Tea Review: Kaga Bocha Ginger (Yunomi/Yamane-en)

Kaga Bocha Ginger
Yamane-en/Yunomi
Type: Flavored Green
Origin: Japan, Shizuoka Prefecture
Product Description: 

The region of Ishikawa Prefecture was once called Kaga and has a centuries-long history of roasting the stems of tea leaves. Though the region itself doesn't have a large commercial tea agriculture industry, they are masters at roasting leaf stems from other parts of Japan.

This version includes a mix of dried ginger for an extra spicy flavor.

BOWCHA is our partner in this region, and has provided us with a light roast of high grade spring tea leaf stems.

Temperature: 194° F
Amount: 3 grams
Steeping Time: 1 minute

The dry leaf aroma has notes of ginger and ground nuts.

The liquor is golden peach in color with aroma and flavor notes of roasty ginger.

This was an impulse purchase because I like hojicha and ginger tea separately and I'm delighted to say that this was exactly what I was hoping for.  The fullest flavor was in the first two infusions, though a longer steeping time of at least 2 minutes helped to lift the mellower flavor of the third.  I was reminded of a ginger-flavored puff pastry which is now something I need to find a recipe for.

This tea was purchased by me.

Tea Review: Gyokushin Mecha Kousui (Yunomi/Shogyokuen Tea Factory)

Gyokushin Mecha Kousui/玉真（芽茶）　光翠 

Shogyokuen Tea Factory/Yunomi
Type: Green
Origin: Japan, Kyoto Prefecture, Kyotanabe
Product Description: Gyokuro Green Tea Leaf Tips

Temperature: 140° F
Amount: 3 grams
Steeping Time: 1 minute

The dry leaves have a nutty and marine green aroma.

The pale jade green infusion has savory, nutty, and edamame notes in aroma and flavor. 

For the purpose of this review, I used 140° F water with excellent results.  I also prepared this more casually with water closer to 176° F for a much shorter steeping time which also tasted delicious.

This tea was purchased by me.

Tea Review: Chachakacha Sencha Tea Flower Blend (Yokota Tea Garden/Yunomi)

Chachakacha Sencha Tea Flower Blend (茶茶花茶)
Yokota Tea Garden/Yunomi
Type: Green
Origin: Japan, Saitama Prefecture, Sayama
Product Description:

Sencha Tea Flower Blend is a unique blend of green tea leaves and tea flowers. It has a similar aroma to that of Jasmine tea.

Tea flower contains less caffeine (only 30%) compared to the tea leaves. Tea leaves used for this product are the tips of first flush tea leaves, which is low in caffeine as well. Enjoy daily or as a bedtime drink.

Temperature: 176-194° F
Amount: 3 grams
Steeping Time: 1 minute

The dry leaves have a savory, nutty, and green aroma.

The bright yellow infusion has a savory, nutty, and edamame-like aroma.  The taste is green, nutty, and sharp with a nutty green finish followed by floral notes.

This was only the second opportunity I've had to drink infused Camellia sinensis flowers.  The aroma reminded me so much of a traditional sencha that I was honestly surprised by the sharp flavor notes in the first sip.  While the recommend water temperature was 194° F, I most enjoyed the results from brewing this tea at a slightly cooler 176° F.

This tea was purchased by me.

Tea Review: Spring Gyokuro (Azuma Tea Garden/Yunomi)

Spring Gyokuro
Azuma Tea Garden/Yunomi
Type: Green
Origin: Japan, Kyoto Prefecture, Wazuka
Product Description:

The Azuma family has selected two cultivars from their pesticide free, shaded gardens to create a balanced, delicious blend. While not as umami rich as conventionally grown leaf using artificial fertilizers and pesticides, the Yabukita and Gokou cultivar blend creates a naturally complex flavor profile. 

Temperature: 140-160° F
Amount: 3 grams
Steeping Time: 10 seconds - 1 minute

The dry leaf aroma is savory, nutty, and green.

The liquor color is pale jade green with a savory, nutty, and spinach-like aroma.  The taste is nutty with notes of blanched greens similar to pea vine followed by a sweet green finish.

