O-cha's expanded organic sencha range

Made from leaves that have not been oxidized.


User avatar
Jan 30th, '13, 03:30
Posts: 106
Joined: May 19th, '10, 05:42

Re: O-cha's expanded organic sencha range

by Chesslover » Jan 30th, '13, 03:30

Peacock wrote:The Kagoshima "gold" was the best organic sencha I've ever had.
Which sencha is that? - I can't find it on O-cha's site...

User avatar
Jan 30th, '13, 03:59
Posts: 509
Joined: Oct 8th, '10, 06:59
Scrolling: scrolling
Location: Germany

Re: O-cha's expanded organic sencha range

by Stentor » Jan 30th, '13, 03:59

Chesslover wrote:
Peacock wrote: The Kagoshima "gold" was the best organic sencha I've ever had.
Which sencha is that? - I can't find it on O-cha's site...
I think it was only available late 2011/early 2012.

User avatar
Jan 30th, '13, 13:47
Vendor Member
Posts: 608
Joined: Feb 5th, '10, 17:32
Location: San Diego, California

Re: O-cha's expanded organic sencha range

by blairswhitaker » Jan 30th, '13, 13:47

I'm rather excited to see the expanded line up of organics from O-cha. I am in the rare minority of people who strongly prefer organic tea over conventional. I wish their was more asamushi selection though. Kevin's tastes clearly lean toward a certain profile, deeper steamed being a part of it. I am also not a fan of the seminal classic of his, *yutaka midori fukamushi. I have tried it several times and just like other teas so much better. It's not just his tea either. I am just not a fan of deep steamed *Yutaka midori in general. but I do see a few new organic offerings that certainly merit a try.

* edit: I had mistakenly written okumidori in place of yutaka midori in my original post.
Last edited by blairswhitaker on Jan 31st, '13, 01:18, edited 1 time in total.

User avatar
Jan 30th, '13, 14:42
Posts: 1408
Joined: Oct 5th, '09, 05:03
Location: UK

Re: O-cha's expanded organic sencha range

by Alex » Jan 30th, '13, 14:42

blairswhitaker wrote:I'm rather excited to see the expanded line up of organics from O-cha. I am in the rare minority of people who strongly prefer organic tea over conventional. I wish their was more asamushi selection though. Kevin's tastes clearly lean toward a certain profile, deeper steamed being a part of it. I am also not a fan of the seminal classic of his, okumidori fukamushi. I have tried it several times and just like other teas so much better. It's not just his tea either. I am just not a fan of deep steamed okumidori in general. but I do see a few new organic offerings that certainly merit a try.

I'm the same RE organics. We seem to have similar taste as all your yuuki-cha favourites seem to be mine too so I'll be interested to see what you enjoy from o-cha.

I had a couple of organics from them last year.....I can't remember what they were as I'm terrible with names but I wasn't a fan. Be up for trying some more though I may have just made a poor selection.
Last edited by Alex on Apr 16th, '13, 11:36, edited 2 times in total.

User avatar
Jan 30th, '13, 15:03
Vendor Member
Posts: 608
Joined: Feb 5th, '10, 17:32
Location: San Diego, California

Re: O-cha's expanded organic sencha range

by blairswhitaker » Jan 30th, '13, 15:03

Alex wrote:
blairswhitaker wrote:I'm rather excited to see the expanded line up of organics from O-cha. I am in the rare minority of people who strongly prefer organic tea over conventional. I wish their was more asamushi selection though. Kevin's tastes clearly lean toward a certain profile, deeper steamed being a part of it. I am also not a fan of the seminal classic of his, okumidori fukamushi. I have tried it several times and just like other teas so much better. It's not just his tea either. I am just not a fan of deep steamed okumidori in general. but I do see a few new organic offerings that certainly merit a try.

I'm the same RE organics. We seem to have similar taste as all your yuuki-cha favourites seem to be mine too so I'll be interested to see what you enjoy from o-cha.

I had a couple of organics from them last year.....I can't remember what they were as I'm terrible with names but I wasn't a fan. Be up for trying some more though I may have just made a poor selection.


Ha, yeah Alex I have noticed that you and I do seem to have some similar tastes in Japanese green tea, as well as teaware. YC is my number one vendor choice and I tend to go with asamushi over just about anything else, though I have been hitting up their tenkei hana matcha alot lately. as well as some oolongs from them... today I haven't had any green tea though just red and puerh.

