What Green Are You Drinking

[debunix]

Tsuen Gyokuro Fujitsubo from O-Cha. First infusion with overheated water (when there isn't much in the electric kettle, it tends to go well past set temp) is deep, rich, sweet, umami is finely balanced with sweet fresh sugar-snap peas and deep young grass after rain. Second infusion has a bit more peas and less grass; third is again more balanced. Very nice stuff. Enjoyed from the Shimizu Ken lefty Nosaka kyusu and a light watery Seigan blue cup, it is a fine start to the day.

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[Victoria]

Tsuen Gyokuro Fujitsubo from O-Cha. First infusion with overheated water (when there isn't much in the electric kettle, it tends to go well past set temp) is deep, rich, sweet, umami is finely balanced with sweet fresh sugar-snap peas and deep young grass after rain. Second infusion has a bit more peas and less grass; third is again more balanced. Very nice stuff. Enjoyed from the Shimizu Ken lefty Nosaka kyusu and a light watery Seigan blue cup, it is a fine start to the day.

I also really enjoyed O-Cha’s Fujitsubo gyokuro, and found it becomes more brothy and thick when steeped in porous shigaraki clay. I posted about it here last year. Steeped at 7gr/140ml/140F/2.30min pretty much in recommended range, but now wonder if it would’ve been even better using more leaf and slightly cooler temp.

[debunix]

I suspect I'm using maybe 2-3g in this tiny kyusu, leaving the pot not quite half full when the leaf is fully hydrated, my leaf/water is probably pretty similar, but I'm brewing hotter and shorter, a bit more like a sencha.

[OCTO]

Having a cup of Gyokuro brewed in a Shigaraki pot.... happy start to the weekend.... cheers!!

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[joelbct]

Drinking O-cha's Kaoru Fukamushi Shizuoka Sencha. Yummy.

[Noonie]

With regards to Sencha, is there any reason not to order enough Shincha for the year, store in a fridge, and not bother with Sencha? Perhaps there is Sencha available after Shincha harvest that isn't available as Shincha?

I ask because I finished some 2019 Sencha I had ordered in January, which I had stored in a dedicated tea fridge, and while it was good, the first two bags of 2020 Shincha I've had this year were noticeably better to me. And they're from the same vendor and similar price-point. Not thinking enough about this back in April, I ordered only enough Shincha for rest of this calendar year, and now have some Sencha ordered to fill the gap until next year.

[Victoria]

With regards to Sencha, is there any reason not to order enough Shincha for the year, store in a fridge, and not bother with Sencha? Perhaps there is Sencha available after Shincha harvest that isn't available as Shincha?

I ask because I finished some 2019 Sencha I had ordered in January, which I had stored in a dedicated tea fridge, and while it was good, the first two bags of 2020 Shincha I've had this year were noticeably better to me. And they're from the same vendor and similar price-point. Not thinking enough about this back in April, I ordered only enough Shincha for rest of this calendar year, and now have some Sencha ordered to fill the gap until next year.

Shincha (Ichibancha) is only the 1st flush harvest, very fresh and green buds, while some Sencha can be Shincha aged a while. 1st flush (Ichibancha) April-May, 2nd harvest (Nibancha) June-July, 3rd harvest (Sanbancha) July-August. Aracha is green tea in a semi-processed raw state, unsorted leafs and stems, and with refinement turned into Shincha or refrigerated and later further refined and refired throughout the year to become Sencha and other teas. I’ve bought extra Shincha that I refrigerated, and it does loose over time the super fresh green aspect becoming more mellow but tasty as well. There are so many different types and grades of Shincha and Sencha that I would have a hard time just buying one over the other. Flavor profiles are different, with Shincha predominantly being fresh green and very young buds that refrigeration and aging will mellow out.

[Victoria]

An afternoon revisiting Sinensis Yokkaichi Gyokuro from our 2019 Inaugural Tasting. I’ve had it refrigerated since then and it tastes stellar, savory, salivation inducing, sweet umami goodness. The only difference is the liquor is cream colored rather than intense green pre-refrigeration. Really fills the mouth with salivation and strong lingering aftertaste. Using filtered local tap water which has high TDS, so I mixed in some distilled water to lower mineral count. Upped the leaf ratio as I finish the pack 12g/130ml/108F/2.30 min in Tachi Masaki shigaraki 140ml kyusu.

