Shincha 2020, "the Year of COVID-19"

Non-oxidized tea
vuanguyen
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Mon May 25, 2020 1:07 am

Tor wrote:
Sat May 23, 2020 2:40 am
Kagoshima Horiguchi Seicha Tea. Please enjoy! :D


Thanks @Tor for the beautiful video! I did not know that water and rice bran can be used as pesticide.
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Chip
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Tue May 26, 2020 10:43 pm

If you time your Artistic Nippon order just right, Toru includes an awesome gift! Yame Shincha. Had his selection 2 years ago, and we really enjoyed it ... very Yame in character. Potent aroma that blew me away, rich brothy umami.

Surprising Jo in the morning with this year's selection ... and some teaware packages to open!
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Packaging won't help me much ... but it exciting to be able to enjoy a shincha intended for the Japanese market.
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I'll break tradition and open the canister moments before brewing ... because I am a wild and crazy (tea)guy!
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Chip
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Wed May 27, 2020 4:15 pm

... asamushi Shincha arrivals today. Insanely fast FedEx Express delivery.

Kirameki X2
Yumesuraga X2
Aoi X2
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Also an extra bag of Sae Midori and Yutaka Midori.
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Victoria
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Wed May 27, 2020 5:35 pm

Chip wrote:
Tue May 26, 2020 10:43 pm
If you time your Artistic Nippon order just right, Toru includes an awesome gift! Yame Shincha. Had his selection 2 years ago, and we really enjoyed it ... very Yame in character. Potent aroma that blew me away, rich brothy umami.

Surprising Jo in the morning with this year's selection ... and some teaware packages to open!
Packaging won't help me much ... but it exciting to be able to enjoy a shincha intended for the Japanese market.
Image

I'll break tradition and open the canister moments before brewing ... because I am a wild and crazy (tea)guy!
Am very curious to hear how you like this Yame Shincha. So far I’m not excited by what I’ve tried. It’s okay, it’s good, just not very special. I went ahead and ordered Ippodo USA Shincha to see if it is good. Coming from NYC so don’t have to deal with international shipping issues. Also, what other goodies did you get :) 🍃.
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Chip
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Wed May 27, 2020 7:02 pm

@Victoria ... the Yame. The dry leaf is so aromatic that it is hard to believe this is just shincha. Reminds me of Asanoka dry.

The selection is from www.hoshitea.com

Brewed tea is very nice for a few steeps. But seems like perhaps I could brew it better. There has to be more flavor hiding behind the dry leaf aroma. Brewed 2 sessions today.

Dominated by umami and mild toasty notes but not overwhelming like Mebuki which is also a Yame selection.

Perhaps I could brew it a bit hotter but do not want to bring out toastiness.

My crave factor score is 7.5 out of 10.
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Victoria
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Wed May 27, 2020 8:38 pm

Chip wrote:
Wed May 27, 2020 7:02 pm
Victoria ... the Yame. The dry leaf is so aromatic that it is hard to believe this is just shincha. Reminds me of Asanoka dry.

The selection is from www.hoshitea.com

Brewed tea is very nice for a few steeps. But seems like perhaps I could brew it better. There has to be more flavor hiding behind the dry leaf aroma. Brewed 2 sessions today.

Dominated by umami and mild toasty notes but not overwhelming like Mebuki which is also a Yame selection.

Perhaps I could brew it a bit hotter but do not want to bring out toastiness.

My crave factor score is 7.5 out of 10.
Promising, crave factor sounds pretty good, as does thick liquor in your Hagi ware. Dry leaf tease maybe a let down if not followed up in da cuppa. I wonder if the toasty notes you are avoiding, are the same ones I gravitate towards. Toasty notes I enjoy are like baked bread, sweet roasted chestnut and roasted yam notes, that I wouldn’t associate with Shincha.

