TeaChat

sencha wrote:I'll definitely give that a try next time. The recommended time is 30 seconds to a minute, and I usually do the maximum time to get the most flavor, but looks like in this case, I don't want the full flavor!

I don't really like using that much tea per cup though... I'll run out of tea a lot quicker...

You can do smalllller steeps which in turn means less leaf ...

... and sencha steeping is all about ratios of leaf to water.

Wow! What a difference 30 seconds makes! This time it's smooth and delicious. Not noticeably bitter. It smells like toasted rice or something... definitely good though. Looks like I've finally found an affordable sencha that's also good.

Oh, and a second steep at 15 seconds tastes almost the same, except a little bitter. Maybe I should have stopped at 10 seconds. I'm not used to steeping for so little time, but then again, the leaves are really broken up...

Thanks guys!

Edit: I forgot that I also raised the temperature to 170F from 160F, so maybe that contributed to the bitterness as well.

Second steep with fuka is usually the wildcard..very short steeps after that first infusion breaks it up a bit. you just have to experiment and hit your sweet spot. The second steep is always like neon green swamp water

Okay, I think I've had enough green tea for today... I'm bouncing off the walls..

This stuff might have more caffeine than my usual teas though too...

I just made some again today and I just can't get over how incredibly smooth and delicious this is. Upton's Chinese sencha is laughable in comparison.

I can definitely see myself drinking this stuff on a daily basis.

Glad it worked out to your liking! how were the others? have you tried them all yet

I only ordered two different types (the fukamushi, and an asamushi, I assume). I'm trying the Tokusen Kokyu sencha right now and it seems to be lighter in flavor. It's very slightly bitter at a 1 minute steep, but pleasant. I think I like the fukamushi more... plus it's cheaper.

Thanks for talking me into trying the fukamushi.

My Yamamotoyama sencha is almost out and while I'll probably be ordering more of this in the future because it's cheap/good, I really miss the flavor of Adagio's "Sencha Overture." Yamamotoyama tastes/smells a lot like really good buttered greens (I can't really think of how else to describe it), but Adagio's sencha offering has a marine and almost floral aroma/taste that got me into loving sencha in the first place. So now the question:

I'm looking to spend no more than $10/100g (because otherwise I'll just buy from Adagio, which offers the kind I like for $40/lb). Besides Maiko's "Miyako," I haven't seen anything suggested that is cheaper than Adagio. Should I just go ahead and buy from Adagio, or does anyone know of anything cheaper (that still has this marine/sea aroma/taste)?

Thanks.

closest I can get you is Zencha.net's Sencha Moe at 12.90 per 100g shipping is free

Okay, I'll give that a try.

Thanks Ian, Chip, and Adam for your help on the chat. I'll let you guys know how it tastes when it arrives.

Delicious! It has a very strong pleasant aroma. The leaves are deep green and look very fresh--and it actually brews up green. It has the flavor I was craving, but it seems it's got a stronger seaweed-y note that Adagio's didn't have. I don't know what seaweed tastes like, but that's what it makes me think of. That could be because Adagio recommends 1 tsp/8 oz for 2 minutes at 170F, whereas I'm using 1 Tbsp/8 oz for ~45 seconds at 170175F. Is my time optimal for this tea? It's a chumushi as far as I know.

I might just try it like Adagio recommends to see if the flavor comes out the same. I'm learning to like it a little stronger with more umami though.

After I finished about half of the bag, it seemed like it started losing its freshness. The taste wasn't as seaweedy, and it just didn't taste as good as the first few cups. Is this common for this grade of sencha? I didn't seem to notice a difference when I had the Yamamotoyama from first to last cup.

I've been buying the Brazilian "sencha" from Yamamotoyama for a while now ($4/200g) but I've gotten extremely sick of it. I just recently got a job that pays minimum wage, so while I can afford a little more, I still can't afford almost everything everyone recommends on here. Even "moe" from zencha.net is a little out of my budget range right now.

I just recently placed an order with Upton (yes, Chip, go ahead and make fun of me ) for several varies of Chinese green tea, their most popular black Assam, as well as a sample of their lowest priced Japanese sencha (TJ10) and I must say, it's almost exactly like Adagio's "overture" except at half the price. I think I finally found the sencha I've been looking for.

I'm going to start branching out with different types of teas and see what else I like besides the greens. I haven't tried a loose oolong yet and black tea has never been a favorite, but I'm hoping to develop my tastebuds so I can start to appreciate the variety. Upton is the only place I can find that will allow me to try a variety without breaking my budget. I do realize I can and probably will encounter sub-par teas from them, but I really can't afford anything better right now.

Edit: I hear iannon passed away?