[debunix]

I'm coming close to the end of Gyoku-hou from O-Cha, sweet and deep and vegetal and delicate, and have abundant sencha & gyo to replace it. My tea trunk & fridge & drawers are stuffed, in fact, with enough of everything for a good while after sorting several recent orders. Tea contentment, as the cold weather makes more variety of hot tea so appealing.

[Victoria]

Found a pack in my refrigerator of Kaburagien‘s deep steamed Yakushima Shincha. Tastes like a sweet meadow with an umami savory aroma. Grown in the southern island of Yakushima, a world heritage site which also has protected cedar forests, which my lid holders (sake cups) are made of.

[LeoFox]

Last few days, I have been steeping a fantastic 2020 zhu ye qing from mt emei sent to me from Sichuan by a close friend.

The dry leaf is glossy and well defined, resembling tiny snow peas. There is a subtle scent of sugarcane and fresh green beans.

I've been brewing at 65-70C, 4 g/ 150 mL in an arita yaki glazed kyusu with the lid off. Although the wall is super thick, temperature seems to dissipate fast, esp with lid off. I have been brewing only chinese greens in this pot (mostly long jing).

Times:
1 min / 1min / 2 min / 4 min / 10 min

First steep is filled with umami brothiness, sweet butter and fresh green beans, similar to some zairai sencha. Second steep has a pleasant and complex minerality mixed with sugarcane sweetness and a mildly astringent finish. Subsequent steeps are more grassy. There is a long, buttery and sweet aftertaste throughout the session.

[Bac]

Some Long jing in a gaiwan, 75-80 degrees and short steeps, very much soy beans and umami.
Always very comforting in the morning!
Also this other unknown green tea, wich is even mellower than white tea, i tried to brew it at 75-80 degree in a gaiwan without many good results, seems to do slightly better at higher temperatures and longer brew..... im totally clueless here.
If anyone knows this tea and can suggest me how to properly brew it i would be very grateful!

[LeoFox]

Some Long jing in a gaiwan, 75-80 degrees and short steeps, very much soy beans and umami.
Always very comforting in the morning!
Also this other unknown green tea, wich is even mellower than white tea, i tried to brew it at 75-80 degree in a gaiwan without many good results, seems to do slightly better at higher temperatures and longer brew..... im totally clueless here.
If anyone knows this tea and can suggest me how to properly brew it i would be very grateful!

The big text is the brand, i think. It just says "beautiful"
I cannot make out the smaller text.

[debunix]

Tsuen gyokuro Yume no Ukihashi: enjoying from the little lefty Shimizu Ken Nosaka pot, warm and vegetal, and I used a lot of leaf; it's taken to the 5th infusion or thereabouts for the floral notes to start to break through. Mmm.....gyokuro flowers. I enjoyed some bright sessions with Ububu spring sencha between gyokuros; but at the moment I have a surfeit of gyos to keep the Sakura canister filled.

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So nice on a slightly chilly morning....

[Bac]

Some Long jing in a gaiwan, 75-80 degrees and short steeps, very much soy beans and umami.
Always very comforting in the morning!
Also this other unknown green tea, wich is even mellower than white tea, i tried to brew it at 75-80 degree in a gaiwan without many good results, seems to do slightly better at higher temperatures and longer brew..... im totally clueless here.
If anyone knows this tea and can suggest me how to properly brew it i would be very grateful!

The big text is the brand, i think. It just says "beautiful"
I cannot make out the smaller text.

Tried in a gaiwan, western brew style, 3-5-7 min, 75-80-90 degrees.
first cup was a bit astringent, thick texture, with notes of chestnut and soy bean.
Incredibly the third brew at 90 degree wast the best one, transparent but very sweet, almost vanillaish, heavy notes of chestnut.
Remembers me of wu niu zao cha.
Seems mostly composed of buds.
But i have the feeling im still brewing it in the wrong way.
Here are more pics.

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