OTTI 2010 Round 4 Shincha Encore!
OTTI 2010 Round 4 Shincha Encore!
by Chip » Jun 27th, '10, 22:55
OTTI #4 will be Shincha Encore! 5 new 2010 Shincha selections from 2 very different vendors. Should be very interesting indeed! Supplies are very limited, so first come first served. Due to time difference, I will hold a few for European members since they are all asleep at this posting.
OK, listen up participants! Each tea sample has a number on it. Here is the key:
From RishiTea:
1. Supreme Shizuoka First Flush Kukicha. Looks like a very nice kukicha selection. And it is Shincha of course.
http://www.rishi-tea.com/store/supreme-shizuoka-first-flush-kukicha-japanese-green-tea.html
2. Nishi First Flush Sencha, Organic Japanese Green Tea. From Nishi-san's tea farms, a blend of varietals in asamushi/light steamed style. From Kagoshima prefecture.
http://www.rishi-tea.com/store/nishi-First-flush-sencha-organic-japanese-green-tea.html
3. Kagoshima Shincha Sae Midori, Japanese Green Tea also from Nishi-san's farms. Chumushi/mid steamed from Kagoshima prefecture. .
http://www.rishi-tea.com/store/kagoshima-shincha-sae-midori-japanese-green-tea.html
From Zencha:
4. Shincha Takumi from Yame prefecture is made from Gokoh or Gokou leaf which is a varietal used for making Gyokuro (Yame is known for making Gyokuro). However this selection is grown as a sencha! http://www.zencha.net/products_yame_shincha.php
5. Shincha Moe is an interesting selection also from Yame prefecture. http://www.zencha.net/products_yame_shincha.php
Each member will receive all 5 selections plus a bonus selection, so 6 total!
Cost is $7 for USA members
8.50 USD for Canadian and other NA members
10 USD for European members
12.50 USD for Asia and Australia
All other's, PM me.
If interested, please PM me and confirm your Paypal email!
EDIT 1:
OTTI Round 4 Shincha Encore! Some of these I never tried before ... so we learn and experiment together!!! And of course with each new harvest, it is a whole new ball game!
There are 6 samples,all 5 are Shincha plus a bonus shincha selection. Each sample contains 8 grams of leaf, so if you use half for each session, that is 4 grams. I am offering the leaf ratio I used for each, however you can adjust according to your tastes. Links for each tea are located under OTTI Round 4 on the forum.
Bonus tea. The bonus tea is Maeda-en's Super Premium Shincha, and everyone received 4 grams of this bonus sample.
EDIT 2:
Brewing vessels. If you have a kyusu, great! Remember for Fukamushi, more careful pouring is required in order to prevent too much particle from passing through or clogging the screen altogether.
If you do not have a kyusu. If you use an infuser basket, for the fukamushi I recommend doing things a bit backwards. Put the leaf in the infuser, water in the pot, then set the infuser into the water. Otherwise too much particle will pass through the infuser or it may get really clogged up.
How much. If you have been on TC long enough, you have likely heard the term ratio used in determining how much leaf to use. A ratio is simply general or preferred strength that allows increasing and decreasing of either leaf weight or volume water while keeping the strength steady.
Generally, the longer you have been drinking sencha, the higher leaf ratio you will use. Newer to sencha, you will generally use lower ratios as your tastes have not fully adjusted to sencha.
Your leaf ratio is calculated X grams leaf : Y ounces water. If you fill in the grams at 4, you can adjust the amount of water to find your ratio. Or you can fill in a value for the water and adjust the amount of leaf. I am suggesting using 4 grams leaf for each session and adjusting the amount of water. And I offer corresponding amounts of water below based on using 4 grams, rounded off. This will also give you 2 full sessions, just use half each time.
1:1 4 grams : 4ounces water
0.9:1 4 : 4.5
0.8:1 4 : 5
0.7:1 4 : 5.5
0.6:1 4 : 6.5
Just about any Shincha, I will first try at a ratio I somehow intuitively come up with … then adjust with future sessions. Below are my somewhat adjust ratios for each tea. Again if you are newer to sencha, you might want to adjust down a bit, but that is up to you! Based on the ratio, you can plug in the values listed above, or create your own.
