TeaChat

Just curious if anyone has had a good bancha? It seemed to be the ubiquitous green tea in Japan (particularly in restaurants) and it just tasted like either weak houijcha or dirty water to me. I would like to try one from a good vendor to see if there's any redeeming value to it.

BrooklynBrew wrote:Just curious if anyone has had a good bancha? It seemed to be the ubiquitous green tea in Japan (particularly in restaurants) and it just tasted like either weak houijcha or dirty water to me. I would like to try one from a good vendor to see if there's any redeeming value to it.

try the bancha from zencha.net.
or choose a bancha and try making it yourself to fit your taste. i am sure you'll get a better tea than what you have encountered. just make sure it is fresh, good quality tea.

edkrueger wrote: I'm not sure about that. Usually they only pick the top leaves on the first flush. They don't take all of the leaves off the plant so that they can get a second flush. I'm not sure you are wrong, but you say you can find teas, so give us an example.

ed,
if i understood, obubu tea is picking their lower first flush leaves just a few weeks later for their bancha. and hibiki-an also uses the first flush leaves in their bancha according to their web site.
aren't the second flush leave new growth? the lower leaves are not are refined enough to be made into sencha. that's why they are are picked for bancha.

You might be right then. But there might also be new growth by then. I'm not sure.