On May 22, 11:41 am, TokyoB
gmail.com> wrote:> On May 22, 10:19 am, "Dominic T."
gmail.com> wrote:
>
>
>>> So I have broke free of the (admittedly nice) tea rut finally and
>> begun to crave some greens outside of BLC now that it is Spring. I
>> just posted a bit on Upton's superior grade Sencha on teasphere, so I
>> figured I toss it up here as well for anyone interested:
>
>> OK, so finally back on the horse again and out of the rut I’ve been
>> in. The Sencha Yamato is Upton’s superior grade Sencha, which they
>> claim to have a “brighter flavor and smoother aftertaste.” So how did
>> it stack up? I’d have to say somewhere near the middle, but to be fair
>> the top of the middle range.
>
>> I wasn’t overly impressed with the leaf quality as there were a lot of
>> fannings and broken bits. It was however a very verdant green and did
>> posses a bright scent. The flavor fell a bit shy of the dry smell
>> though. It brewed to a pond-water green cup with little in the way of
>> nose. A bit roasty, vegetal, a bit astringent, barely a hint of fishy/
>> kelpy flavor, a touch thick and smooth, and as promised a smooth
>> aftertaste. It was less what I would consider “bright” though as they
>> state in their description. Nothing stands out as being in any way bad
>> or wrong, just nothing really stands out as being amazing.
>
>> I do admit that Japanese greens are a special area of interest for me,
>> so I do tend to be a bit tougher to please. It is only because I have
>> tasted so many truly spectacular greens that I don’t relegate Sencha
>> automatically to some lower, pedestrian, tea as it can sometimes be
>> thought of. Will I enjoy the rest of it? Sure. Will I be clamoring for
>> more? Probably not.
>
>
> Dominic,
>
> At this time of year you should go for shincha! Ito-en, O-cha, and I'm
> sure others have offerings...