User avatar
Jan 30th, '13, 22:29
Vendor Member
Posts: 267
Joined: Jul 13th, '09, 11:43
Location: Japan
Contact: Kevangogh

Re: O-cha's expanded organic sencha range

by Kevangogh » Jan 30th, '13, 22:29

blairswhitaker wrote:I am also not a fan of the seminal classic of his, okumidori fukamushi. I have tried it several times and just like other teas so much better. It's not just his tea either. I am just not a fan of deep steamed okumidori in general.
Just to clarify, our Oku Midori is medium steamed and we've only been carrying that for a few months, I don't think you've tried that. It was very hard to obtain, I had to jump through a lot of hoops to get it but I was impressed with it enough to do so. Currently the only deep steamed organic which we carry is 7132.

We used to carry a lot more light steamed organics but they came from the Warashina area of Shizuoka and that area, unfortunately, had some of the highest radiation readings so we quit selling them.

User avatar
Jan 30th, '13, 22:41
Vendor Member
Posts: 608
Joined: Feb 5th, '10, 17:32
Location: San Diego, California

O-cha's expanded organic sencha range

by blairswhitaker » Jan 30th, '13, 22:41

Kevangogh wrote:
blairswhitaker wrote:I am also not a fan of the seminal classic of his, okumidori fukamushi. I have tried it several times and just like other teas so much better. It's not just his tea either. I am just not a fan of deep steamed okumidori in general.
Just to clarify, our Oku Midori is medium steamed and we've only been carrying that for a few months, I don't think you've tried that. It was very hard to obtain, I had to jump through a lot of hoops to get it but I was impressed with it enough to do so. Currently the only deep steamed organic which we carry is 7132.

We used to carry a lot more light steamed organics but they came from the Warashina area of Shizuoka and that area, unfortunately, had some of the highest radiation readings so we quit selling them.
My apologies, I was actually referring to the yutakamidori.

User avatar
Jan 30th, '13, 22:44
Vendor Member
Posts: 267
Joined: Jul 13th, '09, 11:43
Location: Japan
Contact: Kevangogh

Re: O-cha's expanded organic sencha range

by Kevangogh » Jan 30th, '13, 22:44

No problem...

User avatar
Jan 30th, '13, 22:50
Posts: 20891
Joined: Apr 22nd, '06, 20:52
Scrolling: scrolling
Location: Back in the TeaCave atop Mt. Fuji
Been thanked: 2 times

Re: O-cha's expanded organic sencha range

by Chip » Jan 30th, '13, 22:50

blairswhitaker wrote:
Kevangogh wrote:
blairswhitaker wrote:I am also not a fan of the seminal classic of his, okumidori fukamushi. I have tried it several times and just like other teas so much better. It's not just his tea either. I am just not a fan of deep steamed okumidori in general.
Just to clarify, our Oku Midori is medium steamed and we've only been carrying that for a few months, I don't think you've tried that. It was very hard to obtain, I had to jump through a lot of hoops to get it but I was impressed with it enough to do so. Currently the only deep steamed organic which we carry is 7132.

We used to carry a lot more light steamed organics but they came from the Warashina area of Shizuoka and that area, unfortunately, had some of the highest radiation readings so we quit selling them.
My apologies, I was actually referring to the yutakamidori.
OK, so wherever you said Oku Midori, you meant the non organic Yutaka Midori? I previously stated in this topic that this selection of Oku Midori was possibly the best organic I have tried. But then again, Yutaka Midori is a personal fave of mine and many others ...

...................

Forgive my ignorance, I have been endeavoring to comprehend your intended meaning of, "I am also not a fan of the seminal classic of his, okumidori fukamushi."

The use of seminal is confusing to me since it carries differing meanings.

According to World English Dictionary:

seminal (ˈsɛmɪnəl)
— adj
1. potentially capable of development
2. highly original, influential, and important
3. rudimentary or unformed
4. of or relating to semen: seminal fluid
5. biology of or relating to seed

User avatar
Jan 30th, '13, 22:58
Posts: 20891
Joined: Apr 22nd, '06, 20:52
Scrolling: scrolling
Location: Back in the TeaCave atop Mt. Fuji
Been thanked: 2 times

Re: O-cha's expanded organic sencha range

by Chip » Jan 30th, '13, 22:58

BTW, I have a limited amount of Oku Midori that I personally purchased to share if anyone is interested.

User avatar
Jan 31st, '13, 01:14
Vendor Member
Posts: 608
Joined: Feb 5th, '10, 17:32
Location: San Diego, California

Re: O-cha's expanded organic sencha range

by blairswhitaker » Jan 31st, '13, 01:14

Chip wrote:
blairswhitaker wrote:
Kevangogh wrote:
blairswhitaker wrote:I am also not a fan of the seminal classic of his, okumidori fukamushi. I have tried it several times and just like other teas so much better. It's not just his tea either. I am just not a fan of deep steamed okumidori in general.
Just to clarify, our Oku Midori is medium steamed and we've only been carrying that for a few months, I don't think you've tried that. It was very hard to obtain, I had to jump through a lot of hoops to get it but I was impressed with it enough to do so. Currently the only deep steamed organic which we carry is 7132.

