Country of Origin: Japan
Leaf Appearance: deep green, needle-like shape
Water Temperature: 140 degrees
Steep Time: 90 seconds
Preparation Method: kyusu
Liquor: greenish-gold
Dojo Tea and I first connected when they direct messaged me on Instagram about our mutual New Jersey roots. They’re now based in Brooklyn and I was super excited to give their teas a try. Premium Sencha Wazka is the first up to bat.
The name gives away that this tea is from Wazuka, but I found myself wishing for more information. My tea nerd brain wants to know all of the nitty-gritty like who made this tea, what cultivar was used, and the steaming level. I’d rather know these details rather than abstract health benefits that might be loosely associated with Wazuka sencha.
Leaf
The dry leaves of Dojo Tea Premium Sencha Wazuka were deep green with a nice sheen to them. The larger ones had the characteristic needle-like shape you would expect from sencha tea. Some smaller, lighter green pieces were visible, especially when placed under my photography lights.
I prepared this tea in a kyusu using Dojo Tea’s recommended brewing parameters. My water was 160℉ with a first infusion of 90 seconds. Subsequent infusions were effectively flash steeps as I find that is my preference when preparing steamed Japanese teas.
Liquor
Dojo Tea Premium Sencha Wazuka brewed up a greenish-gold liquor with nice clarity. The taste was wonderfully buttery and sweet with balanced umami lingering in the aftertaste. I was reminded of eating fresh edamame. A subtle astringency kept things lively without stepping over into unpleasantness. The second infusion was a bit cloudier and greener, but just as tasty.
I enjoyed my experience drinking this tea quite a bit. It’s a good starter sencha, delicate and refined without being overly fussy. I do wish that the packaging was more elevated than placing handwritten stickers over those from their supplier. The price of $30.00 for 100g is on par with similarly sized competitors, but the lack of truly branded packaging is a downside for me.
Have you ever tried Dojo Teas Premium Sencha Wazuka? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!
Premium Sencha Wazuka sample was provided for review by Dojo Tea.
