Sencha | TGFOP Tea Reviews (c) Silverneedles est.2005

Yutaka Midori (Kagoshima) vs Fukamushi Sencha .O-cha.com

When I first opened this right after receiving I could definitely say there’s a difference.
I didnt keep track, one was more rough, one was sweeter…
Now, about a month later, even tho i didnt open it in between its harder to tell the difference…
The Yutaka midori is sweeter, with a mild type sencha tannin on the tongue
Used 6g in 4oz @160F x ~20 sec
yup

2nd steep @190F ~20sec

Fuka was rougher, with a harsh kind of on the tongue. Liquor yellowish

Yutaka kept the sweet tannin going. And stayed green. Glad i got more of this 🙂

Kagoshima Sencha Yutaka Midori .O-cha.com

June 13, 2010 at 1:23 pm | Posted in Green Tea, just green tea, Sencha, Tea Reviews | Leave a comment
Tags: fukamushi, kagoshima, o-cha, ocha, sencha, tea review, yutaka midori

part of my “In search of fuka” …

Tea Notes> Green Tea> Sencha (for more)

O-cha.com (review)(product link) $24.95/3.5oz(100g), 6.5/oz = $114/lb.

included a comparison with Ocha’s Fukamushi Supreme.

There is a difference ! uh, while i forgot which is which, the one on the left might be the fuka supreme.

Method(s): last used which is not the one depicted above: 5.5g + 4oz @ 155F x 1 min. I do bottle brew these and at one point one of them became less pleasant but i forgot which so what i just said is quite irrelevant…

Liquor: fuka supreme: cloudy, YM: settles quicker and clears up more (not evident in the pics above)

Flavor: YM: nice clean taste, more refined than the fuka supreme, greenish yet not hard grassy, good fukamushi with more of a matcha flavor to it, even this first infusion has a sweetish aftertaste to it. The fuka supreme is more hard and a bit of a harsher tannin.

Overall: liked both…

Green Tea Matcha Blend .Kirkland by ItoEn

December 25, 2009 at 6:54 pm | Posted in Green Tea, just green tea, Matcha, Sencha, Tea Reviews | 8 Comments

Found at Costco under their Kirkland brand, box mentions made by Ito En
~13$/100 tbags of 1.5g (150g, 5.3oz, 2.5/oz, ~ 40$/lb … meh not bad)

observe the careful use of f2.8 … sorry… no light handholder required it.

Method: many, 8oz-4oz, 100-200F. Settled on 4oz ~ 150F

Teabag: sucks. string is short. paper end thats supposed to hang on cup edge is soft and only fits thin cups. even then when the tbag fills with water it can pull on the shitty paper end and drag it into the water. Nylon bag for yall who have a thing for plastic + water. Does well to color the water greenish that quickly turns yellow. Dont know what the freak are those whiteish bits in the tbag.

Flavor: There is a faint matcha smell to it. Flavor is a low & bland mix of matcha and cheap sencha with a little roasted or maybe its some remnant grain somewhere in the sensory perceptorium. With 130F water i got some fishyness (likely in aroma, eitherway not my thing). 1 teabag in >4oz water tastes like water. Not much greenness not much sencha grass, no nothin’, no tannin or roughness or anything remotely exciting about this.

Overall: NO. lack o flavor yello vision.

Fukamushi Sencha Supreme .O-cha.com

September 18, 2009 at 9:28 pm | Posted in Green Tea, Sencha, Tea Reviews | 2 Comments

part of my “In search of fuka” …

Tea Notes> Green Tea> Sencha (for more)

O-cha.com (review)(product link) $22.95/3.5oz, 6.5/oz = $104/lb. i sure seem to be getting rich …

Dry leaf: green sencha, not all broken (as fuka is said to be, during manufacture), see pics, some leaf is quite long. (i’ve been drinking slowly out of this for at least a month) /Opening the bag in the first weeks i got a strong fresh delicious sencha, was like wow! (thats what you get ordering straight from Japan, and good vendors = yum.)

…. …. … ……………. 2g 4oz …. …. … ……infusing…

#1 2min ….. …. … …… #2 2min more …. …. … ……2g wet leaf

#1 70C 2min

Flavor: good flavor, quite strong tho not in your face, good body, medium vegetal, some “spinach” (what i used to call “egg”. yah, i know, but hey, eh, oh well, getting there.), good aftertaste with tannin coating mouth, not harsh, some sweetness already!

#2 reinfusion ~60C 2min

Flavor: hmmm, some watery, low flavor, possibly extracted most in #1, tannins in mouth are more aparent, tho not bitter or harsh.

