“This Sencha was highly satisfying. Very well balanced in terms of butteriness and bitterness. Attempts with cooler water did not prove satisfactory.” Read full tasting note
Type of tea: futsumushi sencha (normal steamed sencha)
Origin: Fuji City, Shizuoka Prefecture
Cultivar: Koshun
Harvest: First spring harvest
Shizuoka Prefecture, the number-one tea-producing area in Japan, can seem a little monotonous since over 90 percent of its plants are Yabukita cultivar. However, at the foot of Mt. Fuji, the talented and pioneering Akiyama Katsuhide grows dozens of different cultivars, some of which are very rare.
This tea is one of his products: a normal-steamed sencha (futsumushi sencha) from the Kôshun cultivar. The leaves are beautiful, shiny and finely rolled.
Its flavour is very pure, a true strong taste of classical sencha: luxurious astringency, refreshing green notes, a broad bouquet of aromas, and a sweet aftertaste that leaves the flavour of spring in the mouth.
This is a superior Japanese tea in the pure Shizuoka tradition, with a marvellous fragrance, containing buttery notes that soften the stimulating hints of almonds and spicy, captivating flowers.
As is generally the case with cultivars that have a strong special scent, this Kôshun’s fragrance gets stronger when it has been in contact with the air for a while.
The producer has used his skill to create a reasonably priced sencha with an exemplary traditional flavour but lots of personality thanks to its fragrance. To enjoy it fully, drink it from small, deep cups.
Steeping method
Quantity of leaves*: 3-4 g / 1-1.3 tsp per person
Quantity of water: 70 ml / 1/4 cup per person
Water temperature: 70°C / 158°F
Steeping time: 50-60 seconds
*If you are making tea for just one person, increase the quantity of leaves slightly.
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