Thés du Japon

Had another go this morning.
8g / 200ml glaspot.
Three infusions @ 100C
50s/1:15m/2m

I can help but taste oregano, maybe its because of the apperance of the leaves. Looks similar.
The taste is a mix of cinnamon and sharp herbal flavours with a slight astringency. It is very different to other japanese blacks.
Im actually lowering the score somewhat because it dissapoints if you like the usual japanese black tea flavour. and it cant stand up to a good darjeeling neither.

Ran out of Fuji black tea. So the time came to open up a bag of this interesting tea.

7g / 200ml glaspot
One infusion for 1m @100C.

I overslept this morning so only had time for 1 infusion.
This japanese black was a bit different.
The usual cinnamon flavor is there but with a mix of slight astringency and tones of mor classic black teas like a darjeeling second flush.

Will have to try a few more infusions before i can discern better the many flavours.

It is very good at the least :)

Sipdown. R.I.P
Really enjoyed this sencha. Powerful vegal taste. slight astringancy, thick and sweet. Still have lots of 2012 sencha in my stash. Aiming to finish it all before 2014 harvest.
On another note, its not to long until the wonderful autumnflush of darjeeling!

10g / 180ml Banko-yaki kyusu, water from Kunzan tetsubin.
1:15/0:05/0:05/0:05 @ 65C

Next time will be a sipdown of this most exellent sensha.
4th infusion started to get a bit weaker so will do 10s 4th and onward.

Infusions are very clear, taste is clean and veggietasting a hint of grass. Also i think i tasted something in the sweetness like vanilla?

Perhaps i will go for a deep steamed sensha next? Although Gyokuro is a whole lot better! :D

10g / 180ml banko-yaki kyusu

This time i used the recommended amount of leaf.
This gave a much more potent brew! The liquid is still very clear, light green.
Packed full of flavour with the slightest astringency.

Pure joy!

6g / 180ml banko-yaki kyusu.

4 Infusions
1:15m/5s/5s/5s 65-75C

Recently finished the exellent organic Mie sencha and although im stocked up with more :) felt id open up this new sencha.

First i noticed the leaves. Very long with a nice fragrant smell of grass (the good kind ^^)
The liquid was very clear with a light smooth feel to it. Flavours of vegetable and grassy notes. VERY pleasant although a bit to weak.

Recommended amount of leaves is 4g/70ml, in my pot that would be 10g.
Next time i will try 8g and see what happens. But i can imagine a large amount is needed because these large leaf do not infuse very quickly.

7g / 200ml glaspot @ 100C
3 Infusions: 1m/1m/2m

First infusion was a bit to strong. 45s is enough.
This tea is very spicy. I think ill try brewing it a bit thinner next time. Since im about to run out :)

This time i conducted a small experiment.

I did two simultaneous brewings.
1: 180ml banko-yaki kyushu
2: 200ml glass teapot

I used 7g / 180ml 100C water in preheated pots.
3: infusions 45s/1m/2m

The differance in taste was clearly noticable.
The banko-yaki had a much softer mellower taste, with somewhat stronger aftertaste. The liquid was a bit more foggy aswell.

The glasspot tasted a bit sharper more fruity but with less aftertaste.

My conclusion is that banko-yaki isn´t a very suitable material for brewing black teas.

Strong! Full of flavor yet only a little bit of astringency.
Not as complex as other japanese blacks but full of spicy flavor.
The dry leaf is small and mostly broken so it infuses quickly.

I use a 200ml banko-yaki kyushu so i usually do only 3 infusions. But this tea should be able to manage atleast 4-5. The first 2 inusions were VERY strong. the third only slighly less so.

I used 4g/100ml
1. 45s
2. 1m
3. 1m45s

Good in the morning and during the day. Abit much as an eveningtea.

Sipdown!
I´ve been dreading the day! All is gone, to maybe never return again!

Since it´s valentine and i´m single I thought i´d treat myself to something special :)
Kobiwako Kyusu
1m/1m/2m @ 100C

Still the best japanese black i´ve tried, full of cinnamon and minty aftertaste. almost no astringancy yet it manages a solid body with complex flavours dancing around in my mouth! I want MORE :)
Will be on the lookout!

