TeaChat

Bef wrote:

Chip wrote:Looks like I may hit the goal of 20 again this year despite a late start.

20, as in 20 different 100g shicha bags !?

Yes, 20 different selections.

Most are only offered in 100 gram bags, but some are 50 grammers, one is 30 grams as I recall. Fortunately I have some local addicts who will likely buy around half of each bag of my shincha purchases.

Every year for the last around 8 years, I set a personal goal of trying at least 20 different selections of shincha from various vendors. Most are from bread and butter vendors that I order from frequently, but I also try to sample some from vendors I have not ordered from previously ... or have not for numerous years.

This is the first year I have ordered 11 shincha from 1 vendor ... far exceeding my previous high.

Here is what I have ordered so far ... this is all from O-Cha. New selections I have never tried before are in bold and green.

Kagoshima Sencha Yutaka Midori ... of course ... every year!
Asamushi Sae Midori Sencha
Kagoshima Sencha Sae Midori
Tanegashima Asamushi Sencha
Asamushi Watsuka Sencha
Organic Kirishima Sencha
Organic Sencha "Asatsuyu"
Organic Asanoka Asamushi Sencha
Kanayamidori Sencha
Organic Kirishima Zairai Sencha
Chiran Asatsuyu Sencha

I noticed that O-cha has a kanayamidori this year. Back when I was still getting my sencha at the Japanese market, I recall the kanayamidori being one of my favorites, so I may have to try out O-cha's version. That kamairicha also looks pretty interesting.

Hope to order from ...

Hoping Hakinowado adds shincha from Yame!
Ippodo
Maiko
Zencha
Thes du Japon
"Mystery vendor"
Den's

... any other suggestions?

I should think about placing an order.... Where have I been this year. I guess unless I stock up now I won't have Shincha hanging around in January again! Also Chip fess up you say grams, but we all know you mean Kilograms!

AdamMY wrote:Also Chip fess up you say grams, but we all know you mean Kilograms!

Welllll ... maybe if we were talking NOTTI or OTTI ... but this is for personal use.

Hop onboard, shincha express is leaving the station.

Oh, I have not been totally out of the Shincha loop til now.

Toru of Artistic Nippon gifted me a 100 gram bag of Yame Shincha with my last order. It is pretty good. The unexpected gift could not have come at a better time!

Chip wrote:Hope to order from ...

Hoping Hakinowado adds shincha from Yame!
Ippodo
Maiko
Zencha
Thes du Japon
"Mystery vendor"
Den's

... any other suggestions?

Mellow Monk. They don't have shincha in stock yet, but will shortly. Let me know if you do decide to order, Chip.

Best wishes,
sherubtse

sherubtse wrote:

Chip wrote:Hope to order from ...

Hoping Hakinowado adds shincha from Yame!
Ippodo
Maiko
Zencha
Thes du Japon
"Mystery vendor"
Den's

... any other suggestions?

Mellow Monk. They don't have shincha in stock yet, but will shortly. Let me know if you do decide to order, Chip.

Best wishes,
sherubtse

... you know, amazingly, I have never ordered from the mellow monk. Good suggestion.

Chip wrote:Here is what I have ordered so far ... this is all from O-Cha. New selections I have never tried before are in bold and green.

Kagoshima Sencha Yutaka Midori ... of course ... every year!
Asamushi Sae Midori Sencha
Kagoshima Sencha Sae Midori
Tanegashima Asamushi Sencha
Asamushi Watsuka Sencha
Organic Kirishima Sencha
Organic Sencha "Asatsuyu"
Organic Asanoka Asamushi Sencha
Kanayamidori Sencha
Organic Kirishima Zairai Sencha
Chiran Asatsuyu Sencha

Let us know how they are! I'm really curious about that Organic Kirishima Sencha. I would order some, but I am going to be out of the country starting next week until the end of June. Do you think O-cha will be offering shincha at that time, or will I be cutting it close?

Just tried Zencha's Yutaka Midori Super Premium 2014. ( I haven't tried the O-Cha one )

I left my scale and digital thermometer at office... so I have to use some less accurate measure..

When I bought the tea, I thought it was going to be a deep steamed one because every Yutaka Midori selling on other vendor's website are fukamushi.. but it turns out is a medium steamed one as described at the website. No jokes. The tea color is yellowish instead of green. I like the green one more.

Anyway at the 1st trial it felt like Ippodo's Hosen. Good but didn't impress me at all.

Next day, I give it a 2nd trial and there was a special sweetness I've never tasted before. Also it had a kind of hika ( roast ) and the combination was quite good IMO. With this brew I am sure that I would buy this tea again. Or try the super roast version of this Yutaka Midori.

Today I give it a 3rd trial and couldn't create the kind of sweetness again. But I can still smell it if I put my nose above the tea.



Anyway... I would use my digital thermometer again when I return to my office.


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Okay. I think I found the right parameter:
8g-10g / 280-300ml / 70 degree C

Only mildly related; does anyone have the kanji for 'hika'? I'm not familiar with this meaning of the word and can't find it in any dictionary...

Shincha-wise, I have several packets from yuuki-cha -- Kagoshima asatsuyu, Kumamoto yabe supreme and uji gokujo. I've also got some teas from a supermarket in Matsubushi-machi but, while I do suspect at least two as being shincha, I can't see 'shincha' anywhere on the packets...

I'm also uncertain as to exactly what those teas are, though they're definitely fukamushi (couldn't see any asamushicha when I was buying), so I may post photos of the packaging to see of anyone can identify them.

I believe hika refers to a mild finishing roast that many or most sencha receive ... not to be confused with the roasting hojicha receives. The roasting gives the tea a milder, more rounded profile ... balances the tea.

Soooo, my first 2014 shincha order is in town. It was shipped via EMS but the tracking is screwier than usual. The package could be at one of three USPS locations.

I plan on going to the best bet location first thing tomorrow ...

Shincha Kinari from Maiko this morning. First brew is quite grassy but soon gives way to umami and nice vegetal notes...and a touch of sweetness. Even better than I remembered.