For the purpose of this review, I followed the suggested directions steeping in 140° F water for 1 minute, followed by 160° F for 10 seconds, and then 1 minute.  The change in flavor and aroma after each infusion was fascinating with the spinach-like aroma in the first infusion changing to something a little grassier.  This tea invites experimentation with water temperature, steeping time, and brewing vessels to see how many more ways the profile can change.  The third infusion was my favorite as it has the most spring green flavor.

This tea was purchased by me.

Tea Review: Autumn Hojicha Roasted Green Tea (NaturaliTea/Yunomi)

Autumn Hojicha Roasted Green Tea/無農薬茶：ほうじ茶

NaturaliTea/Yunomi
Type: Green
Origin: Japan, Shizuoka, Fujieda
Product Description: 

The roasted flavor of this hojicha is deep and reminiscent of dark wood. Alongside the toasty notes, there are green undertones in the flavor that give it even more depth and nuance. 

Temperature: 194° F
Amount: 3 grams
Steeping Time: 1 minute

The dry leaves have an aroma of roasted chestnuts and autumn leaves.

The orange amber infusion has a rich and savory aroma and taste of roasted chestnuts with a long finish.

This hojicha was rich and delicious throughout three infusions.  I believe I reviewed this tea many years ago when it was simply listed as Hojicha.  This was a delight to rediscover. Considering that the first thing that came to mind when smelling the dry leaves was a mound of autumn leaves, I would say the update tea name is accurate.

This tea was purchased by me.

Tea Review: Premium Fukamushicha (Yunomi/Maehara Tea Farm)

Premium Fukamushicha (鹿児島 知覧茶 深蒸し茶)
Yunomi/Maehara Tea Farm (前原製茶)
Type: Green
Origin: Japan, Kagoshima Prefecture, Chiran
Product Description:

The Maehara Tea Farm is a vertically integrated, family-operated farm located in the southern Japanese prefecture of Kagoshima. Their fukamushicha is a green tea that has been steamed for longer than usual ("deep-steamed") to create an opaque, deep green, richly flavorful tea, though the leaves themselves are broken apart as a result of the long steaming time.

Temperature: 160° F
Amount: 3 grams
Steeping Time: 40 seconds

The dry leaf aroma is nutty, grassy, marine and lightly sweet.

The light jade green infusion has a lightly savory, nutty and sweet green aroma with a light, savory and nutty taste and a sweet finish.

Following the initial infusion, the liquor became thicker as expected with a deep steamed tea allowing the flavor and aroma to really open up.  I especially enjoyed the long, sweet, and refreshing green finish.

This tea was purchased by me.

Tea Review: Needle Oolong (Yunomi/Obubu)

Needle Oolong

Obubu/Yunomi
Type: Oolong
Origin: Japan, Kyoto Prefecture, Wazuka
Product Description:

Medium-bodied with a rounded texture, Obubu's Oolong Needle has a fragrant aroma with a complex, rich taste, slight bitterness, and a deeper flavour. It was left unroasted, allowing you to taste fresh acidity in every cup.

The production of Oolong Needle tea, involves light steaming, rolling, and drying. Unlike traditional Oolong tea though, it is rolled into a needle-shape in the same manner as Japanese Sencha.

Temperature: 176° F
Amount: 3 grams
Steeping Time: 1 minute

The dry leaves have an aroma of hay and nuts.

The aroma of the golden liquor is buttery with floral, fruit, and nutty notes.  The taste is mildly astringent with notes of green vine, nuts, and a floral hint with a long lightly fruity finish.

The packaging recommended using 194° F water and brewing for 4 minutes and I found even 2 minutes at that temperature too astringent for my own preferences, though I did enjoy the fruity notes in the long finish.  Rather, I found that steeping for only 1 minute with 176° F water was rather pleasant with only mild astringency throughout three infusions.

This tea was a gift from a third party.

