"Zairai" or seed propagated sencha

Non-oxidized tea
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LeoFox
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Thu Jul 08, 2021 10:15 am

debunix wrote:
Thu Jul 08, 2021 9:40 am
Sencha, after all, means “simmered tea”.
Did not know that.
Actually in Chinese, that word Sen, or jian (煎) mostly means fried but also boiled in herbal medicinal context.

In Japanese, the primary meaning is boiled, simmered but also roasted and parched (please correct me if I am wrong). Considering the context and how Baisao appears to have executed the infusion, it is probably supposed to mean simmered/ boiled in the tea context during his time period

Interestingly, most of the steeped tea used by Baisao and his predecessors in Japan were probably not steamed. It seems the steaming process was developed a little later, though during Baisao's lifetime. Baisao started out using tea from China. Apparently Baisao praised the steaming process.


This book seems to be a good reference:

https://uhpress.hawaii.edu/title/tea-of ... of-sencha/

Here is an informative excerpt:
Note baisao was born in 1675, so "sencha" as steeped tea predated him
Note baisao was born in 1675, so "sencha" as steeped tea predated him
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Last edited by LeoFox on Thu Jul 08, 2021 1:58 pm, edited 4 times in total.
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wave_code
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Thu Jul 08, 2021 12:36 pm

@Bok I'm guessing you are refering to Takashi Ichikawa's projects? or another person

https://www.instagram.com/takashi_ichikawa1212/
DailyTX
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Thu Jul 08, 2021 1:24 pm

@LeoFox
煎 is also used as boil. Some old Chinese herbal shops still use the term 煎藥.
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LeoFox
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Thu Jul 08, 2021 1:51 pm

DailyTX wrote:
Thu Jul 08, 2021 1:24 pm
LeoFox
煎 is also used as boil. Some old Chinese herbal shops still use the term 煎藥.
That's a good point, thanks!
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Bok
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Thu Jul 08, 2021 7:43 pm

wave_code wrote:
Thu Jul 08, 2021 12:36 pm
Bok I'm guessing you are refering to Takashi Ichikawa's projects? or another person

https://www.instagram.com/takashi_ichikawa1212/
Yes! That’s the one, thanks.
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Baisao
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Sat Jul 10, 2021 7:46 pm

Bok wrote:
Thu Jul 08, 2021 7:43 pm
wave_code wrote:
Thu Jul 08, 2021 12:36 pm
Bok I'm guessing you are refering to Takashi Ichikawa's projects? or another person

https://www.instagram.com/takashi_ichikawa1212/
Yes! That’s the one, thanks.
His kettles are amazing for how the effect water. Kenny uses them too.
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LeoFox
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Fri Jul 16, 2021 8:31 am

Updated this post with some more recent "wisdom" from Hojo

viewtopic.php?p=37771#p37771

This quote from Hojo is real kicker:
In order to maintain the freshness of the brewed leaf, we can brew tea at higher temperature for a shorter time, such as 100 degree C for 10 seconds instead of brewing at 60-80 degree C for 1 minute, unless you prefer less flavour and thin taste.
:lol: :lol:
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klepto
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Fri Jul 16, 2021 11:00 am

LeoFox wrote:
Fri Jul 16, 2021 8:31 am
Updated this post with some more recent "wisdom" from Hojo

viewtopic.php?p=37771#p37771

This quote from Hojo is real kicker:
In order to maintain the freshness of the brewed leaf, we can brew tea at higher temperature for a shorter time, such as 100 degree C for 10 seconds instead of brewing at 60-80 degree C for 1 minute, unless you prefer less flavour and thin taste.
:lol: :lol:
Mr. Hojo getting spicy on the blog. @LeoFox What temps to you use to brew this and what pot? I got all my hojo wares and tea last night so I can brew this up.
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LeoFox
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Fri Jul 16, 2021 11:10 am

klepto wrote:
Fri Jul 16, 2021 11:00 am
LeoFox wrote:
Fri Jul 16, 2021 8:31 am
Updated this post with some more recent "wisdom" from Hojo

viewtopic.php?p=37771#p37771

This quote from Hojo is real kicker:
In order to maintain the freshness of the brewed leaf, we can brew tea at higher temperature for a shorter time, such as 100 degree C for 10 seconds instead of brewing at 60-80 degree C for 1 minute, unless you prefer less flavour and thin taste.
:lol: :lol:
Mr. Hojo getting spicy on the blog. LeoFox What temps to you use to brew this and what pot? I got all my hojo wares and tea last night so I can brew this up.
I'll contact you by ig hahaha
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LeoFox
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Sat Jan 15, 2022 11:16 am

Hojo's tsukigase zairai has truly become my daily green. He recommends brewing it with 90 C water and very fast infusions with only 2-3g / 100 ml.

The 2021 batch seems to work best for me at 4-5g/100 ml - off boiling starting at around 15-30s (depending on size distribution of leaves)- essentially making it almost as if it were green oolong.

Well this works for the first few days, but as the leaves wake up, I am forced to dial back to 3.5-4.5 g/100 mL and using relatively fast infusions to yield aromatic and sometimes fruity infusions that oddly remind me of some young sheng or even dan cong. I noticed many instances of yellow-red at the edges of leaves, possibly suggesting some degree of oxidation.

