Uji Kirameki

Made from leaves that have not been oxidized.


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May 12th, '08, 11:18
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by chamekke » May 12th, '08, 11:18

ShinCha wrote:Since it is asamushi, light steamed, you can experiment with more leaf.
When the listing for a shincha does not state the degree of steaming, is it safe to assume that it is asamushi? Or are such teas usually chumushi?
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May 12th, '08, 11:36
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by olivierco » May 12th, '08, 11:36

chamekke wrote:
ShinCha wrote:Since it is asamushi, light steamed, you can experiment with more leaf.
When the listing for a shincha does not state the degree of steaming, is it safe to assume that it is asamushi? Or are such teas usually chumushi?
It depends mainly on the seller. You have to rely on the picture of the tealeaves.

Ippodo sells asamuchi sencha
O-Cha sells mostly chumushi( or semi-chumushi :wink: ), Kirameki is the exception.

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May 12th, '08, 11:41
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by bambooforest » May 12th, '08, 11:41

olivierco wrote:
I tried it at 1g/oz (my ratio for sencha is usually 40% higher) and got a satisfying result for my first session.
For the Kirameki, my final parameters were 4 grams per 5 ounces. 1:15 steep. It is a mild sencha. Very excellent.

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May 12th, '08, 13:15
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by Chip » May 12th, '08, 13:15

I have had a lot of fun with this shincha...seems hard to mess it up leaf wise. I have gone light to pretty much. As long as you respect the temp...

Currently, 6 gr in 6.8 ounces. The first steep is simply richer tasting than lower leaf sessions.

This fine sencha is virtually devoid of astringency and roughness, some could argue too smooth...I would disagree. It is a great sencha to experience, even though the smoothness may bore me if I had this everyday for months. So far, I have had it everyday for almost a week...and I love it first thing in the morning.

I agree with what has been said about asa, chu, fuka. When you know your vendor of fine Japanese teas, you can almost know w/o reading the description what is what. They will sometimes have their own lingo, for instance Hibiki refers to "traditional" which is another word for asamushi for a Japanese vendor. Maiko and Ipoddo are pretty much all asamushi. O-Cha is almost all chumushi to fukamushi.

The fact that it is a limited time offering sold by Tsuen Tea House (through O-Cha), a tea house that has been operating in the same family for I think 29 genserations and over 700 years just makes it that much more enjoyable...it is history in my cup!!!
blah blah blah SENCHA blah blah blah!!!

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May 12th, '08, 13:22
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by bambooforest » May 12th, '08, 13:22

ShinCha wrote:
The fact that it is a limited time offering sold by Tsuen Tea House (through O-Cha), a tea house that has been operating in the same family for I think 29 genserations and over 700 years just makes it that much more enjoyable...it is history in my cup!!!
I would agree with this assessment. This tea is a piece of the land, air, and people of Japan. This being a hand picked green tea. The tea masters that Tsuen consults, this is their vision of how a superlative sencha should taste. And frankly, I concur with their judgement.

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May 12th, '08, 15:09
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by chamekke » May 12th, '08, 15:09

ShinCha wrote:I agree with what has been said about asa, chu, fuka. When you know your vendor of fine Japanese teas, you can almost know w/o reading the description what is what. They will sometimes have their own lingo, for instance Hibiki refers to "traditional" which is another word for asamushi for a Japanese vendor. Maiko and Ipoddo are pretty much all asamushi. O-Cha is almost all chumushi to fukamushi.
That is most helpful. Thank you!
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May 12th, '08, 15:41
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by olivierco » May 12th, '08, 15:41

ShinCha wrote:I have had a lot of fun with this shincha...seems hard to mess it up leaf wise. I have gone light to pretty much. As long as you respect the temp...

Currently, 6 gr in 6.8 ounces. The first steep is simply richer tasting than lower leaf sessions.

This fine sencha is virtually devoid of astringency and roughness, some could argue too smooth...I would disagree. It is a great sencha to experience, even though the smoothness may bore me if I had this everyday for months. So far, I have had it everyday for almost a week...and I love it first thing in the morning.
Did you get it last year?
It was described as "A very "green" green tea with a nice grassy aroma", which doesn't seem to be accurate to me.

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May 14th, '08, 14:28
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by bambooforest » May 14th, '08, 14:28

Amazing how a whole thread is dedicated to the priestly tea, "Kirameki." How fortunate I am to have a bag of it to enjoy, how fortunate indeed.

Because not all of us will be able to partake in this glorious tea, I feel a little bad inside. So, I've set out to remedy this...

We may not all be able to partake in this superlative hand picked leaf from Uji. But... I will give you the second best thing - the ability to look at it. If you're curious what it looks like in a cup, I provide you with this.

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