We used to carry a lot more light steamed organics but they came from the Warashina area of Shizuoka and that area, unfortunately, had some of the highest radiation readings so we quit selling them.
My apologies, I was actually referring to the yutakamidori.
OK, so wherever you said Oku Midori, you meant the non organic Yutaka Midori? I previously stated in this topic that this selection of Oku Midori was possibly the best organic I have tried. But then again, Yutaka Midori is a personal fave of mine and many others ...

...................

Forgive my ignorance, I have been endeavoring to comprehend your intended meaning of, "I am also not a fan of the seminal classic of his, okumidori fukamushi."

The use of seminal is confusing to me since it carries differing meanings.

According to World English Dictionary:

seminal (ˈsɛmɪnəl)
— adj
1. potentially capable of development
2. highly original, influential, and important
3. rudimentary or unformed
4. of or relating to semen: seminal fluid
5. biology of or relating to seed
Yes, once again I apologize to the confusion my error created, in that paragraph I had unintentionally used okumidori ( a varietal I really enjoy very much) in place of yutakamidori, ( a varietal I find less appealing, though not bad in any way).

Yes I was referring to the NON ORGANIC version. I know chip has stated
many times that he believes organic tea and conventional tea do not bear comparison as far as to even state "I try not to judge them against conventionally grown Japanese greens ... they are a different animal pretty much altogether IMHO."

I STRONGLY disagree. from an agricultural background, (I was raised on a farm that practiced no application of chemical/synthetic fertilizer or pesticides. we did not call it "organic" or "non conventionally grown" we simply called it farming and it was the way generations of my family had been farming, but I digress.) If I have a honey crisp apple that was organically grown and a honey crisp apple that was conventionally grown their is a great deal to compare and contrast. Especially if they were grown in the same region under the same weather patterns. to me they are the same "animal" just raised on a different diet. the same goes for sencha as far as I am concerned.

in referring to "seminal" I was using the meaning as defined in the oxford dictionary

Definition of seminal
adjective
1 strongly influencing later developments:


I am not alone in observing that Kagoshima sencha has set strong influence of breeding teas for specific fukamushi cultivation, of these I feel yutakamidori is the quintessential trend setter standing out in this chapter of sencha history. If any of you have been observing the japanese tea world for any period of time it would be challenging to ignore that this tea has been "trending' since somewhere around the middle of the '00s.


I wish to clarify that I have find nothing wrong with O-cha or kevin. I respect his business and ethics. I just don't personally care for that particular tea and am always willing to try teas I may not have tried before.

of course everyone has something that is just "not their cup of tea".

User avatar
Jan 31st, '13, 01:55
Posts: 20891
Joined: Apr 22nd, '06, 20:52
Scrolling: scrolling
Location: Back in the TeaCave atop Mt. Fuji
Been thanked: 2 times

Re: O-cha's expanded organic sencha range

by Chip » Jan 31st, '13, 01:55

Thank you for the clarifications.
I know chip has stated
many times that he believes organic tea and conventional tea do not bear comparison as far as to even state "I try not to judge them against conventionally grown Japanese greens ... they are a different animal pretty much altogether IMHO."

I STRONGLY disagree. from an agricultural background, (I was raised on a farm that practiced no application of chemical/synthetic fertilizer or pesticides. we did not call it "organic" or "non conventionally grown" we simply called it farming and it was the way generations of my family had been farming, but I digress.) If I have a honey crisp apple that was organically grown and a honey crisp apple that was conventionally grown their is a great deal to compare and contrast. Especially if they were grown in the same region under the same weather patterns. to me they are the same "animal" just raised on a different diet. the same goes for sencha as far as I am concerned.
My perspective is clearly different than yours which is tied to your roots, emotions. As result I draw different conclusions.

My statement that you quote I feel is taken out of context and away from its intent. I actually say this so others are fair to organic and not have a preconception that the organic will taste like the conventional. In broader sense, of course I or anyone can compare the two ... or green to black for that matter. My statement is more about keeping an open mind.

Most people will drink conventional and then try an organic ... coming away with a perspective and opinion based upon their experience with conventional teas. They often find the organic weak or even flavorless.

Therefore I encourage people to step back and try to judge the organic based upon its own merits versus simply comparing it to conventional teas which they may favor or be used to.

I state this about Japanese green tea. Other foods may be quite different. So let's let the analysis of my comment end there.

For the record, I am not pro conventional and con organic. I am pro Japanese tea and support it on just about every level ... but I am also pro great Japanese tea. For a time, many/most organic greens were quite lacking and inferior. They have made great strides to improve through dedication and experimentation and persistance.