4g 4oz

4g in improvised scoop

#1 70C 1 min

Flavor: oh yum strong ass fuka! sencha sencha high (well also from the heat of the liquor makes me a little happy/agitated). sweet on the tongue, vegetal… gentle strongness… after coming down from the high, maybe the flavor strength is still medium. good lasting sweet aftertaste.

#2 60c 3 min

Flavor: now there’s some overinfusion here, tinge of strong tannin a bit harsh, not bitter.

Overall: very good (especially when fresh).

Makinohara Sencha .Ito En

May 27, 2009 at 6:53 pm | Posted in Green Tea, Sencha, Tea Reviews | Leave a comment

Tea Notes> Green Tea> Sencha (for more)

ItoEn NY Store (review)(product link) $8/2oz, also at $64/lb.

compared side be side to Chiran Kanayamidori

Method: 4g leaf, 4oz water at 65C (Makino got around 61C), ~ 1 min.

Leaf: Japanese green tea, with a yellow tint to it. Chiran is dark green. (cant compare leaf pics well as its different days one with more direct sun)

4g. then Middle pic is Makino Left, Chiran Right

Liquor: Chiran is green, Makino has a hint of yellow.

Flavor: there’s the main green sencha-fuka thick greenness, but compared to Chiran Kanayamidori fuka this Makino has more bitter “tannins”? (yes the bitter kind, not just regular concentrated stuff), and is less flavorful. Chiran more pleasant – more enjoyable “flavor tannins”, and is “sweet” compared to Makino.
(another take into consideration: makinohara’s water was a couple degrees cooler). So even if lowering water temps or shortening infusion i dont think i’ll like the Makino as there isn’t much flavor to it. (yup, tried ~50C the bitter stuff still in there).

Overall: not bad, but the bitter is not good 4 me. it’ll probably be just fine at work where i just drink whatever and dont notice, but at home with no distractions this wont do.

Chiran Kanayamidori .Ito En

May 24, 2009 at 4:31 pm | Posted in Green Tea, Sencha, Tea Reviews | Leave a comment

Tea Notes> Green Tea> Sencha (for more)

ItoEn NY Store (review)(product link) $11/2oz, also at $88/lb.

i went to the Itoen store about 2 weeks ago, this how it went down:
me to the white man behind the counter: YO ! i wan somma youz fukamushis.
he: fu…ck..a..mooshy? *confused look*
me: yea, sencha fukamooshy, you kno, like deep steamed or somfin’
main lady gives him a stabbing look: chiran and makinohara
he still confused turns to fridge behind. fumbles and grabs the item, opens it and allows me to stick my schnoz and take a whiff, grab a pinch and make a sale.
well i guess he learned what a fuka is…

Leaf: might be japanese green tea … IT IS !!!

pics not whitebalanced or corrected so colors are a bit whack (esp last one)

Method: 4oz water @ 70C + 4g leaf x ~1min. Usually do 3 infusions in day to day drinking.

Liquor is darker than Dens fuka maki(not easily compared with my pics). Stuff in liquor settles quicker than Den’s clearing the liquor.

Flavor: drank this one right after Dens fuka maki (well ive been drinking from all the senchas for a couple weeks now). More “body” to the liquor. More green flavor, with some variation in flavor/sensation. Much more tannin coating the mouth; more enjoyable, it has, like, a personality. (to take into consideration that I also added like .5 oz water to the result because the leaf sucked up more water than Dens.) Astringency low. More aftertaste.
/* Seinfeld
Attendant: More anything ?
Jerry: More everything !
*/

Overall: very good imho, more bang for the same buck.

Premium Fukamushi Sencha Maki .DensTea.com

May 24, 2009 at 12:10 pm | Posted in Green Tea, Sencha, Tea Reviews | Leave a comment

Tea Notes> Green Tea> Sencha (for more)

Den’s Tea.com (review)(product link) $11/2oz, also at $85/lb.

Leaf: looks like sencha to me 😛

Method: 4oz water @ 72C + 4g leaf x ~1min (also been drinking it at work with many variations of leaf, time, water temp). Usually do 3 infusions from it.

Flavor: well, first you get the fuka liquor which is that green opaque full of stuff liquid. then you enjoy a nice taste of grassness like in sencha but more “dense” and thicker with that green tannin on the tongue. there is i’d say low astringency. in the back of throat sometimes i feel a tiny something towards bitter but that could be overinfusion. sometimes depending on strength i also get some fleeting sweet aftertaste feeling. To me any hint of yellow in the color suggests overinfused or something wrong with the leaf.

