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I was expecting something very bland or burnt-tasting, but it was a very mild, soft, round flavor. Comforting, relaxing for the evening. I will definitely be keeping this in my stash.

Opening the pouch, first notice a sweet rich scent, with hints of cherries & chocolate.

Preheated the kyusu (iron-rich clay, unglazed interior) for the 4 grams of leaf, typical sencha appearance of the dark thin pieces of leaf.

First infusion 160 degrees, about 30 seconds, pouring into my big chawan, lots of leaf bits come too—probably will strain the next infusion. Thick, silky, rich mouthfeel with sweet, delicate vegetal flavor, oh my. It is a little less leaf than I usually use in this 160mL kyusu, so the richness of the mouthfeel is surprising.

Really enjoying this one a LOT, now about the 5th infusion, and temp upped to 180 degrees for this infusion: it’s still sweet, light, rich. A bit of astringency has crept in, and I probably should have kept this one a bit shorter.

One more infusion, 180 degree water, and about 1 minute infusion, and we’re back to sweet, light, rich, with astringency retreating again into the background. I agree that this one is ‘Supremely’ good.

This is an unusual tasting tea: brothy (in a chicken-noodle-soup way, rather than a fuka-type brothiness) with undertones of saltiness. Had to really play around with the brewing to get a half-decent 2nd infusion.

First infusion — 5 g. per 8 oz. water, 60 deg., 35 sec.

Second infusion — 5 g. per 8 oz. water, 60 deg., 1 min.

Third infusion — 5 g. per 8 oz. water, 60 deg., 5+ min.

A wonderfully strong veggie-tasting fuka. First rate! Gives a better second infusion than most other fuka-s I have had.

First infusion — 5 g. per 8 oz. water, 70 deg., 35-40 sec.

Second infusion — 5 g. per 8 oz. water, 70 deg., 40-45 sec.

Third infusion — 5 g. per 8 oz. water, 70 deg., 5+ min.

Boy, am I glad I gave this tea another chance!

I received a generous sample of O-Cha’s Otsuusan from my fellow Green Tea enthusiast Shiobicha, and brewed it up according to my normal parameters a couple weeks back (2 tbsp/155*/1.5mins, first steeping). It came out overwhelmingly sweet and soapy through all three steepings, and I couldn’t even bring myself to finish my iced; diluted final steeping.

Today I was thinking of cracking open something new, but remembered I had samples to work through first. I added two level tbsp to my 10oz kyusu and let my 165* water steep for a little over two minutes. Much to my surprise, the “soapy” taste was almost nowhere to be found in this rich, forest green cup of tea.

The next two steepings (~180 for 2.5 minutes, and boiled thereafter) were rich and tasty — I used a full 10oz for my final steeping, and was still able to get a nice vegetal sweetness that never overwhelmed me in the way my first experience did. Not sure if I’d necessarily buy it, but it’s a fun blend if you don’t mind working to get it right!

Thanks to Cole for the sample of this. This is the only other Sakura sencha that I’ve ever had (the first, and still favorite, being from Den’s).

The fact that this is mostly kukicha makes this fun (and different from the true sencha version of the other). The aroma is really strong and probably the best thing about this tea. The flavor of cherry is definitely present, but not overpowering… actually it’s pretty amazing that this has such a nice flavor and aroma without anything other than sakura leaves (no flavors, oils, etc.). Nothing wrong with flavoring of course, but it surprised me.

There really is nothing to not like about this tea. It is one of those things that anyone would enjoy, from those who only know tea as coming from a bag, to those who drink “the real stuff” all the time.

A pleasant tea, with a somewhat sweet and rich first infusion, and rather grassy subsequent ones. A nice combination of some gyo & asa characteristics.

First infusion — 5 g. per 8 oz. water, 60 deg., 90 sec.

Second infusion — 5 g. per 8 oz. water, 65 deg., 30 sec.

Third infusion — 5 g. per 8 oz. water, 70 deg., 5 min.