Tea Review: Organic Yakushima Hojicha Roasted Green Tea (Yunomi/Hachimanjyu)

Organic Yakushima Hojicha Roasted Green Tea/有機焙じ茶
Hachimanjyu/Yunomi
Type: Green
Origin: Japan, Kagoshima Prefecture, Yakushima
Product Description:

JAS certified organic tea farm and factory Hachimanjyu roasts their green tea to create a toasty hojicha.

Temperature: 194° F
Amount: 3 grams
Steeping Time: 1 minute

The dry leaf has a deep aroma of roasted chestnuts.

The amber-orange liquor has an aroma of roasted nuts and caramelized sugar while the taste has notes of roasted nuts and nut shells with a long toasty finish.  

Roasted chestnuts are one of my favorite cold-weather treats and I knew I was going to have a good tea tasting experience when the aroma of the freshly opened tea package hit me.  The best flavor was in the first two infusions with the third being notably lighter, though still enjoyable.  The directions on the package recommend 1 minute steeps which worked out well as this hojicha has a fair amount of leaf in it and could get astringent with longer steeps.  

This tea was purchased by me.

Tea Review: Limited Edition Handpicked Mountain-Grown Kabusecha (Yunomi/Murakami Tea Garden)

Limited Edition Handpicked Mountain-Grown Kabusecha/かぶせ茶
Murakami Tea Garden/Yunomi
Type: Green
Origin: Japan, Shizuoka Prefecture, Yoshiwara
Product Description:

According to Hiroki Murakami, who will become the farm's 4th generation master, the family doesn't know exactly when they started farming tea, though his great-grandfather was the one who built their first processing factory in the late 19th century.

Based in the Yoshiwara district, a mountainous region famous for its sea of clouds within the municipality of Shizuoka City, the family produces about 2 tons of tea altogether per year (first and second flushes).

Their leaves are mostly processed as a near-fukamushi (deep steamed), a steaming technique that creates a tea that has fukashimicha's deep, opaque green color and sweetness, but while also retaining much of the leaf's shape.

Temperature: 160° F
Amount: 3 grams
Steeping Time: 1 minute

The dry leaf aroma is nutty and green with notes that remind me of brown bread.

The pale green liquor has an aroma of fresh green vegetables, edamame, and nuts.  The taste is savory with notes of nuts, sesame, edamame, and steamed green vegetables with no astringency and a refreshing lightly nutty finish.  

The flavor deepened after each infusion, becoming more savory by the third.  Often, the fullest flavor is in the first two infusions, so this was a pleasant surprise and that third steep was easily my favorite.  I was also intrigued by the more vegetal green notes as opposed to the marine, nori, or grassy green notes I usually encounter.  

This tea was purchased by me.

Tea Review: Blended Herbal Tea, Grandma (Yunomi/Nakazen)

Blended Herbal Tea, Grandma/おばあ茶ん
Nakazen/Yunomi
Type: Herbal
Origin: Japan, Okinawa
Product Description: 

Grandma is a tea blended with 8 different types of herbs. With no astringency, the sunny flavor profile has a hint of mulberry leaves, and conjures up images of a tropical rainforest.

Temperature: 208-212° F
Amount: 3 grams
Steeping Time: 5-10 minutes

The dry leaf blend includes sicklepod, Job’s Tears, dokudami (Houttuynia cordata/Chinese lizard tail), kumis kucing (Orthosiphon aristatus/cat's whiskers), safflower, guava leaves, biwa (loquat) leaves, and reishi mushroom.

The golden infusion has a spicy herbal aroma reminiscent of wild rice seasoning and autumn leaves.  The taste is sweet and herbaceous with notes of seasonings, cooked rice, and nuts.

This was a fascinating and surprisingly pleasant blend with a comforting aroma and taste.  The appearance and aroma of the dry blend reminded me distinctly of autumn.  For the purposes of this review, I initially prepared three infusions using 208° F water, 5 grams of leaf, and steeping for 5 minutes with very pleasing results.  I also prepared an infusion following the directions on the packaging, boiling 6 grams of leaf for 10 minutes in 250ml water with similar results, though there seemed to be just a little more flavor in the 5-minute infusions.  

