Ikkyu Ayumi High-Grade Sencha
Country of Origin: Yame, Japan Leaf Appearance: deep green, needle-like Steep time: 1 minute Water Temperature: 140 degrees Preparation Method: kyusu Liquor: bright green, slightly cloudy A few months ago I received a message through Tumblr from Joelle, one of the people behind Ikkyu, a new-to-me tea vendor. The fact that they specialize in teas from Kyushu really caught my attention. Not only was their website full of information, but they also listed an adorable cat named Marcello as one of their team members. What’s not to love? Japanese green teas are a bit underrepresented here on the blog. It’s not that I don’t enjoy them, I just don’t receive as many samples…
Lupicia Sencha Matsuri
Country of Origin: Japan Leaf Appearance: deep green, needle-like Ingredients: green tea Steep time: 1 minute Water Temperature: 175 degrees Preparation Method: kyusu Liquor: deep yellow green I’ve heard quite a bit about Lupicia from tea friends over the years but never had the opportunity to try their offerings until now. Right off the bat, I was very impressed with the quality of their packaging and labeling. The tea was packed in a vacuum sealed bag within the tin. Tea in clear plastic bags drives me crazy so it was nice to see that they did not opt for the cheaper option. The deep green leaves had a beautiful sheen to them. They also…
Cha Do Raku Yume – Icho (bihakko fukamushi)
Country of Origin: Japan Leaf Appearance: needle-like, deep green Ingredients: green tea Steep time: 1 minute Water Temperature:185 degrees Preparation Method: kyusu Liquor: vibrant green, almost opaque in 2nd and 3rd infusion Earlier this year I attended a fantastic class taught by the owner of Cha Do Raku about oxidized Japanese green teas. It’s a category of tea that I’ve become very interested in. The leaves are withered prior to steaming, making something akin to what would be called a yellow tea in China. I had a hard time choosing tea to take home that day but finally settled upon this one. They had me at fukamushi! I love the depth of information that…
Mellow Monk Kuma Green 1228 Sencha
Country of Origin: Japan Leaf Appearance: small, deep green Ingredients: green tea Steep time: 2 minutes Water Temperature: 165 degrees Preparation Method: kyusu Liquor: bright greenish yellow +Mellow Monk is definitely one of my go-to’s for Japanese green tea. I’ve reviewed quite a few of their teas but I think that this one just might be my favorite so far. The leaves, both dry and while steeping, were incredibly aromatic. If you could bottle the smell of spring this tea is what it would smell like. The taste was incredible smooth with a pure and sweet vegetal character. I was surprised at how many fruity notes there were. I was reminded of crisp apples and honeydew…
Aiya Tea Deep Steamed Sencha
Country of Origin: Japan Leaf Appearance: deep green, needle-like shape Ingredients: green tea Steep time: 1 minute Water Temperature: 175 degrees Preparation Method: Kyusu Liquor: bright greenish yellow This sencha is unique because the leaves have been deep steamed. As +Aiya America Organic Matcha green tea‘s site explains, this decreases the aroma but also cuts the astringency and gives it a more full bodied flavor. The dry leaves had a fairly normal appearance but the liquor was a really bright greenish yellow. It had the sweet vegetal notes that I would expect from sencha but it was rounder and fuller without the typical sharpness. The finish still had a refreshing astringency. Although not fruity in…
Chai Diaries Rose Sencha
Country of Origin: not listed Leaf Appearance: deep green, somewhat flat, lots of petals and rosehip pieces Ingredients: Sencha green tea, rosehips, rose petals, and safflowers with rose flavor Steep time: 3 minutes Water Temperature: 205 degrees Preparation Method: ceramic infuser mug Liquor: bright gold The aroma of this tea hit me like a bouquet of roses as soon as I opened the canister. Even my non-tea crazy family took notice. I had a brief moment of hesitation, worried that it would be liquid perfume. Thankfully the taste was wonderfully delicate and floral yet vegetal enough to be what I would consider full bodied. It had a sweet lingering finish that I really enjoyed.…
Want to learn more about tea? Come follow my journey with the leaf. Fun and informative posts, tea reviews and more.