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Leafed a lot lighter than I normally would, following the directions for a typical sencha with 2g in a 100ml kyusu, steeped for about 1 minute to start.

I haven’t had one of these aged senchas before, so I was interested in seeing how the flavor of this would compare. Immediately upon wetting the leaves I could tell that this has a stronger, sweeter scent than an everyday sencha, and this translates well into the flavor of the tea. The liquor is a light green from the first steep with a distinctly sweet and umami vegetal flavor. Very well-balanced. It’s quite light since I used such a low leaf to water ratio, but I find it refreshing. I could see myself enjoying this cold while outside on a warm afternoon, but for drinking in the morning I plan to leaf heavier in the future.

It’s still very good, though. Smooth, fragrant, notes of chestnut, no bitterness or astringency, even when I accidentally oversteeped the third round. Very good!

Drank the rest of this one this morning, and stuck with lower amounts of water for the entire session. Definitely better flavor doing it that way in my opinion, and this was good, but it wasn’t my favorite.

It’s funny how things change. I’ve tried this one two times before and I’m still not sure if I was steeping it poorly, if my palate is more developed or if a combination of the two things are responsible for my change in perception, but I feel totally different about this tea now.

We decided to give this one another try, as I’ve been sniffing it here and there lately and feeling drawn to it, and it seems the third time’s the charm. After a quick wash and flash steep, the leaves released a fantastic fruity aroma and created a deep golden liquor.

The first steep tastes of lightly roasted almonds, with light florals and a hint of marshmallow. The floral flavor becomes more prominent starting in the next steep, with hints of fruit, but the fruity flavors never really stand out in this one in my opinion.

I continue this steep the following morning and get a few more out of it before I start pulling out a significant amount of bitterness. All in all, I’ve had a much better experience with this one this time, so I’m glad I decided to keep trying out.

So rhinkle’s had this one before, but this is my first time trying it. She’d westerened it before but found too much bitterness came out for her tastes, so insisted on us gongfuing it this time.

I am not an earl grey drinker, so this is not my domain. I can tell that the tea base is good, nice and smooth. The bergamot comes through very strong for me, as I don’t handle scents all that well, but the balance of flavors is just right for her. I’m not really familiar with the scent or flavor or amaranth, so I’m not sure how will that comes through or if it could come through steeping this way, but the petals certainly add a nice visual aesthetic.

We get a couple steeps of this one before she has to head back to her desk and, all in all, I would have to say this was more enjoyable than the few earl grey-drinking experiences I’ve had in the past.

Steeped this western style today to drink during a meeting I anticipated would be stressful. For some reason, today, it just tasted of toasted coconut to me, which is a first. I’m grandpa styling the leftover leaves now, getting some creamy sweetness and just enjoying the lasting fragrance.

Love that I have so much of this.

I’ve had the #1 from Nakamura-en (the gyokuro mecha), so I was looking forward to trying this one even though I know it is the fannings. Considering how flavorful the mecha is, I figure this one must release a lot of flavor, as well.

And I wasn’t let down. Though this is a bit of a pain to steep and strain in the vessel I chose since it clogged up the straining holes and the strainer I poured through, the flavor doesn’t seem to have been affected. The liquor poured light green and was flavorful from the first sip. Buttery and umami with sweet vegetal notes. Smooth without bitterness or astringency.

Steep two comes out even greener and mostly sweet with a lighter vegetal umami backdrop. Quite different from what I’ve had in the past, and a very good in my opinion!

60C, 45s, plus long pour

Decided to follow up lunch with rhinkle with this one. The sample smells pretty sweet and fruity. 7g into the gaiwan, quick rinse, rest and steep. This one starts out light in color and gentle in flavor, with a hint of youthful bitterness. Well-balanced sweetness, florals and fresh wood shavings emerge.

I haven’t had enough time to completely spend these leaves today, so I’ll revisit this tomorrow. So far, the flavor, mouthfeel and amount of bitterness have remained pretty consistent.

Been holding onto this one for a while, and since I’m having a rough day and freezing, figured this would be the perfect warming treat. The amazing, sweet aroma from these roasted stems hits me as soon as I make the tiniest tear into the bag. 5 grams goes into my open 100ml kyusu filled with 90C water and steeped for about a minute.

The resulting brown brew smells incredibly inviting, and the flavor the follows does not disappoint. Roasted with a smooth texture and an earthy sweetness. This tea feels like it was meant for cooler weather, which makes it very welcome and warming in this chilly room I’m stuck in.

The roast mellows out in later steeps, being replaced by a nice huigan. This tea is tasty and comforting, and I’m so glad I’ve got several more sessions-worth to enjoy.

Got 10 grams of this from Yunomi a while back, and since I don’t have any other shaded greens open, figured I’d try this one! I leafed lighter than what I usually would, since I only have 10 grams and would like to get another session out of it, so I also decreased the water in the first steep. The liquor poured a mostly yellow green as the first steep often does, and it hit the tip of my tongue with sweetness while coating my mouth with umami and briny broth. A hint of bitterness develops at the back of the tongue, and a buttery aftertaste remains in my mouth until I refill my cup.

I use a bit more water in the second steep since there is usually a lot of trapped flavor ready to come out, and the flavor in this steep is more vegetal and light, with a hint of something that seems almost fruity, but I can’t quite place it. The texture is very smooth. Next time I have this one I think I’ll keep the water down in all steeps, as I prefer a more concentrated flavor. Also, that odd fruitiness leaves its aroma behind in the empty cup.

Steep three is almost identical to steep two. Liquor in the last two steeps was a bit of a light green, but stayed more sencha-like than anything else. I will need to give this one another try, but while this one was good at the start, I think I prefer kabusecha and mecha (which is like gyokuro made from buds) over this so far. But I know mecha is known for having more steeping longevity.

5g
1st: 62ml/50C/155s~
2nd: 102ml/80C/20s~
3rd: 50ml/80C/45~