Temperatures! This is so subjective. I thought I heard everything, then the owner of O-Cha posted even lower temps on TC. Zencha lists crazy low temps for the best sencha. Well, I have not tried those yet.
There are differing temps based upon whether one preheats the kyusu (teapot) or not. Basically if you do not preheat your pot, the temp you use should be approx 15* F hotter due to rapid drop in temps. Lately I have been preheating the pot, but I go back and forth periodically.
If you preheat, smell the warming leaf in the pot, mind blowing!
I will list in order from the OTTI topic.
Rishi Shincha Kukicha can be approached casually, but I recommend paying attention for this tasting. 1:1, 170** in a preheated kyusu, 1 min
Rishi Nishi Organic. .9:1, 158* in a preheated kyusu, 60 seconds
Rishi Sae Midori 1:1, 158* in a preheated kyusu, 60 sec
Zencha Takumi 1:1 150* in a preheated kyusu, 60 or so seconds
Zencha Moe 1:1, 165* in a preheated kyusu, 40-60 seconds
Bonus, Maeda-en's Super Premium Shincha 1:1, 160* in a preheated kyusu, 40-60 seconds
Problems:
Too intense, decrease leaf.
Too bitter, decrease temp and/or time. Cooler water makes for a less aromatic but sweeter cup.
Multiple steeps. Absolutely! A good rule of thumb for me …
2nd 165*, 20-30 sec
3rd 175*, 60 sec
4th 185* 60-120 sec
5th boiling, 1-infinity … there is nothing left to make your brew bitter. Just mellow, sweet tea water.
OK, listen up participants! Each tea sample has a number on it. Here is the key:
From RishiTea:
1. Supreme Shizuoka First Flush Kukicha. Looks like a very nice kukicha selection. And it is Shincha of course.
http://www.rishi-tea.com/store/supreme-shizuoka-first-flush-kukicha-japanese-green-tea.html
2. Nishi First Flush Sencha, Organic Japanese Green Tea. From Nishi-san's tea farms, a blend of varietals in asamushi/light steamed style. From Kagoshima prefecture.
http://www.rishi-tea.com/store/nishi-First-flush-sencha-organic-japanese-green-tea.html
3. Kagoshima Shincha Sae Midori, Japanese Green Tea also from Nishi-san's farms. Chumushi/mid steamed from Kagoshima prefecture. .
http://www.rishi-tea.com/store/kagoshima-shincha-sae-midori-japanese-green-tea.html
From Zencha:
4. Shincha Takumi from Yame prefecture is made from Gokoh or Gokou leaf which is a varietal used for making Gyokuro (Yame is known for making Gyokuro). However this selection is grown as a sencha! http://www.zencha.net/products_yame_shincha.php
5. Shincha Moe is an interesting selection also from Yame prefecture. http://www.zencha.net/products_yame_shincha.php
Each member will receive all 5 selections plus a bonus selection, so 6 total!
Cost is $7 for USA members
8.50 USD for Canadian and other NA members
10 USD for European members
12.50 USD for Asia and Australia
All other's, PM me.
If interested, please PM me and confirm your Paypal email!
EDIT 1:
OTTI Round 4 Shincha Encore! Some of these I never tried before ... so we learn and experiment together!!! And of course with each new harvest, it is a whole new ball game!
There are 6 samples,all 5 are Shincha plus a bonus shincha selection. Each sample contains 8 grams of leaf, so if you use half for each session, that is 4 grams. I am offering the leaf ratio I used for each, however you can adjust according to your tastes. Links for each tea are located under OTTI Round 4 on the forum.
Bonus tea. The bonus tea is Maeda-en's Super Premium Shincha, and everyone received 4 grams of this bonus sample.
EDIT 2:
Brewing vessels. If you have a kyusu, great! Remember for Fukamushi, more careful pouring is required in order to prevent too much particle from passing through or clogging the screen altogether.
If you do not have a kyusu. If you use an infuser basket, for the fukamushi I recommend doing things a bit backwards. Put the leaf in the infuser, water in the pot, then set the infuser into the water. Otherwise too much particle will pass through the infuser or it may get really clogged up.