This is a nice matcha, and at a very good price. I found it to be mild, and rather smooth and /or creamy. Although I am not fan of matcha, this one is going down OK with me.

I used 2 good-sized (but not heaping) chasakus of matcha, in 1/4 cup of 80 deg. water, whisking for about 15-30 sec.

This is a very enjoyable, great quality fukamushi sencha, all around.
It’s isn’t quite as good as a few others I’ve had, but looking at the price O-cha asks, as others have said, it is great value. I would buy it. I’ve gotten 3 excellent steeps out of it today, and can probably get a decent 4th.

Thanks Cole for the good-sized sample!

Thanks to Cole for the nice sample!
This tea is very similar to O-cha’s (formerly offered) organic sencha, Okitsugawa Supreme.

Meaning, I found it to be a nice-tasting sencha, but unremarkable, or just simple. Since it’s not obtainable anymore (at least currently), it won’t make for a good everyday organic sencha…but if it was available, I’d say it would make a good every day green tea.

This is my first karigane (gyokuro-based kukicha), and it is a very interesting, enjoyable tea. The word ‘tart’ is a perfect descriptor. There’s a bit of the sweetness and strong flavor of gyokuro, but the tartness is one of the main flavors. I don’t think I’ve had any tea like it before, actually.

Regular kukicha (sencha-based leaf twigs), which I very much enjoy, is quite different from this. Though there may be some tartness in kukicha, I seem to remember it being sweeter, with a strong aroma.

Anyway, this is a great tea if you want sencha or gyokuro, but something a little different. It’s enjoyable and hard to mess up (even at hot temps it hasn’t become bitter).

This is an excellent fuka sencha, with an almost perfect balance of the vegetal and the sweet. The great taste, aroma, colour, and price make this an outstanding fuka sencha for daily use.

First infusion — 5 g. per 8 oz. water, 70 deg., 45-50 sec.

Second infusion — 5 g. per 8 oz. water, 70 deg., 30-35 sec.

Third infusion — 5 g. per 8 oz. water, 70 deg., 3 min.

O-Cha’s Chiran Sencha (which I’m drinking here in Shincha form) is a deep steamed Fukamushi tea that’s made of fresh leaves from the Yutaka Midori bush. It’s an easy brewer that tastes great extra-strong, but for this review I did a “proper” brew of 4g to 4oz water in my tiny Banko houhin.

First (155*/ 90 secs): Bold aroma — I just love how fragrant and flavorful this tea is from the get-go! I taste a tiny bit of bitterness up front, but it finishes so sweet and softly, it’s hardly even noticeable until the cup cools. Even better is it’s slightly fruity, mostly umami aftertaste that really comes out nicely at lower temperatures.

Second (175*/ 60 secs): What a beautiful cup! The second infusion of this sencha is a deep, enchanting jade that is a joy to behold. The taste holds up great, too — mellow, vegetal, and a more astringent than the first cup. Oddly enough, I taste less bitterness and more fruity notes this time around. Hmm!

Third (185*/ 90 secs): I used a little less water for this infusion, and the higher temperature/low water ratio seems to have brought the bitterness out. Still, even though it’s a thicker brew than the other cups, it still has good flavor for a third steeping. I love how much “good stuff” you can extract from a nice Fukamushi!

Fourth (Boiled/ Until I got thirsty): Surprisingly good! I went ahead and iced this one (as I usually do with my last infusion), and stayed very “green” despite being watered down. I think I’d really enjoy a liter of this iced.

In summation, O-Cha’s Chiran sencha is a killer tea for the price. Not only does it have a great balance of vegetal flavors, a building bitterness, and a hint of sweetness that comes out nicely at lower temperatures, but it holds up well to stronger brewing ratios (2:1) and multiple infusions. Would definitely buy again!