At the time of this review, this herbal blend is not currently available.

This tea was purchased by me.

Tea Review: Horai Kincha Single Cultivar Sayama Golden Sencha (Yunomi/Yoshino Tea Garden)

Horai Kincha Single Cultivar Sayama Golden Sencha

Yoshino Tea Garden/Yunomi
Type: Green
Origin: Japan, Saitama Prefecture, Hidaka City (Sayama)
Product Description:

The golden field you see in the photos is a proprietary cultivar named Horai Kincha (蓬莱錦茶); Horai refers to an island in Chinese and Japanese mythology while "Kin" refers to a type of weaving called nishiki (famous in Kyoto) in which golden threads are interwoven with other colors.

The Horai Kincha is an extremely rare single-cultivar tea from the Yoshino Tea Garden. The tea fields of this cultivar will have a golden luminous shine for a temporary period of time once a year in May (this is when the new leaves are harvested). A special only one cultivar that is found at the Yoshino Tea Garden. This golden sencha is known to have a naturally abundant level of amino acids giving it a rather savory fruity umami flavor (almost like gyokuro) despite no shading. But be warned, this is a tea for connoisseurs!

Temperature: 160° F
Amount: 3 grams
Steeping Time: 1-2 minutes

The dry leaves have a deep aroma of macadamia nuts.

The liquor is bright green and cloudy with a nutty and sweet green aroma.  The taste is savory, nutty, and mouthwatering green with a long green and sweet almost fruity finish.  

The best flavor is in the first umami-filled infusion with at least one lighter yet enjoyable second infusion to look forward to.  The finish was especially noteworthy for being so flavorful.

This tea was purchased by me.

Tea Review: Kohaku Platinum Sayama Green Oolong Tea (Yunomi/Bizenya)

Kohaku Platinum Sayama Green Oolong Tea

Bizenya/Yunomi
Type: Green/Oolong
Origin: Japan, Saitama Prefecture, Hidaka City, Takahagi
Product Description:

Expertly crafted to be more oxidized than withered green tea, but not nearly as oxidized as most oolongs, Bizenya's Master Tea Craftsman Keiichi Shimizu's Kohaku Platinum will take you on a journey of new aromatic sensations.

Temperature: 194° F
Amount: 3 grams
Steeping Time: 1.5 minutes

The dry leaf aroma is savory and nutty with notes of seasoned wood and a hint of fruit.

The light yellow infusion has a savory aroma with buttery, nutty, and light floral notes.  The taste is nutty and vine green with light floral and fruit-like notes.  

The aroma of the dry leaves was deliciously savory and very reminiscent of some of the oolongs I've encountered with a flavor of that was quite enjoyable yet difficult to pin down.  The best flavor was in the first two infusions, mellowing by the third.

This tea was purchased by me.

Tea Review: Ureshino Green Tea Ochatama (Yunomi/Chakouan)

Ureshino Green Tea Ochatama
Chakouan/Yunomi
Type: Green
Origin: Japan, Saga Prefecture, Ureshino
Product Description:

A very interesting green tea. It looks like Chinese gunpowder tea in that the leaves are rolled up into little balls. The process occurs during the rolling of normal Japanese green tea, and only occasionally, making it quite rare to see them gathered into a single product.

This particular one from our supplier Chakouan has a strong savory umami aroma that is similar to gyokuro.

Temperature: 160° F
Amount: 3 grams
Steeping Time: 1 minute

The dry leaf aroma is savory with notes of ground nuts and green grass.

The liquor is light green with a savory nutty aroma.  The taste is nutty and savory with light edamame notes.  

For the purpose of this review I followed the directions on the packaging, preparing the tea with 160° F water and 1 minute infusions.  The first infusion was light yet savory followed by rich and umami-filled second and third infusions.  I had no expectations going in since I haven't encountered a Japanese tea processed this way before and I was delighted by the results.

This tea was purchased by me.

