O-Cha’s Organic Sencha “Warashima Supreme” is a light-steamed shincha with a seductive aroma of white chocolate and berries and slender leaves resembling broken pine leaves. This sencha comes from Shizuoka and steeps into a mellow, light green cup, whose most dominant flavour is that of steamed spinach, accented by a hint of pepper and a slight sweetness.

Unlike the Kagoshima Sencha Yutaka Midori that I reviewed earlier this week, this shincha is much more forgiving of lengthened brewing times, largely because its flavour is not nearly as forthright as that of the other shincha. In fact, the longer brewing times (I’m still only suggesting an extra 20 to 30 seconds) help tease a little more out of the tea.

Available from O-Cha

© Eric for Tea Finely Brewed, 2010. | Shincha 2010: Organic Sencha “Warashima Supreme” from O-Cha | No comment |
Post categories: Green tea, Tea reviews
Post tags: 2010 Shincha, First flush 2010, Japanese green tea, Japanese teas, O-Cha, shincha, Shizuoka tea

Open up your packet of Kagoshima Sencha Yutaka Midori, draw in deeply, and you’ll be hit with the heavenly aroma of extraordinary tea: forest freshness, met by the syrupy sweetness of blackcurrant and the tartier overtones of tropical fruits. You only get this kind of rich aroma when the tea is this fresh ? and this good.

Precision pays off with this shincha: oversteep it by 10 or 20 seconds and you’ll find that the tea has developed a sharpness that can be off-putting. But get it just right and you’ll be rewarded with a wonderful sencha, a broth with flavours of steamed vegetables and a chewy texture.

Available from O-Cha

© Eric for Tea Finely Brewed, 2010. | Shincha 2010: Kagoshima Sencha Yutaka Midori | No comment |
Post categories: Green tea, Tea reviews
Post tags: 2010 Shincha, First flush 2010, Japanese green tea, Japanese teas, Kagoshima tea, Kagoshima Yutaka Midori, O-Cha, shincha

A new year, a new tea. Hojicha is a roasted Japanese tea that consists predominantly of the stalks of the tea plant. It is, according to Harney , a relatively recent invention, dating back to 1920. The rise of mechanical harvesters had meant that there was an excess of tea stalks after harvesting. Seeing the waste, a Japanese merchant in Uji took the stalks and started roasting them. Hojicha was born.

This is my first experience of hojicha, courtesy of Mighty Leaf Tea, who provided me a small sample for review.

The tea looks like a mixture of stalks and leaves, with a dark bronze appearance. The dry aroma is rich with notes of berries and chocolate. It smells delicious.

I steep the tea for two minutes, which turns out to be just about right. Something tells me that oversteeping it would give it a biting astringency. As it is, the liquor is a greenish yellow and has a savoury, somewhat grassy flavour with berry-flavours still swirling around. It’s hard not to draw comparisons to genmaicha, which has a similar colour and savoury character.

In some ways, I get the feeling that hojicha’s strength is in its aroma, not its flavour. It tastes nice, but not as nice as it smells. It also doesn’t have much of a finish. But then, hojicha seems to more of an every-day kind of tea, and it would make a perfect accompaniment to food.

Organic Hojicha is available from Mighty Leaf Tea.

© Eric for Tea Finely Brewed, 2010. | Organic Hojicha from Mighty Leaf Tea | 2 comments |
Post categories: Green tea, Tea reviews
Post tags: Hojicha, Japanese green tea, Japanese teas, Mighty Leaf Tea

How do you like my new tea set?

I celebrated my birthday last week and got three new tea brewing devices: a porcelain gaiwan, a yixing teapot and this one, a simple Japanese teapot with a large infuser basket.

It has been fun experimenting with the gaiwan over the past week, while I’ve been considering which type of tea my yixing should be devoted to (anyone have any thoughts?). I decided to use the teapot pictured above to make today’s tea, Monk’s Bliss by Mellow Monk.

Monk’s Bliss is a shiraore, which is a green tea with some leaf stems. The result is a mellow green tea that tastes remarkably like steamed vegetables.

As I drank this tea, I kept drawing comparisons to the shincha I tried earlier this year. That too I described as tasting liked steamed vegetables, though I found this tea a much milder beast. Where the shincha delivered three, sometimes four strong infusions, the shiraore gives just two. But there is a warm depth to it, a richness that reminds me of a forest floor. It’s mellow and calming, a perfect accompaniment to a sunny spring morning.