Update: I have also attempted to brew at 4g/100 mL starting at around 83C and 50 seconds. The soup is indeed quite flavorless, though with nice smooth mouthfeel and some florals. This is an interesting example of a Japanese green that simply demands high temp brewing, as most of the action appears to be in the substances that are only extracted at those temps








Here I used kobiwako clay and a new dehua cup picked up from DaxueJiaDao
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LeoFox
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Mon Mar 07, 2022 8:59 pm

The zairai from thes du japon is very, very good.



Above, I brewed 3.5g/ 100 ml with off boiling water.

I also tried the 4g/70 mL with 80C water that florent recommends, which yielded a less thick brew but with more balanced flavor profile (less sweet but more umami). I prefer the hotter approach
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Last edited by LeoFox on Tue Mar 08, 2022 12:17 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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teatray
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Tue Mar 08, 2022 1:36 am

Great thread. I've tasted TdJ's Zairai (included in my order after reading here). Tried to approach with an open mind but couldn't make it work for me so far. Tested in round porcelain pot, flat tokoname pot, 1st inf: 95C/30s or 80C/60s or 75C/60s (4-6g leaf in 100ml). Round porcelain was stewy and not too nice (as is my usual experience with sencha), flat tokoname was more flavorful and crisper, but still not really exciting. Maybe I can't turn off modern sencha expectations after all. If modern cultivars didn't exist, I guess I'd drink this, or maybe I'd go for other types of tea? Obviously, I have to try more varieties before joining the nay-sayers. Got good educational value out of it, in any case.
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LeoFox
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Tue Mar 08, 2022 5:35 am

teatray wrote:
Tue Mar 08, 2022 1:36 am
Great thread. I've tasted TdJ's Zairai (included in my order after reading here). Tried to approach with an open mind but couldn't make it work for me so far. Tested in round porcelain pot, flat tokoname pot, 1st inf: 95C/30s or 80C/60s or 75C/60s (4-6g leaf in 100ml). Round porcelain was stewy and not too nice (as is my usual experience with sencha), flat tokoname was more flavorful and crisper, but still not really exciting. Maybe I can't turn off modern sencha expectations after all. If modern cultivars didn't exist, I guess I'd drink this, or maybe I'd go for other types of tea? Obviously, I have to try more varieties before joining the nay-sayers. Got good educational value out of it, in any case.
Image
For zairai, I typically start at around 3.5g / 100 ml and use off boiling - just letting the hot water hit the water cooler and immediate pour into pot. Then infuse for 20s.

Second infusion I usually try a flash brew and then I go from there. I've found this tea much more interesting than most normal sencha. Also, I try to approach it more like a chinese green - without obsessing over times and temperatures. The time and temp thing with japanese greens is off putting to me - as if each green is a math problem with a "solution". That can't be right. Tea should be much more relaxing. If a tea "must" be brewed at a narrow temp and time range- or it's not good..what a shame. Plus my experience is that as the bag is opened over time, one is forced to change the approach as the tea rapidly gets stale. A narrow, robotic approach that works with the first few sessions will fail soon after. That is another advantage I've found regarding many zairai- they get stale much less quickly- and sometimes become more powerful after a week or so and stay that way (forcing me to go down on leaf amount) before it slowly attenuates and transforms. Not all zairai- are like that of course- but I feel that the better ones are.

I think the tdj owner prefers too high of a leaf to water ratio in general for me. I tried his ratios in the beginning for his teas and found it off putting and no longer pay any attention to them - or his tasting notes. The tea is great though.
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Bok
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Tue Mar 08, 2022 7:57 am

+1 for a relaxed, more Chinese approach to these teas. Stiff rituals and time management kills all the fun - and some teas.
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Baisao
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Tue Mar 08, 2022 7:03 pm

teatray wrote:
Tue Mar 08, 2022 1:36 am
Round porcelain was stewy and not too nice (as is my usual experience with sencha), flat tokoname was more flavorful and crisper, but still not really exciting.
This elicits two questions:

1) A spherical pot should generally perform better than a flat pot, all other things being equal. They are not equal here because you are comparing porcelain to a clay pot, both of unknown quality. How can you make the inference that a flat pot is better than a spherical pot?

2) Why do you think your senchas usually taste stewy? It may be poor quality tea, poor brewing technique*, or a poor descriptor.

Nice sencha shouldn’t taste stewy. It may taste spinach-y if poorly manufactured or prepared. It does taste differently than other greens and can be savory. Sometimes it can be very savory. I’ve had some that tasted like broiled scallops! Sencha is certainly not for everyone. But I haven’t had a good sencha that was stewy or spinach-y.

A friend who is not a member here was lauding this year’s zairai from TDJ during a tea gathering at my home last Friday. She said it was a must get tea.

* Mistakes happen. I just revisited a tea I rated a 2/10 when trying a new teapot. At the time I felt it was the worst tasting tea I’d had in a year (though the body feel was nice). Pondering what I’ve learned from this new teapot I decided to try again with adjustments learned from that failed session. I’d rate it considerably higher now. Mistakes are certainly made by everyone.
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