Overall: good fuka sencha. It has done well in many conditions, resists ok to overinfusion. not my first one so cant say i’m overwhelmed or excited after drinking it, but i can say i’ve been missing it if i dont have any … tho that could be the tea addiction…

Sencha Fuka-midori .DensTea.com

March 3, 2009 at 6:16 pm | Posted in Green Tea, Sencha, Tea Reviews | Leave a comment

Tea Notes> Green Tea> Sencha (for more)

Den’s Tea.com (review)(product link) $6.5/2oz, also at $50/lb, nice price.

Leaf: looks like sencha to me 😀, maybe i’d say there isnt much long leaf in here ?

Method: cupwan, gaiwan, mug. mostly 4g in 4oz.

4g…………………………………….. + 4oz & ….. 1min = ……………………………………..&& . . 2min =
this color correction is starting to annoy me, but the liquor color seems right, even tho that paper is off…

Flavor:

2g/ 4oz/ ?? temp (1/3 20C water + 2/3 93C)/ think i did less than 1 min.

sort of mild, not really watery, some flavor, green, etc

4g/ 40z/ ??temp/ 2min x 2

good but still i’d say medium strength flavor, astringency low

4g/ 4oz/ ??temp/ 1min, 2min (See pics above)

#1- 1 min: good flavor, still “medium” strength, but i like this infusion.
#2- 2 min: some astringency is present but its sort of a mild green tannin + a sweetness?/”roundness” to it = its not harsh, not unpleasant!

some aftertaste, not bad.

liquor is cloudy – i thought only fukamushis are like that, tho this wasnt as cloudy as the fuka i had.

wet leaf tastes neutral, not bad. looks like some leaf stems are included.

Overall: its a pleasant tea, easy to drink, sort of a “everyday” feel to it, mild-medium flavor, low astringency.

Sencha Ashikubo .DavidsTea.com

February 19, 2009 at 11:47 pm | Posted in Green Tea, Sencha, Tea Reviews | 2 Comments

Tea Notes> Green Tea> Sencha (for more)

DavidsTea.com (review)(product link) $18.75/50g = 10.65/oz, 170/lb …i hope i did that right
review sample courtesy of David’s Tea.

a little problem with the label: it says this is a rooibos apple caramel 😉 but sounds tasty 😀

Method: ~2g, 4oz, ~180F(in cup), 2min. (also did others, i tried a 4g,4oz was too strong).

Flavor: vegetal, plant leaf, grass, some green astringent, a little bit of “foody” (as i call it “egg” flavor). I didnt sense any roast in flavor or aroma.

Aftertaste: Most of the time you get a sort of dry/roughness in the mouth (depending on strength of infusion). But also there’s a quite interesting & pleasant component: about 2 minutes after drink, breathe thru mouth, then swallow, you feel a sweetness in the whole mouth (not just throat). This lasts pretty long(depending on infusion strength), even at half hour i still feel something!! … it reminds me of drinking ginseng oolong. Miss the good parameters (temp/time/amount) and i got it quite astringent and harsh vegetal.

Overall: good flavor & aftertaste, con: price, sensitive to parameters (temp/time/amount).

Sencha Megami .Ito En

February 28, 2008 at 4:19 pm | Posted in Green Tea, just green tea, Sencha, Tea Reviews | Leave a comment

ItoEn Flagship Store. $6/oz = 72/lb.

second ‘real’ sencha, 1st was Kawane.

dry leaf: low smell. leaf seems smaller cut than Kawane. picture is of the entire 1oz, it looks small but leaf has small volume and so occupies less space in threeDee thus not disturbing the time space continuum… right? right.

this one is a fukamushi cha: its deep-steamed (longer), loose leaf is finer, infusion is cloudy.

infusion: ~1.5min in 4oz @ 130F (they say 1tsp 6oz 176F, i’ll try that later)

liquor: dark green and cloudy (with lots of floating thingys.)

taste:
interesting, green vegetal different than kawane, i like this one, has a little flavor similar to “egg” flavor (as in this oolong huang jin gui), cant say any astringency? …
2nd infusion has a sweet aftertaste.
3rd infusion watery.

overall: i like this one. seems similar experience to the Sencha from Zhong Guo Cha, but don’t remember that having sweet aftertaste.

