was not the standout with this tea. The tea had a harshness to it that came out occasionally, but for a tea reminiscent of grapefruit I guess that is to be expected
. Those who do not enjoy umami will be pleased with this teas lack of any real noticeable umami (even with it being shaded for a week). Overall a simple but unique and very enjoyable sencha from a lesser known tea region.
The other is pretty well known, the Yamakai from Tamakawa's Tsukiji estate, with its strong sweet raspberry aromas that are just as noticeable in the mouth as in the nose. This tea really is outstanding, it is a perfect blend of all its various characteristics, the liquor is smooth but with an incredible fullness to it, the umami is there but its not overwhelming it simply serves to compliment the other notes, it has a sweetness that lingers but also a tinge of bitterness underneath which grounds it all. All these aspects come together to make a tea that is in a league of its own.
And for a bonus, I found some zairai (Umegashima from TDJ) from 2023 that I had opened over a year ago but ended up not finishing due to not being able to taste from a cold. I opened the bag and it still had quite a strong aroma, so I decided to give it a brew, simple zairai parameters, near boiling water, pretty quick infusions. To my surprise the tea had not lost anything at least based on my memories, and in accordance with my memories it managed to keep changing with every couple of infusions, going from pine like to minty to creamy to floral, but with a dark undertone that I couldn't pin down. With age I feel that the body may have become more pronounced, but my memory may just have been fooling me.
The Sofu from Tokunoshima (which is mainly known for the pink tea cultivar sunrouge) was quite unusual for a sofu tea, this tea was extremely citrus like as opposed to the normal grape and floral notes with a background of umami usually associated with sofu. I had some pomelo not long before opening it so that's what I was thinking of, but grapefruit would also be relatively appropriate I think. This tea had it's strength mainly in the body, though aftertaste was also nice it was not the standout with this tea. The tea had a harshness to it that came out occasionally, but for a tea reminiscent of grapefruit I guess that is to be expected
. Those who do not enjoy umami will be pleased with this teas lack of any real noticeable umami (even with it being shaded for a week). Overall a simple but unique and very enjoyable sencha from a lesser known tea region.The other is pretty well known, the Yamakai from Tamakawa's Tsukiji estate, with its strong sweet raspberry aromas that are just as noticeable in the mouth as in the nose. This tea really is outstanding, it is a perfect blend of all its various characteristics, the liquor is smooth but with an incredible fullness to it, the umami is there but its not overwhelming it simply serves to compliment the other notes, it has a sweetness that lingers but also a tinge of bitterness underneath which grounds it all. All these aspects come together to make a tea that is in a league of its own.
And for a bonus, I found some zairai (Umegashima from TDJ) from 2023 that I had opened over a year ago but ended up not finishing due to not being able to taste from a cold. I opened the bag and it still had quite a strong aroma, so I decided to give it a brew, simple zairai parameters, near boiling water, pretty quick infusions. To my surprise the tea had not lost anything at least based on my memories, and in accordance with my memories it managed to keep changing with every couple of infusions, going from pine like to minty to creamy to floral, but with a dark undertone that I couldn't pin down. With age I feel that the body may have become more pronounced, but my memory may just have been fooling me.
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I'm drinking a lovely Guzhu Zisun (Purple Bamboo) from Seven Cups. With grandpa style steeping, I get lemon, wildflowers, veggies, and sweetness, and the tea never becomes bitter. This is my first time trying this relatively rare type of tea and I'm enjoying it so far.
Also, my order was not charged any tariffs and arrived one day before Canada Post might be going on strike. A lucky tea day!
Also, my order was not charged any tariffs and arrived one day before Canada Post might be going on strike. A lucky tea day!
that is one of my favorite tea varieties.... is it from the current year's harvest? It's unfortunately a tea that does not keep well....
my green tea morning started with a fresh pouch of Tsuen gyokuro Yume no Ukihashi, via O-cha. It's been in the refrigerator for a good while before being opened up, but fortunately gyokuro takes this very well.
Iga-yaki cup by Watanabe Aiko& Shimizu Ken lefty kyusu
my green tea morning started with a fresh pouch of Tsuen gyokuro Yume no Ukihashi, via O-cha. It's been in the refrigerator for a good while before being opened up, but fortunately gyokuro takes this very well.
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Yes, it's from the 2025 harvest. I have one more session left before I finish my 25 g bag. Fortunately, I have several more greens from this vendor, including a sample of Tai Ping Hou Kui that's calling my name.debunix wrote: ↑Mon Jun 02, 2025 10:20 amthat is one of my favorite tea varieties.... is it from the current year's harvest? It's unfortunately a tea that does not keep well....
my green tea morning started with a fresh pouch of Tsuen gyokuro Yume no Ukihashi, via O-cha. It's been in the refrigerator for a good while before being opened up, but fortunately gyokuro takes this very well.
Iga-yaki cup by Watanabe Aiko& Shimizu Ken lefty kyusu
Thanks for the heads up, I am now having my fourth or fifth session with Gu Zhu Zi Sun From 7 cups. The previous time I had ordered some of this from them, this season was not right, and it had lost some of its luster by the time I really was drinking it. This time I ordered with a little more restraint, and just opened it up as soon as it came…. After all, the gyokuro that is currently open will keep well.
Grandpa style this time, in Petr Novák Chawan
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Are you enjoying the tea? I think grandpa style is the way to go.debunix wrote: ↑Sun Jun 08, 2025 5:41 pmThanks for the heads up, I am now having my fourth or fifth session with Gu Zhu Zi Sun From 7 cups. The previous time I had ordered some of this from them, this season was not right, and it had lost some of its luster by the time I really was drinking it. This time I ordered with a little more restraint, and just opened it up as soon as it came…. After all, the gyokuro that is currently open will keep well.
Grandpa style this time, in Petr Novák Chawan
I'm drinking their Tai Ping Hou Kui and have been adjusting the parameters to intensify the flavour. Steeping about 4 g of those big leaves for four minutes in 250 ml of 185F water produces a tea with heady orchid fragrance but not much of an aftertaste. Using more leaves creates slight bitterness and using fewer leaves creates orchid water. I think TPHK is naturally an ethereal tea.