TeaChat

Hi all,

I'm looking to place an order from Ippoodo.

Could someone please let me know what would be the best matcha, gyokuro and sencha teas to buy from here.

This is going to be a Christmas present to myself so i'm not too bothered how much it will cost.

I bought some tea from Hojo...it was a bit hit and miss...

Thanks

If cost is not a factor, this is a very easy question. Buy the most expensive ones.
My understanding, there are no misses at Ippodo.
I've had the Ippoen gyokuro. I'd highly recommend it. I had one of their mid priced matchas. It was excellent. Last spring I had their shincha. It was very good.

Many thanks Mike...

Any other recommendations apart from the Ippoen?

Many thanks

I recommend the Tenka-Ichi gyokuro, it is very nice.

Any more recommendations please?

personally, I tend to like their sencha more than their gyokuro. I'd highly recommend the kaboku or kumpu. But I agree with Mike_B, stick to their more expensive lines.

I like all of their teas, regardless of price. I actually prefer the more modestly priced senchas, like Unro and Nichi-getsu, as a refreshing morning tea. But yeah, their high-end senchas and gyos are sublime. Kaboku sencha and Kanro gyokuro (as well as Tenka-ichi) are personal favorites, when I have the time to slow down and appreciate the depth of flavor. You might want to check out the gift set sencha/gyo combos.


Almost forgot; if you are a fan of roasted tea, be sure to get at least one bag of hojicha (or kuki hojicha). Hands down the best I've ever had. Unbelievable aroma that fills the room!

Almost forgot; if you are a fan of roasted tea, be sure to get at least one bag of hojicha (or kuki hojicha). Hands down the best I've ever had. Unbelievable aroma that fills the room!

Where do i buy this from? I cannot see it on ippodo's website!?

I have not had it, but many here would recommend their "Wakamatsu no Mukashi" matcha.

Do find hojicha, go to the "Bancha" (I believe the tabs are "Matcha" "Gyokuro" "Sencha" "Bancha").

Also under bancha is the often overlooked iribancha or kyobancha. I just ordered a big bag of that along with houjicha and kiku houjicha for the winter months.

Buzz fledderjoh... wrote:Also under bancha is the often overlooked iribancha or kyobancha.

you may want to provide a description of this tea as it is rather atypical.

iribancha means it's been roasted. I've never had it as bancha here so I'm not sure how it's different than their houjicha. I can recommend their kuki houjicha... it's got the addition of twigs, in fact I recommend kuki houjicha over houjicha in general. I find it usually has a slightly sweeter aroma and less of a roasted flavor.

here is a quote from the ippodo web site describing iribancha. i thought a regular drinker of it may have words of their own to describe this unusal tea. i have not had any for some time but do enjoy it in winter.

"Iribancha has long been a favorite tea among Kyotoites. After the first tea picking of the year, leaves, stems and small twigs from the lower portions of the tea plant are collected, steamed, dried (but not rolled), and roasted at high heat. The result is an unmistakably unique smoky flavor and aroma, somewhat similar to the smell of a campfire or bonfire. This is definitely a tea that needs to be sampled firsthand to be fully appreciated."

Burned prunings.