10g / 180ml kobiwako
1m/1m/2m @ 100C

Ah, going all out since its sunday! Been at my brothers place for his birthday. The family is no teadrinkers. So i thought i would make me some of this awesome tea! Sweet minty cinnamon. Very full body, perhaps a faint bit of wood. Almost no astringancy.
noticed ivé only got enough for one more pot. :/

Been drinking alot of tea earlier today but didnt take the time to log. Looking forward to harvest! Been trying alot of different kinds of tea the last year. Now i know what i like better and will focus on trying more varieties.

10g / 180ml kobiwako kyusu
1m/45s/2m @ 100C

Superb as always! Really do hope i get a chance to restock!
Today i recieved my order from yuuki-cha. I´m looking forward to trying escpeically the Koubi-Shiage oolong as it is supposed to be somewhat like a japanese Da Hong Pao. Unfortunatly they packed my order wrong so i got another bag of hime-fuki instead of Hime-hikari. oh well. will try that next time. :)

10g / 180ml Kobiwako kyusu
Four infusions: 1m/1m/1:15m/2m @ 100C

This is by far my favorite japanese black tea. It is shockful of flavours. Cinnamon, mint, even a very slight note of citrus. Very low astringancy.
And the effect of the brand new Kobiwako clay pot is marvelous. The tea recieves strong body AND aftertaste. Mr Hojo really did hit spot on with this new clay. Beutiful. Will post a pic @ a later tasting note.

This is one of my favorite black teas. A very clean powerful taste typical of japanese blacks. A bit of sweetness, mint, without any astringency.
Big beutiful leaves with a strong fragrance after wash.

I used 10g of leaves in a 200ml banko-yaki kyusu. The large leaves filled the pot to the brim.
Did 3 infusions.
1. 60sec 100c
2. 45sec 100c
3. 120sec 100c

I got 3 powerful cups. The last infusion was a bit long. I think 5 infusions won`t be a problem. perhaps. 60/45/60/75/90.
A wonderful high quality tea.

Thank you to TeaEqualsBliss for sending me a bit of this tea.

This is a really pleasing Sencha … as I sit here, sipping on it, I am trying to recall the last time I consumed a pure Sencha, and I can’t do so. I’ve had so many other green teas, primarily flavored, in the past weeks, but, I haven’t had a pure Sencha like this in a while. It’s a nice change … very refreshing.

The aroma of the dry leaf initially reminded me of seaweed, but after the package had breathed for a moment, I noticed more of a freshly cut grass kind of smell.

The brewed tea smells a bit more like mild, steamed vegetables … reminding me a bit of the broccoli that I steamed last night, only this is a bit more on the “grassy” vegetable side, smelling a bit more like spinach, I think. The flavor is not spinach-y though, or even broccoli-ish. It is sweet, grassy, and crisp. There is a very fresh, vibrant sort of taste to it. Very smooth. Nice.

Yup! Dry…this smells like Chestnuts! Wet…it smells like a Buttered Veggies with a nuttiness to it! Yum! Yum!

This has a light and fluffy sort of taste to it – especially since the aroma was so intense – this sort of surprised me. As it cools it does have a peppery taste to it too!

I really like this green!

This smells like pure spinach.

The product description says this is “pure” and “mellow”…well, I disagree with the MELLOW description…I think it’s very hardy…it’s grassy-green, vegetal, and gives a pretty powerful punch.

I, do, however, really like this…I think it’s a good green…as far as the grassier greens are concerned.

I’m grateful I was able to try it!

This is a fine tasting sencha!

The post-infused tea-liquor is a earthy-lime-green with a little bit of texture/floaties.

The vegetal Flavor is mellow and there is a mysterious maltiness trying to hide in the middle of the sip. As it cools it becomes a bit more grassy, but it’s a good grassy flavor…and not distracting either.

I like this one, too!

One of my favorites — every time I drink this tea, I can’t believe I’m drinking a japanese green. I’ve only had these flavors in tightly rolled, high mountain Taiwanese oolongs.

I save this one for special occasions. A true treat!

This is really wonderful!