Still the popularity of conventional cannot be denied based simply on the overwhelming numbers in production and sales. However I will continue to offer organics in OTTI tastings in order to promote this "animal."

BTW, are all your pu-erh organic?

User avatar
Jan 31st, '13, 02:10
Vendor Member
Posts: 608
Joined: Feb 5th, '10, 17:32
Location: San Diego, California

Re: O-cha's expanded organic sencha range

by blairswhitaker » Jan 31st, '13, 02:10

Chip wrote:
BTW, are all your pu-erh organic?
not sure I follow this question?

User avatar
Jan 31st, '13, 02:38
Posts: 20891
Joined: Apr 22nd, '06, 20:52
Scrolling: scrolling
Location: Back in the TeaCave atop Mt. Fuji
Been thanked: 2 times

Re: O-cha's expanded organic sencha range

by Chip » Jan 31st, '13, 02:38

blairswhitaker wrote:
Chip wrote:
BTW, are all your pu-erh organic?
not sure I follow this question?
I am in the rare minority of people who strongly prefer organic tea over conventional.
Pretty self-explanatory. You are obviously a proponent of organics. It is great that you enjoy organic sencha and endorse them, but what about the other tea you drink? Gyokuro, Pu-erh, etc.? It seems you have some wiggle room ... (or perhaps there are not good organic examples)

Since you are perhaps most vocal on the subject of Organic Sencha, I feel this is a fair question to ask as it gives us a broader perspective of where you are coming from.

User avatar
Jan 31st, '13, 03:42
Vendor Member
Posts: 608
Joined: Feb 5th, '10, 17:32
Location: San Diego, California

Re: O-cha's expanded organic sencha range

by blairswhitaker » Jan 31st, '13, 03:42

Chip wrote:
blairswhitaker wrote:
Chip wrote:
BTW, are all your pu-erh organic?
not sure I follow this question?
I am in the rare minority of people who strongly prefer organic tea over conventional.
Pretty self-explanatory. You are obviously a proponent of organics. It is great that you enjoy organic sencha and endorse them, but what about the other tea you drink? Gyokuro, Pu-erh, etc.? It seems you have some wiggle room ... (or perhaps there are not good organic examples)

Since you are perhaps most vocal on the subject of Organic Sencha, I feel this is a fair question to ask as it gives us a broader perspective of where you are coming from.
Yes I strongly prefer my tea to be organic. I do drink many teas that are not organic. when it comes to puerh my favorites are those that would not be designated organic because they don't need to be, such as they are grown in an area where pesticides and chemical fertilizers are not employed. I have never claimed that I WILL NOT drink a non organic tea product. though I usually source my teas from people who can tell me about who grew them and under what circumstances. I recently enjoyed a number of menghai offerings that were not organic. I do however tend to source most of my teas from shops that specialize in organic offerings. Yuuki-Cha, Mad Monk, seven cups and so on.

I mainly drink organic gyokuro, I drank some organic houjicha today sourced from the leaf and kettle. I also drank some organic genmaicha from dens tea. (to be fair I also drank a non organic yinzhen green and a chinese red tea from Guizhou)

I have been drinking organic matcha from dens tea lately but I also frequently drink yuuki-chas organic matcha. However when i meet for okeiko we do not use organic matcha so I end up consuming a fair amount of non organic matcha. of course it is far more important to participate in okeiko and ceremony than to only drink organic tea ( I am not a strict organic fundamentalist)

I could go on and on and list all the tea I drink/don't drink but the point is I make conscious decisions to drink organic tea as much as possible.

tea drinking exceeds merely consuming a beverage for me. it is my way or do.

I want it to preserve the four virtues of chado wakeiseijaku harmony, respect, purity, tranquillity. Organic tea helps ME achieve these goals. It is not only about respecting what i ingest but the agricultural process that produces what I ingest.

Anyone familiar with the agricultural world knows the damage that chemical fertilizers cause to do excess runoff contaminating streams and water supplies, harming fish and foul, this all works its way up the food chain. I also don't like contributing to the known and unknown risk of exposure to pesticide and herbicide. Knowing I am doing something to lessen a destructive impact on the environment I inhabit gives more of a sense of harmony and tranquility, it is not just good for me it's good for others who inhabit the same planet I do. My tea drinking is never on a purely sensory driven experience, it is emotional and spiritual for me. I need to taste the earth in my tea, the rain, and the sun. that is harder for me to do when I have to separate chemical fertilizer tastes and pesticides out of the mix.

The reason I am such a proponent of Organic sencha is largely because that is the tea I consume more than any other tea. It is my "home base" so to speak, what I reach for the most and that is all the more reason I would want to do the best for my body, mind, soul and environment.

+ Post Reply