Monk’s Bliss is available from Mellow Monk.

© eric for Tea Finely Brewed, 2009. | Monk's Bliss by Mellow Monk | 5 comments |
Post categories: Green tea
Post tags: Japan, Japanese green tea, Japanese teas, Mellow Monk

Kagoshima Shincha Yutaka Midori 2009

My package of Kagoshima Shincha Yutaka Midori 2009 arrived last week, earlier than expected. This is the second time I’ve ordered tea from O-Cha, and on both occasions I have been impressed with how quickly my tea arrived.

This shincha leaps out at me. It is unmistakably fresh, with an aroma dominated by blackcurrant. The smell of the rich dark green leaves reminds me of a forest floor – perhaps there is a hint of pine here.

I brew the tea in my porcelain Japanese teapot at 78° C for a minute. Following O-Cha’s instructions, I use roughly a teaspoon in 250ml (8oz) of water. It quickly becomes apparent that shincha needs to be brewed carefully. When I leave it to steep for 1:30, the astringency bites. Later, I also try steeping the tea at a lower temperature, which gives it a milder character.

The powder of the leaves swirls around in the tea, giving the appearance of a green miso soup. When I first sip this, I wonder if this tea is designed to be consumed alongside sushi or fish – something suggests to me that shincha would be a perfect accompaniment to either dish. The flavour is of steamed vegetables. I drink it and feel nourished, revitalized.

This is my first taste of shincha, but it has left me with that happy feeling that comes from discovering – yet again – how deep and rich the world of tea is.

Kagoshima Shincha Yutaka Midori 2009 2010 is available from O-Cha for $24.95 per 100 grams.

© eric for Tea Finely Brewed, 2009. | Kagoshima Shincha Yutaka Midori 2009 | 2 comments |
Post categories: Green tea, Tea reviews
Post tags: Japanese teas, Kagoshima tea, Kagoshima Yutaka Midori, Sencha, shincha

Shincha. Photo by geekgirlunveiled.

In a world where supermarkets stock a never-ending supply of tea, have we lost the thrill of anticipation? Do we remember the feeling of waiting for a new harvest to yield a fresh crop of tea?

An email from O-Cha this morning reminded me: 2009′s first harvest is drawing near. And O-Cha have four shinchas ready to pre-order, from four different Japanese tea gardens.

Shincha is the year’s first harvest, alternatively known as first flush. Once plucked, it’s immediately packaged and made ready for sale. It doesn’t get any fresher than this.

Given that it is only produced for a few days every year, shincha is a rare treat for tea aficionados. I decided to splash out and take advantage of O-Cha’s $2 early bird discount: one 2009 shincha from Kagoshima prefecture will be coming my way sometime in May.

This year, I’ll enjoy the thrill of anticipating a fresh tea harvest.

Pre-Order 2009 Shincha from O-Cha

• Shincha – Kagoshima Yutaka Midori: $24.95 for 100 grams.
• Shincha – Shizuoka Sencha Hatsumi: $22.95 for 100 grams.
• Shincha – Uji Kirameki: $37.95 for 100 grams.
• Shincha Fukamushi Supreme: $22.95 for 100 grams.
• Kagoshima Sencha Sae Midori: $24.95 for 100 grams.

Order any of these before April 21 and you’ll get $2 off.

© eric for Tea Finely Brewed, 2009. | Shincha: Anticipating 2009's First Japanese Green Teas | 7 comments |
Post categories: Green tea
Post tags: first flush 2009, Fukamushi Supreme, Japan, Japanese teas, Kagoshima Yutaka Midori, Sencha, shincha, Shizuoka Sencha Hatsumi, Uji Kirameki

Three varieties of green tea: Gen mai cha (top left), citron green (top right) and cocomint green tea (bottom). Photo by tim7423.

What is green tea, exactly?

Green tea is tea produced from Camellia Sinensis that hasn’t been oxidized. The lack of oxidation ensures that the tea leaf retains more of its original flavour, colour and health benefits.

Despite the name, infused green tea isn’t necessarily green. Often, it appears yellow or golden, with only a faint hint of green. The “green” in green tea refers primarily to the colour of the leaf.

Where is green tea grown?

The world’s foremost green tea producers are China and Japan, though green tea is also grown on a smaller scale in Taiwan (Formosa), Korea, India, Ceylon (Sri Lanka) and Kenya.

What are some of the most famous types of green tea?

