Country of Origin: Japan
Leaf Appearance: small, dark green, needle-like
Ingredients: green tea
Steep time: 2 minutes
Water Temperature: 175 degrees
Preparation Method: kyusu
Liquor: jade green
On a recent stay-cation in NYC, my boyfriend happened to book a hotel directly across the street from Ippodo. How lucky was that? One a previous trip I picked up some matcha but I was on a mission for sencha this time around. They had several different options to choose from. I went with the Unro because it was the least expensive choice. Japanese greens are notoriously picky about temperature so I was surprised to see that they had directions on the package for using boiling water. The aroma of the leaves was amazing, even before steeping. I must confess to sticking my nose into the kyusu more than once to deeply inhale that fresh smell that I’ve really ever found in sencha and gyokuro. The taste was sweet, vegetal and packed full of umami. Umami is something that I often struggle to describe even though I know it when I taste it. For more information on the “fifth taste” check out this article from Ricardo Caicedo. There was just a touch of astringency but it never became unpleasant. If you ever have the chance to visit Ippodo’s shop, I highly recommend picking this one up.
Unro Sencha purchased from Ippodo Tea Co.