Tea Review: Superior Genmaicha (Yunomi/Shogyokuen)

Superior Genmaicha

Shogyokuen/Yunomi
Type: Flavored Green
Origin: Japan, Kyoto Prefecture, Uji
Product Description:

Shogyokuen's Ichibancha Genmaicha blends high grade early spring first flush sencha and toasted rice grains for a delicious, nutty flavor profile.

Temperature: 160° F
Amount: 3 grams
Steeping Time: 1 minute

The dry leaf blend has aroma notes of green grass, roasted rice, and popcorn.

The pale green infusion has a bold aroma of roasted rice and popcorn.  The taste is nutty with notes of popcorn, roasted rice, and a hint of green in the back with a long finish and no astringency.

For the purpose of this review I followed the instructions on the package, brewing for 1 minute with a water temperature of 160° F.  The results were as tasty and comforting as I could hope for from a good genmaicha with a little bit more nuttiness than the standard blends.  

 
This tea was purchased by me.

Tea Review: Homemade Lemongrass and Kamairicha Herb Tea (Yunomi/Kajihara Tea Garden)

Homemade Lemongrass and Kamairicha Herb Tea
Yunomi/Kajihara Tea Garden
Type: Flavored Green
Origin: Japan, Kumamoto Prefecture, Ashikita
Product Description:

A unique herbal blend of Kajihara-san's home made refreshing lemongrass and the umami of our kamairicha.

Since it can also be enjoyed cold, this homemade herbal tea is popular year round! A wonderful tea to have amongst your selection of teas.

Temperature: 194° F
Amount: 3 grams
Steeping Time: 1 minute

The dry leaf blend includes lemongrass and green tea.

The aroma of the light yellow infusion is rich and savory with notes of butter and lemongrass.  The mellow citrus-like notes of lemongrass make up most of the flavor with hints of green tea in the back and no astringency.

For the purpose of this review I followed the instructions on the package, brewing for 1 minute with 194° F water.  While the first two infusions were slightly savory, the third infusion was notably sweet with a greener liquor color.  It was nice to try something a little different and the results were absolutely lovely and refreshing if you enjoy lemongrass as much as I do.

This tea was purchased by me.

Tea Review: 2022 First Flush Yutaka Midori Fukamushicha (Yunomi/Yamane-en)

2022 First Flush Yutaka Midori Fukamushicha

Yunomi/Yamane-en
Type: Green
Origin: Japan, Kagoshima Prefecture, Ibusuki District, Ei Village
Product Description: 

Delicious fukamushicha, or deep-steamed tea, from the Village of Ei in Kagoshima Prefecture. Together with the Villages of Chiran and Kawabe, the entire region is known as the Chiran region producing world famous Chirancha (Tea from Chiran). The first flush tends to be characterised by an excellent balance between delicate flavor and reasonable pricing, a gem hiding quietly waiting to be discovered. 

About the cultivar: Yutaka Midori (ゆたかみどり) means abundant green in Japanese. It is a cultivar that is mostly found in Kagoshima prefecture (30% cultivated area) as it is a cultivar that is suitable for warm weather. This cultivar ranks second after the Yabukita cultivar with respect to cultivation area and popularity in Japan. While producers often mix the Yutaka Midori with other cultivars, a single cultivar tea will give a deep green color with a balanced astringency and sweetness and pleasant fragrance.  

Temperature: 160° F
Amount: 3 grams
Steeping Time: 1 minute

The dry leaf aroma has sweet, nutty, and light marine green notes.

The bright green liquor is slightly cloudy with a savory, nutty, and edamame aroma.  The taste is thick, savory, and nutty with edamame and light grass notes and a long savory, nutty, and sweet green finish.

For the purposes of this review, I followed the brewing instructions on the package, steeping for 1 minute with a water temperature of 160° F.  Due to the deep steaming process (fukamushi), there was a fair amount of sediment at the bottom of the cup which seemed to add a bit of extra flavor to each sip.  The first two infusions were filled with delicious umami with an underlying sweetness in flavor and aroma that moved to the front with the third infusion.  

This tea was purchased by me.