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The third shincha of 2020.

I don’t think I’ve ever gone through a Japanese tea as quickly as this one. Usually it takes me a while to get through a bag of sencha but I’ve already polished off half the 100g pouch in only a month. Have to pace myself now so I don’t go through my stash too quickly because that’s how good this tea is.

This is a tamaryokucha, which is processed differently from regular sencha resulting in less astringency and a smoother flavor. It’s more forgiving to oversteeping and water temperature.

The tea itself has a subtle and unassuming appearance. Small broken leaves that have a mild grassy aroma. The brewed tea is a buttery sweet fruity explosion with nice umami and floral overtones. Smooth, crisp, and full bodied. Upping the leaf quantity intensifies the umami. Second steep is a denser cup, vibrant lime green with grassy chlorophyll flavors. The third and final steep is lighter but delightfully fruity and sweet. There was little to no bitterness and no sulfuric edge that Japanese greens can sometimes leave behind even when I really push the steep.

This was a marvelous tea exhibiting the best characteristics of sencha without any of the off-putting ones. It’s less finicky to brew and has more sweetness than other Japanese greens I’ve tried which I like . Easily the best shincha this year and the best Japanese green I’ve had recently.

Another Verdant sample that had been sitting around forever in my cupboard. Unfortunately it was far less impressive than the Old Tree Wulong I just finished prior. There were some intriguing aromas – orange peel, wet rocks, and sandalwood – however the taste fell flat. It was pretty forgettable, more like a generic yancha than a typically fruity dan cong. Woodsy with an oily texture. At times, there was a faint floral glimmer in the aftertaste but otherwise it didn’t offer much in the way of flavor.

This wasn’t as good as the Shibi teas of yesteryear. It had those familiar mouthwatering aromas of wildflowers and syrup, and it starts off just as I remembered it: bright, fresh, and floral. But it goes south quickly. It develops a savory flavor with this odd oats/toasted grain edge to it. Tried different brewing methods but alas, could not rescue this tea. Ah well, better luck next season.

**I had mistakenly added this tasting note for the wrong tea, so I’m correcting now.

Backlog.

This is one of the teas from the great Steepster freeze of 2020 that I’m getting around to logging now. My memory is a little hazy because I only had a couple of sessions with it, but I remember it being a solid SLX with the usual alpine florals and tropical notes. A little lighter and lacking the full mouthfeel of previous harvests. Good for 6-7 steeps.

Not as good as last winter’s harvest or the regular Wenshan oolong from this spring. This tea has sumptuous aromas of hyacinth, melon, and pear but actual flavor is somewhat lacking. It has a standard buttery, mellow TGYesqe floral flavor. Little to no depth or richness to it.

Finished off my sample of this tea recently. Even though it was nearly a year old, it still tasted amazing. Verdant tea’s higher grade Dan Congs are really underrated around here. They are generally quite refined and exquisite.

I followed my usual method of brewing Dan Cong oolongs: 1 g per ounce of water, flash steeps using boiling water. Out of the bag, the tea smells woodsy with notes of tobacco and roasted peaches. Wet leaf brings out honey aromas and more stone fruit.

Tea starts off a bit woody and fruity with dried fruit and prune notes. As it steeps, it develops a honeyed sweetness and presents interesting notes of licorice, roasted fruit, and saffron. Subtle florals and nectarine appear along the way. Reminiscent at times of a peachy Mi Lan Xian.

Overall, a smooth and elegant Dan Cong with lots of subtlety and evolution of flavor over 8 steeps or so. Another winner from Verdant!

Backlog.

This was a pretty forgettable TieGuanYin. It had that generic TGY floral taste, but lacked the depth and intensity of really good TGYs. Also seemed to be past peak freshness. Tried it hot and cold steeped and didn’t care for it either way.

Backlog.

The second shincha of 2020. Working out the brewing times and temperature for this tea was a rollercoaster of sorts. I don’t know if it’s just me or whether Japanese greens are really that finicky but I went through 50g – half the pouch – before I finally got it dialed in.

This tea shows different faces depending on how its brewed. At low temperatures, it’s umami rich and earthy, reminiscent of shaded greens. Japanese green tea connoisseurs tend to favor fairly high leaf-to-water ratios (0.8-0.9g per 1oz) but this can taste swampy and brings out a lot of bitterness. I got the best results by underleafing and brewing western style, just a teaspoon and a half of leaves in a 185ml teapot. The brewed tea is smooth, grassy, and almost fruity with a bit of sweetness and a robust mouthfeel. I can taste a bit of those citrus peel and grapefruit notes too. Good for 3 steeps.

A solid sencha and between this and my other shincha, Kirishima Asatsuyu Sencha, this was the better of the two.

Spring 2020 harvest. Grandpa steeped 1.4g in my 10oz tea thermos @ ~180 F.

Yum, this was a really good dragonwell. A lot better than the first flush version of the same tea.

I knew it was going to be good as soon as I opened the pouch and took a whiff: rich, creamy aromas of sweet pea and matcha that linger in the nose. The flavor was buttery smooth, crisp, and refreshing. Spinach and radicchio on the first sip with a touch of pine-like minerality in the finish.

This tea has held up remarkably well given how late I received it. I can only imagine how incredible it must have been when it was fresh.

Posted for the wrong tea. See my updated tasting note.

Backlog.

This is one of the teas from the great Steepster freeze of 2020 that I’m getting around to logging now. My memory is a little hazy because I only had a couple of sessions with it, but I remember it being a solid SLX with the usual alpine florals and tropical notes. A little lighter and lacking the full mouthfeel of previous harvests. Good for 6-7 steeps.