Sunday 8/03/08 Prefered region for Japanese green tea?

[Chip]

Sunday 8/03/08 Prefered region for Japanese green tea?

by Chip » Aug 3rd, '08, 04:55

Yesterday, Fujian and Yunnan garnered 90% of the votes for fave tea growing regions in China. Zhejiang, the home of long Jing failed to get a vote. You can still vote and discuss this topic.

Welcome everyone to TeaDay. Shall we brew and share what is in our cups today, all day?

Today's TeaPoll and discussion topic takes us to the country of Japan. I have provided a few links that may help, or feel free to google. I hope that this discussion topic will give us the opportunity to learn a little about Japanese tea producing regions. Do you have a favorite one? Please learn and share.

http://www.jmode.com/madeinjapan/madein10-1-1.html
http://www.kaburagien.co.jp/english/kn_02.php
http://www.thefragrantleaf.com/japanesetea1.html

I am looking forward to sharing teaDay with everyone. Bottoms up...

Last edited by Chip on Aug 16th, '08, 14:52, edited 1 time in total.

[olivierco]

by olivierco » Aug 3rd, '08, 05:05

Most of the Japanese teas I drink are from Uji but I don't care much about the region as long as the tea is good.

This morning Yunnan golden tips.

[Salsero]

What Proinsias taught me

by Salsero » Aug 3rd, '08, 06:03

A mysterious Celt, rumored to reside in Scotland but bearing an Irish name, taught me to brew extraordinary Chinese Green, in this case Yang Yan Gou Qing.

[Selaphiel]

by Selaphiel » Aug 3rd, '08, 06:25

I usually don't like selecting favorite regions within a country since I often find that quality is fairly equally distributed around the different regions. And that each region rather represents varieties and that it's the work and care of the humans who makes or breaks the tea for me. However, I selected Kyoto/Uji in this poll, not because they always have the best tea, but it is something about the historical values of Kytoto and Uji, nothing like sipping on a nice Uji sencha while reading about the Tseun family tea shop in Uji

Gonna start the day with a bundled tea (leaves bundled as a knot, opening as a flower when brewed) from Yunnan called Pearls of fire.

[Space Samurai]

by Space Samurai » Aug 3rd, '08, 10:49

I picked Uji for matcha's sake. So far I've found matcha that doesn't come from Uji isn't as good.

For sencha, I've had excellent tea from various prefectures, and I am not so to picky. I don't notice the drastic differences like you get from China.

[Katrina]

by Katrina » Aug 3rd, '08, 10:57

This was kind of a toss up for me for reasons that have been previously expressed. I ended up choosing Shizouka because I quite fell in love with Fukamushi Sencha. Otherwise, I likely would have picked Uji as I've had some wonderful teas from there. I definitely haven't had enough green tea to feel strongly though.

Caramel oolong to start the day.

[Victoria]

by Victoria » Aug 3rd, '08, 11:03

I picked Uji becasue that is where my matcha is from too, I'm still trying with greens, so far I like matcha the best.

Someone got a new TEA TRAY!!! Congrats Salsero!

Minewhile here in CA someone found the 2nd half of her Castleton Moonlight Darjeeling sample. In my cup this morning. Light and delicate with a nice afteraste. Very nice.

Happy Sunday everyone!

[Jack_teachat]

by Jack_teachat » Aug 3rd, '08, 11:22

No preference really!

Two rounds of Fukamushi Shincha Supreme for me today

[olivierco]

by olivierco » Aug 3rd, '08, 11:47

Dong Ding this afternoon and now Kanro gyokuro

[Wesli]

by Wesli » Aug 3rd, '08, 11:57

Sal, you're teasing me. Tea so close to video games....

My favorite is definitely Kagoshima. Shizuoka may make a lot of good teas, but they also pump out a lot of not-so-good teas. Kagoshima, on the other hand, pumps out mostly great stuff. Kagoshima can be creamy, tart, grassy... It knows how to hit the spot.

This morning I'm drinking some mecha, but mixed 50/50 with kukicha. Too bad Chip here's got me craving Kago-leaf! At least I have an Itoen order coming on tuesday with a couple kagoshimas.

[Chip]

by Chip » Aug 3rd, '08, 12:39

Sal, you're teasing me. Tea so close to video games....

My favorite is definitely Kagoshima. Shizuoka may make a lot of good teas, but they also pump out a lot of not-so-good teas. Kagoshima, on the other hand, pumps out mostly great stuff. Kagoshima can be creamy, tart, grassy... It knows how to hit the spot.

This morning I'm drinking some mecha, but mixed 50/50 with kukicha. Too bad Chip here's got me craving Kago-leaf! At least I have an Itoen order coming on tuesday with a couple kagoshimas.

Agreed Wesli san!

Kagoshima has been my fave since trying Yutaka Midori from O-Cha which is my favorite shincha this year amoung many stellar offerings.

Kagoshima also has been offering up INNOVATION in sencha. Too often, for the sake of tradition, tea is manufactured a set way. I say phooey to that. W/O innovation there would not be sencha, would not be fukamushi. I have had some really unusual offerings from the prefecture down under at the southern end of Japan.

Tradition is great, don't get me wrong, but if it holds back innovation, well, then it has gone too far. I even brew sencha often times in a non conventional, non tradtional method.

In my cup, you guessed it, Yutaka Midori, brewed non traditionally and outstanding.

Having said all that, I enjoy sencha from every prefecture mentioned, but Kagoshima will get my attention first. It is also one of the challenging to obtain a variety. My order of faves:

Kagoshima
Uji
Shizuoka
Yame
Never had Ise to the best of my knowledge.

[Grubby]

by Grubby » Aug 3rd, '08, 12:58

None - i like sencha but i really have no idea whatsoever

[chamekke]

by chamekke » Aug 3rd, '08, 13:34

I've had teas from Uji, Shizuoka, Fukuoka and Kagoshima, but basically I haven't tried a broad enough range from these or the other regions to feel that I can choose an overall favourite yet. Sorry

In fact I can't recall ever seeing Ise tea from Mie prefecture. Who sells sencha from there?

(Resists temptation to sing: "I gotta be Mie...")

[Chip]

by Chip » Aug 3rd, '08, 13:49

I've had teas from Uji, Shizuoka, Fukuoka and Kagoshima, but basically I haven't tried a broad enough range from these or the other regions to feel that I can choose an overall favourite yet. Sorry

In fact I can't recall ever seeing Ise tea from Mie prefecture. Who sells sencha from there?

(Resists temptation to sing: "I gotta be Mie...")

Chasen sells Ise tea. Only one I know of off the top of my head. Not the easiest vendor to deal with.

There are other even more obscure prefectures as well that produce tea, but it comes down to what can we actually get. Guricha is a tea I forgot about, being produced generally in these lesser known prefectures. So, some are very limited in their offerings as well.

I went mainly with prefectures that produce sencha, gyokuro, and matcha.

[chamekke]

by chamekke » Aug 3rd, '08, 14:03

In fact I can't recall ever seeing Ise tea from Mie prefecture. Who sells sencha from there?

(Resists temptation to sing: "I gotta be Mie...")

Chasen sells Ise tea. Only one I know of off the top of my head. Not the easiest vendor to deal with.

I can't find a website for a tea shop called Chasen. Where are they? Not that I'm about to rush off and buy from them; I'm just curious. (Well... nosy!)