TeaChat

Chip wrote:You can compute it as you go from your cart. Then add or subtract as needed.

Packaging can double the weight, especially if you buy sencha in tins, etc.

Bottom line, you can get a lot of Matcha and still not exceed the weight for minimum shipping charge.

Great! Now, anxiously awaiting my paycheck... darnit, 10 days to go
And should probably finish off some of the others that are getting low - I have a tendency to get new things and then not go back to the older ones unless they're an absolute favorite. And my boyfriend won't *BOO* as much about my rapidly growing tea collection... if it's actually diminishing, I can justify it as "running out"

Just placed my first order from Ippodo: one Nodoka Special Matcha, one Horai-no-mukashi, and one Hojicha. Stocking up for spring, can't wait!

Congratulations!

Wow, I ordered on Tuesday and received it today!! That's faster than many domestic suppliers I've ordered from!

chicagopotter wrote:Just placed my first order from Ippodo: one Nodoka Special Matcha, one Horai-no-mukashi, and one Hojicha. Stocking up for spring, can't wait!

How did you like your Nodoka? It was the most different matcha I've ever had. To me, it was the greenest of any I've tried (taste wise) and the most one dimensional. But, not in a bad way at all. I'm interested in hearing what you thought about it. I'm getting ready to brew up another cup right now.

I broke out a new bag of Kanro Gyokuro yesterday. Wow. This has to be one of the best Gyokuros I've ever had. That 1st cup is mesmerizing with its intense umami and finish. 5 brews easily with this one. Made me forget it was not organic.

I recently placed my first order with Ippodo. It included a 40 gram can of Ummon-no-mukashi matcha and two bags of Kaboku sencha. The sencha didn't impress me one way or the other but I was very impressed with the Ummon-no-mukashi. It was gone far too soon.

I doubt I'll place another order with Ippodo because they only offer EMS shipping. My tea orders are small enough that they are usually delivered by the regular mailman. He won't leave the package without a signature even when it fits in the mailbox. By the time I get around to picking it up I haven't gained anything for the extra cost of EMS. If Ippodo offered regular airmail as a shipping option I would try them again.

When I was drinking a lot of matcha, their Wakamatsu was my staple. I seem to remember it was even better than their pricier offerings. Great stuff.

Their Shincha and Gyo was fantastic as well, but I don't remember the specifics.

I've been consuming a somewhat broad sample of ippodo teas:

2011 Shincha

Sencha Hosen

Gyokuro Kanro

Gokujo Hojicha

The Hosen is a terrific asamushi. I liked their shincha, but the Hosen is still better, IMO. Light liquor, firm taste. Well crafted tea.

Kanro is also a nice gyo; tasty as tea or food.

The big shocker is how terrific their hojicha is. I enjoy hojicha, generally, but the gokujo hoji from Ippodo has an incredible buttery texture on top of the roasty sweetness. I highly recommend that anyone placing an order from them add at least 200g of Hojicha to the order -- it's cheap. It has become an all-day, de facto beverage in our house and my two-year-old son loves it.

Excellent! A convert to Ippodo. Some comments: Hosen is their sweetest Sencha, I think it is a good introduction to premium sencha. Their more expensive sencha are a bit more on the umami side of things. Their shicha this year wasn't the best they have done, but it is still nice to taste the season. Their Hojicha is great. Given that you like that, I would suggest their other Bancha as well. I love the Genmai in winter and Yanagi iced in summer.

Have taken a look at their senchas, but can't tell which are fuka and which asa.

Any tips on how to tell the difference?

Thanks.

Best wishes,
sherubtse

P.S. That's one of the (many) things I like about O-Cha, viz,. the info on steaming in the tea descriptions.

All asamushi ...

Chip wrote:All asamushi ...

Thanks Chip. As always, your help is much appreciated!

Best wishes,
sherubtse

I just wanted to write a quick review for my absolute favorite Japanese tea vendor. I first tried them about a year ago now and since then have placed an order almost every month since.

I started off with their top 3 senchas and really fell for their very strong deep flavor. At first, I thought that their brewing recommendations were rather extreme, but after trying it for the first time I have never gone back to a lower leaf/water ratio.

Right now, I brew all of their teas around 7.5g for 150mL of water in a preheated kyusu at 70c for 1 min. If I don't preheat the kyusu then their higher temp. recommendation brews nicely as well (albeit with a little more bitterness than the 70c in a preheated kyusu method that I use).

Anyway, what I have just discovered is that their lower priced teas are great for the price. I just finished their Sencha that is priced at 800yen/100g and it was delicious, not even necessarily "inferior" to their more expensive offerings. I will be ordering all of their cheaper sencha on my next order to explore a little more.

I have only tried one mid-range gyokuro from them and have yet to try their matcha so I can't really comment on either, but their Sencha is my favorite so far.

Very nice hojicha as well.

Has anyone ordered from ippodo's website? I've places my order 1 week ago and so far no changes on the order status and no reply to my emails...