There are hundreds – if not thousands – of types of green tea, categorized according to the where they come from and how they are dried.

Gunpowder green tea, from China, is so named for the way it is shaped into pellet form. Jasmine tea, also from China, is green tea that’s been infused with jasmine blossoms, giving it an aromatic flowery aspect. One of China’s most well-respected teas is Dragon Well (or Longjing), which has a toasty flavour.

In Japan, a country where practically all the tea grown is turned into green tea, Sencha is the brew of choice for many. Matcha is a unique powdered tea which forms a rich green brew with a striking flavour. It is also the type of green tea Starbucks uses in its green tea creme frappuccino, but don’t hold that against it. Two other Japanese green teas deserve a mention: Gen mai cha is green tea blended with roasted rice (and sometimes popped corn); Gyokuro is a premium Japanese green tea with a distinctive aroma, due to the extra shading it receives before harvest.

What’s the best way to brew green tea?

The number one rule when brewing green tea is to allow your water to cool a little before pouring it over your tea leaves. Water that has just boiled will ruin the tea and make it overly bitter. If you’ve had green tea before and thought it was too bitter, that’s probably why. Ideally, the water should be between 77-82°C (170-180°F).

Another key factor in brewing the perfect cup of green tea is how long you allow it to steep. 2-3 minutes is just right, while longer steeping times detract from the tea’s delicate flavour. You can steep the tea several times.

What are the health benefits of drinking green tea?

Extensive research has gone into green tea, which has found that it is generally low in caffeine and high in antioxidants, fluoride, potassium and vitamins A, C and E.

Studies have shown that green tea can, among other things, fight cancer, lower cholesterol levels, improve mental focus, boost the immune system, aid weight loss and help those suffering from arthritis. The extent to which it helps these things is dependent on how much green tea you drink, and of course how healthy the rest of your diet and lifestyle is.

Does green tea contain caffeine?

Yes, it does. All green tea contains caffeine, but how much it contains varies quite substantially depending on the type of green tea you’re drinking, how you brewed it, or whether it’s your first infusion of the tea. In general, green tea contains between 10 and 50 milligrams of caffeine.

See more: How much caffeine does green tea contain?

Where can I buy green tea online?

A good place to start is the Tea Finely Brewed marketplace, where you can browse and compare green tea from different tea merchants.

• O-Cha specialize in Japanese green teas. I can personally recommend them, as I have bought excellent matcha tea from them.
• Generation Tea has a great range of Japanese and Chinese green teas.
• Mellow Monk’s Green Teas
• Green teas from Adagio Teas
• Green teas from Mighty Leaf Tea

Other posts in this series:

• Oolong Tea
• White Tea
• Black Tea
• Pu-erh Tea

© eric for Tea Finely Brewed, 2009. | 7 Common Questions About Green Tea | 3 comments |
Post categories: Green tea
Post tags: Beginner's Guide to Tea, camellia sinensis, chinese teas, dragon well, gen mai cha, Green tea, gunpowder green, Gyokuro, Japanese teas, jasmine tea, longjing, matcha, Sencha, tea health

© eric for Tea Finely Brewed, 2008. | Japanese TV ad for green tea | 2 comments |
Post categories: Green tea
Post tags: advertising, funny, Green tea, Japan, Japanese teas, videos

Sencha Tea and Gyokuro Tea, side by side

The tea shop at the local mall had a nice display of their offerings the other day, with samples of each tea in a small bowl on a table.

I was most interested in sniffing the sencha and gyokuro green teas. Gyokuro is a type of sencha, but it’s shaded for two weeks before it’s harvested. This increases the amount of caffeine and amino acids in the tea, and it also endows the tea with a sweeter flavour than normal sencha. The shading also affects the tea’s colour. Gyokuro is noticeably darker than sencha (as you can see in the image at the top).

But it’s the contrast between the two aromas that I found most interesting. The sencha had a light, familiar aroma – what I’d expect from a Japanese green. Gyokuro, on the other hand, has a much richer aroma, complementing its darker appearance. The impact of those two weeks of shade is right there, instantly apparent.

Buy Gyokuro online from O-Cha

Please ignore this little test: Kangaroo liver Turkmenistan.

© eric for Tea Finely Brewed, 2008. | Sniffing tea: How two weeks of shading affects a tea's aroma | No comment |
Post categories: Green tea
Post tags: Green tea, Gyokuro, Japan, Japanese teas, Sencha