I don’t recognize that kyusu, the ridged detailing at the spout meeting the body is similar to Yamada kiln, and also a few other Tokoname artisans. Is this kyusu by Gisui? Interesting clay 🌞🍃
faj
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Thu May 28, 2020 9:23 am

Chip wrote:
Thu May 21, 2020 1:15 am
This one is roasted too much for my taste. I instantly detected the roast. Not what I am looking for in shincha.
I am sipping on the Mebuki as I write this. This schincha reminds me strongly of kamairicha.
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Chingwa
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Fri May 29, 2020 11:31 am

Victoria wrote:
Wed May 27, 2020 5:35 pm
..I went ahead and ordered Ippodo USA Shincha to see if it is good. Coming from NYC so don’t have to deal with international shipping issues...
Thanks for this Victoria, It's been a looong time since I ordered from Ippodo and I didn't realize they had opened a USA website. I had given up getting good sencha from Japan this year and my stash is almost empty :shock: :shock: :shock:
I just placed a small order with Ippodo to tide me over, hopefully it arrives soon. I am in NYC so I expect their free shipping to be prompt. :lol:
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Victoria
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Wed Jun 03, 2020 5:06 pm

Onto a second session today with Ippodo’s 2020 Uji Shincha. It has a pleasant dry mouth astringency, is vegetal yet refined and elegant, similar to what a Tsuen Uji Shincha might be. First round was in a high fired Hokujo shudei kyusu, second round I switched to more porous Tachi Masaki shigaraki kyusu that worked in this Shincha’s favor. Increased slightly the leaf/ lowered temp/ increased time from Ippodo’s recommendation. I’m happy with this Shincha, it is though like O-Cha’s Sae and Yutaka Midori more elegant, and less poppingly vegetal Shincha-like, than my recollection of past years.
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Victoria
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Wed Jun 10, 2020 4:56 pm

Sipping on Ippodo’s Uji 2020 Shincha and really enjoying it. The liquor is clear (not cloudy) and taste is sharp and clear, yet rounded and smooth. A little fruity, with dry mouth astringency and sweetness too, and lots of lingering salivation. The dry leaves are also beautifully formed forest green needles, wet leaf though looks pretty chopped up and done by a machine.

Earlier today, I really messed up O-Cha’s Sae Midori, steeping the very fine fukamushi leaves in Kobiwako Junzo wall filter kyusu. Even being very careful, the leaves quickly clogged the filter creating a backlog and making a mess. I’ll stick to a sesame filter kyusu for this one.
Tyak
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Thu Jun 11, 2020 10:47 pm

I made a mess out of Tsuen Shincha today. Please advise best brewing temperature, amount of tea, amount of water, and brewing
time.
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Victoria
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Thu Jun 11, 2020 11:40 pm

Tyak wrote:
Thu Jun 11, 2020 10:47 pm
I made a mess out of Tsuen Shincha today. Please advise best brewing temperature, amount of tea, amount of water, and brewing
time.
Welcome to TeaForum @Tyak. Japanese greens are pretty easy to mess up :), it’s a balancing act and the type of kyusu and filter used makes a big difference.
How did you steep it, and in what kind of kyusu? What didn’t work for you?
If I haven’t had a particular Japanese tea I start with vendor recommendations and adjust from there. I see he recommends;
1.0 g leaf / 1 oz (30 ml) water / 71℃ (160℉) / 90 sec steep.
You can try more leaf / less water if you found it weak, less temperature if it was bitter...also increase time incrementally if it is still weak.
Tyak
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Fri Jun 12, 2020 2:05 am

I was way off. I used too much tea. Is it typical to use less tea
for Shincha than Sencha? Thank you
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Victoria
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Fri Jun 12, 2020 11:53 am

Tyak wrote:
Fri Jun 12, 2020 2:05 am
I was way off. I used too much tea. Is it typical to use less tea
for Shincha than Sencha? Thank you
Not necessarily, it depends on the tea, each one will be different. Some Japanese greens do better with more leaf, while others do better with less. Unlike oolong, the range of steeping parameters is much broader and not as simple to categorize.
Noonie
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Thu Jun 25, 2020 9:37 am

I "finally" received my order of Shincha from Thes Du Japon. Sent via EMS on May 12, received here in Canada on June 25. I feel exhausted for this tea. In hindsight I should have sent via a faster service, but I had luck on my previous order so figured I would take my chances. After letting the tea rest for a day on a table, it's now tucked away in the tea fridge to chill for a while :lol:
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