Got this on sale..the 2010 end of year clearance. Must say it has held up nicely in the Japanese cold storage. Typical Fuka look to it..lots of smaller needles, broken bits and some dust. The smell in a warmed kyusu is very pleasant. It seemed quite deeply steamed.. the leaves post brew look like creamed spinach! the aroma, to me, is of asparagus and spinach as well..perhaps some melon tossed in. 1st steep for 30 seconds.. 2nd at 15 and then creeping back up on both time and temp into the fourth steep,

Quite a nice Asamushi from O-Cha..actually from the Tsuen Tea house said to be one of the oldest in Japan. This tasting is the Shincha version btw. Went fairly cool and a min 30 first steep. nice astringency balance. second steep went 1 min and then back up on third and fourth while going a bit hotter each time. not my favorite Asa Shincha but definitely worth a shot

A very pleasant tea. A mIld and light fuka, tending to be a bit stronger on the 2nd infusion. Third infusion was quite weak, in spite of the long infusion time

First Infusion — 5 g. per 8 oz water, 65 deg., 1 min.

Second Infusion — 5 g. per 8 oz water, 65 deg., 45 sec.

Third Infusion — 5 g. per 8 oz. water, 65 deg., 5 min.

Wonderful! Once I got the brewing parameters nailed, this turned out to be a wonderfully strong fuka! And since I acquired it on sale, an outstanding tea for the money!

First Infusion — 5 g. per 8 oz water, at 70 deg., 50-55 sec.

Second Infusion — 5 g. per 8 oz water, 70 deg., 30-35 sec.

Third Infusion — 5 g. per 8 oz. water, 70 deg., 3 min.

This is definitely a mild, but smooth tea. It’s from the 2010 crop, so that could explain the muted flavor. Mild isn’t bad, but, I’ve had a hard time discovering what it actually tastes like… I’ve used a lot of leaf, or hot water, and/or vice-versa, but so far, what I can say is that it’s good – feels and even tastes a little creamy!

It’s enjoyable, but there are so many other options it’s unlikely I’d consider it again. Not that this matters, O-cha isn’t even currently offering it, as it comes from Shizuoka and there are a lot of fears about teas from this region presently. Eh, I’m not worried about buying tea from there at all . . . I’d say our prayers should be for the people who live in the midst of it and have no choice as to whether to eat or drink from contaminated sources!

Finally finished off the last of a 2010 packet of sencha, and have now started my first 2011 shincha:

Very deep green leaves, most fairly small pieces, sweet rich scent

between 5 and 6 oz water, 160 degrees in my Petr Novak kyusu, about 45 seconds first infusion

sweet, nutty, vegetal, lightly grassy, and delicate green color but can’t judge that well against the blue glaze of the teacup

2nd infusion, 20 seconds, 160 degrees, very similar, some grassiness a little more prominent towards the end of the infusion

3rd infusion, 170 degrees, 30-45 seconds, sweet, vegetal, a little less nutty, sugar snap peas rather than asparagus

4th infusion, 170 degrees, 1 minute, sweet, light, astringency absent

There was a 5th, but I was too distracted to note much—it was 180 degrees, for about a minute, quite light and tasty.

Addendum: 2nd series of infusions, about the same setup, except I started lower, 145 degrees, working up to 180 at the sixth, still all delicious, perhaps even a little moore so than the first time. Nice that it’s so flexible.

One sad note: my packet is 100 grams, so given my 2-4 times weekly sencha habit, it may not all be drunk while still ‘shincha fresh’. And that would be sad.

Smooth, and the flavors are delicious and well-balanced!

I think the best parameters I’ve tried thus far are:
1g per 1oz, 140 F: 2 mins, then 45 seconds, then 2 mins 15 seconds

All three steepings were very pleasing. The third was surprisingly still full of flavor and subtlety. This tea showed that I could find a good asamushi sencha outside of Honyama. I didn’t doubt that it was possible, but hadn’t had any light-steamed sencha that compared. I recommend it!

Rich. Delicious. Like a warm bowl of stew on a cold evening.
This is a very nice treat, but not like an ice cream, more like filet mignon.

Not only this, but it has such a nice aftertaste.

This is definitely one to keep around!