I got this tea for Christmas after it finally cleared customs, and I am happy to report that it was worth the wait. This is a fukamushi sencha, which means that it is steamed for a longer period of time, and it’s the first one I have gotten to try, so I was very excited.
I brewed it at a rather low temperature, and for a relatively short amount of time because I’ve found that Japanese greens can be very unforgiving if you aren’t careful. The first infusion had a very pleasing aroma of grass and vegetation, but it was not overwhelming. The taste of the first infusion was superb, with just the right amount of sweetness. The tea is also a very vibrant green color, with a good deal of tea dust floating in the tea. The only other tea I have that looks like this is my Mellow Monk Top Leaf, but that tea tastes very different in it’s first infusion.
The second and third infusions exhibited a very rapid decrease in the grassiness of the tea, leaving behind a balanced and sweet tea. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still very good, but it borders on being generic.
The forth infusion was mostly notable for being sweet, but having very little flavor. Regardless, this tea is still fantastic, and truly deserves a high rating.
