GreenTea Japan

Used a Bonavita variable temp. kettle. Water was city tap (Toronto) filtered through a Britta. This tea is incredibly fine, especially for the price point. Long, lingering aftertaste, brilliant colour, aroma took me right to the sea. Umami is the predominant flavour, with a rich mouthfeel reminiscent of cream. Not complex, but very approachable. I would happily buy this many times again.

I also tried to pour the boiled water into an enamelled cast iron pot before pouring into the chawan. It resulted in a grippier, softer tea which added an element of dimension. I don’t have a tetsubin, unfortunately, but the cast iron pot suggests that this tea could benefit from one.

I had never tried this company, but their teas looked nice, and so did their website.

I ordered their Yutaka Midori breed, named “Ichigo Ichie”. The tea shipped quickly and came wrapped in heavy green paper and Japanese calligraphy, and the tea itself is in a metallic based paper pouch (similar to many other Japanese tea vendors), only this one is resealable.

The tea is deep steamed, and has quite a few small pieces, but smells very fresh. I brewed 2g in ~3oz water at 170F for 30 seconds. The color is a nice greenish-yellow, and surprisingly little “dust” in the cup for being so deep steamed. The flavor is pretty strong and tastes a lot like hazelnuts, and has a hint of roasted flavor, with a little sweetness after.

I might have to try some of their Yame teas later, to see how they compare.