Sencha Kawane .Ito En

February 28, 2008 at 4:03 pm | Posted in Green Tea, just green tea, Sencha, Tea Reviews | Leave a comment

ItoEn Flagship Store, $5.5/lb = $66/lb

my first ‘real’ sencha (vs some dubious origin sencha i had >> Kowa), got along with another- Sencha Megami

dry leaf: aroma sweet grassy. picture is of the entire 1oz, it looks small but leaf has small volume and so occupies less space in 3D.

infusion: ~1.5min in 4oz @ 120F (they say 1tsp 6oz 176F, i’ll try that later)

taste:
some vegetal “generic” greenish reminds of chinese green panfried-oily stuff. . good straight flavor.
2nd infusion starts tasting a little overextracted?- not really astringent?maybe some acidity? in back of throat (very mild but thats how i feel it). some grass aftertaste on tongue.

overall: …not very exciting. eh. (I’ll try different infusions but i only expect it to enhance previous flavors.)

Sencha .Zhong Guo Cha

December 12, 2007 at 11:07 pm | Posted in Green Tea, just green tea, Sencha, Tea Reviews | Leave a comment

Zhong Guo Cha G-17-3-2 Sencha *sample . 15$/50g = 8.52/oz = 136/lb ? is that right?

looks like sencha, it must be sencha 🙂 imho kind of small cuts but what do i know about proper sencha?! the other senchas i tried from Kowa, Chado seemed to be bigger.

liquor: nice and green, tiny particulate matter giving it a ‘cloudy’ appearance.

taste: strong presence, vegetal, feels ‘fresh’ in some way to me, a small twiggy feel, a tiny feel of sweet on the tip of the tongue that goes with a small reminder of “egg” flavor (as in this oolong huang jin gui), some astringency feeling green.

leaf bits are small and so hard to drink straight from cup (ok, actually i did drink straight from the cup, and chewed on some of the little bits of leaf), but if one wants to down one real fast you’ll get a mouthfull. so you need a good strainer.

this feels like a good quality tea & leaf-‘cos of the strong flavor, but i’m not experienced with many senchas.

Sencha Shot .Ito En

December 28, 2006 at 1:30 pm | Posted in Green Tea, just green tea, RTD Bottled Tea, Sencha, Tea Reviews | Leave a comment

5.4oz 190ml @ ~ $1.6

can is already printed in english unlike the plastic bottles which have a sticker attached with english translation.
the can repeats on the “catechin” & “antioxidant” words.

liquor: green (finally. i guess the light-proof can protects from oxidation as well).
taste: smoother than the plastic bottles (oi ocha).
astringency: 2.5/7 tanninic (less than the oi ocha) with a twist of fried oil as usual(less than oi ocha).
flavor: 2.5/7 (less than the oi ocha), mildly green grass …mild…
minor aftertaste.

somewhat disappointed with this product, was expecting a shot of grass-like taste.
size is also annoying.

buy again: no. (would rather get the oi ocha hit me with its astringency).

Japan Sencha .Kowa

November 5, 2006 at 2:01 am | Posted in Green Tea, just green tea, Sencha, Tea Reviews | 2 Comments

looseleaf 8.99 made by Kowa company (i think they’re into the coffee business.)
my bugger with this: they call it ‘Japan Sencha’ yet its made in Spain?

great packaging: airtight metal box (this should be a model to all who boast about their supposed ‘freshness’.)

dry leaf: varying shapes, some stem, some brown stem = “quality is low”

flavor: tastes green, astringency does not bother too much.

astringent continues in the aftertaste along with a lemony sensation.
if this is all sencha green tea leaf and nothing else thats good because i detect some lemon on my tongue. or maybe its the green twigs or something from the plant… i remember chewing tree leaves when young… but im pretty sure its lemony… i think i sense it in the smell as well.

buy again: ~~yes~~. nah, made up my mind. i don’t think so.

Sencha .Chado Tea

May 14, 2006 at 3:34 pm | Posted in Green Tea, just green tea, Sencha, Tea Reviews | Leave a comment

description:
“The basic green tea of Japan. There are numerous grades of Sencha and even the mediocre Sencha can be a delight. A delicate tea that is grassy and sweet and a little astringent.“

my pics:

the liquor color is actually green-phosphorescent! bright!

dry leaf has lots of big ass stems = “quality is low”

cold water, 20 min, the green liquor slowly appeared, very nice in color.
taste: grass-like, reminds of wheatgrass shots but those are more like eating raw grass. yes bitterness is low, but after >30 minutes it gets more bitter.

a second infusion in cold water took 45 minutes and just half amount of liquor difused into the water.

do not add sugar! 🙂 took away the taste!

keep? Yeah i drank it.