It smells like pan fried spinach but it tastes like lima beans. After cooling at room temp for a moment it turns a little bit sweeter. But from start to finish – it’s savory and crisp-green! This is a sturdy Sencha and I think it’s GRAND :)

What I guessed would be a particularly unique sencha in the same vein as a few others I’ve reviewed from Thes du Japon, has actually felt a little more like ‘coming home’ to a familiar tea.

If I were to name one sencha that I really enjoy, have had more than others, and is always appreciated, it would be Sencha Zuiko from Den’s Tea. It’s a classic light-steamed sencha, from Honyama. But, I don’t love the fact that it only comes in 2oz packages, rather than 100g…anyway…

This tea has the very same dry leaf smell (once put into the warm teapot, they become very sweet and bakey-like), and the very same aroma from the liquor, a nice mix of nori, bakey, bitter, and sweet. I don’t know for sure, but I think this tea had these qualities and felt familiar because it is also made from the Yabukita cultivar.

What made it unique and distinct, however was a delicious, sweet, flower tone that lay underneath these other, familiar flavors. The sweetness, maybe like honeysuckle, was really good, and most apparent on the first two steeps.

This distinct floral aroma becomes less sweet, but more clear as floral, in the aftertaste. No, it’s nothing like the orchid taste of oolong, nor is the aftertaste a strong sweetness that remains in the throat for a long time. Instead, it is a very refreshing, subtle aroma that is more clear after the other, typical sencha flavors have disappeared.

I was most surprised by the fact that this aroma only grew stronger after additional steeps! Most senchas I find I’m done at 3-4 steeps… this one seems to get a real second wind at the 4th and easily goes 5… maybe more.

If you like standard, quality, light-steamed sencha, this tea is a good fit—with a delicious twist.

I am so glad I got this tea!

I’ve never had this cultivar before, so it was fun to notice the similarities and differences to others. I asked Florent (one of the owners) which of two Kabusechas to recommend, and he said this one. This isn’t technically a true Kabusecha, but the lines are very blurred (the leaves were shaded 1 week prior to picking).

As the description states, the tea is machine harvested, so the leaves are small. However, there are very little tiny bits of leaf like you would find in a fukamushi; instead, they are very consistent, dark, twisted leaves. When brewed, they open up very nicely as well.

Amazingly (for a Japanese green), the liquor is very consistent in color from steep to steep. Typically, I expect the first to be clearer, and the second to be quite dark and full of little bits of leaf. Instead, this tea is a very pleasing, bright, yellowish-green, every single time.

I’m going to have to keep cupping this to get a good description/idea of all the various aromas present, but it is definitely like fresh green beans, flowers, and has a sweet, delicious, noticeable aftertaste.

Once I had tasted the first sip, I was so thankful to know I’d have it around for a while!

Out of curiosity, this was the only tea I requested as a sample in my recent order (Thes du Japon generously throwing in 3 more!). This tea was a real surprise!

I have enjoyed Chinese green teas before, but for the most part, I prefer the effect steaming has on green teas, as opposed to pan-frying (typical Chinese method to prevent further oxidation). But, I had to try this tea, because it is so unique for a Japanese green, and must be more similar to the original teas that came over to Japan from China.

The opened (sample) pack smelled like chocolate, maybe like chocolate raspberries, and slightly earthy. The dry leaves were very similar in shape to Mellow Monk’s ‘Top Leaf’ or Den’s Tea’s ‘Guricha’ … but once they had been steeped several times, they opened up to be huge. You would never have guessed.

I was expecting the tea to be interesting, but not so delicious! The aroma is probably one of the best parts, faintly like stir-fryed snap peas, but as the description says, exactly like smell of roasting chestnuts. I knew that is a nice smell and all, but I never expected it to be so irresistible!

Finally, the flavor wasn’t (as I had been predicting) completely unlike regular sencha. No, this is definitely still a (unique) sencha. I was expecting a very Chinese-like, pan-fried, green tea. Instead, I got a nice union of the two – warming and tasty chestnuts, followed by a faint, but deliciously sweet bitterness.

I might have rated this higher, but it didn’t keep such a strong flavor or aroma for more than 2 infusions. The 3rd and 4th were still good, but didn’t have the same punch. However, I am definitely interested in trying more!