How much. If you have been on TC long enough, you have likely heard the term ratio used in determining how much leaf to use. A ratio is simply general or preferred strength that allows increasing and decreasing of either leaf weight or volume water while keeping the strength steady.
Generally, the longer you have been drinking sencha, the higher leaf ratio you will use. Newer to sencha, you will generally use lower ratios as your tastes have not fully adjusted to sencha.
Your leaf ratio is calculated X grams leaf : Y ounces water. If you fill in the grams at 4, you can adjust the amount of water to find your ratio. Or you can fill in a value for the water and adjust the amount of leaf. I am suggesting using 4 grams leaf for each session and adjusting the amount of water. And I offer corresponding amounts of water below based on using 4 grams, rounded off. This will also give you 2 full sessions, just use half each time.
1:1 4 grams : 4ounces water
0.9:1 4 : 4.5
0.8:1 4 : 5
0.7:1 4 : 5.5
0.6:1 4 : 6.5
Just about any Shincha, I will first try at a ratio I somehow intuitively come up with … then adjust with future sessions. Below are my somewhat adjust ratios for each tea. Again if you are newer to sencha, you might want to adjust down a bit, but that is up to you! Based on the ratio, you can plug in the values listed above, or create your own.
Temperatures! This is so subjective. I thought I heard everything, then the owner of O-Cha posted even lower temps on TC. Zencha lists crazy low temps for the best sencha. Well, I have not tried those yet.
There are differing temps based upon whether one preheats the kyusu (teapot) or not. Basically if you do not preheat your pot, the temp you use should be approx 15* F hotter due to rapid drop in temps. Lately I have been preheating the pot, but I go back and forth periodically.
If you preheat, smell the warming leaf in the pot, mind blowing!
I will list in order from the OTTI topic.
Rishi Shincha Kukicha can be approached casually, but I recommend paying attention for this tasting. 1:1, 170** in a preheated kyusu, 1 min
Rishi Nishi Organic. .9:1, 158* in a preheated kyusu, 60 seconds
Rishi Sae Midori 1:1, 158* in a preheated kyusu, 60 sec
Zencha Takumi 1:1 150* in a preheated kyusu, 60 or so seconds
Zencha Moe 1:1, 165* in a preheated kyusu, 40-60 seconds
Bonus, Maeda-en's Super Premium Shincha 1:1, 160* in a preheated kyusu, 40-60 seconds
Problems:
Too intense, decrease leaf.
Too bitter, decrease temp and/or time. Cooler water makes for a less aromatic but sweeter cup.
Multiple steeps. Absolutely! A good rule of thumb for me …
2nd 165*, 20-30 sec
3rd 175*, 60 sec
4th 185* 60-120 sec
5th boiling, 1-infinity … there is nothing left to make your brew bitter. Just mellow, sweet tea water.
-
Chip - Mod/Admin
- Posts: 21012
- Joined: Apr 22nd, '
- Location: Back in the TeaCave atop Mt. Fuji
Re: OTTI #4 Shincha Encore!
by Chip » Jun 27th, '10, 23:03
Sorry, got this in a bit late, a "wedding reception" went a bit later than expected.
Hope you can join us!
Hope you can join us!
-
Chip - Mod/Admin
- Posts: 21012
- Joined: Apr 22nd, '
- Location: Back in the TeaCave atop Mt. Fuji
Re: OTTI 2010 Round 4 Shincha Encore!
by Marco » Jun 28th, '10, 02:55
My Kyusu is prepared and hungry for this leaves 
And I am ready to taste and ready to learn.
thanks a lot Chip!
And I am ready to taste and ready to learn.
thanks a lot Chip!
-
Marco - Posts: 328
- Joined: Jun 11th, '
- Location: Austria
Re: OTTI 2010 Round 4 Shincha Encore!
by Chip » Jun 28th, '10, 14:08
You are welcome! Glad you can join us.
There are still spots open!!!
There are still spots open!!!
-
Chip - Mod/Admin
- Posts: 21012
- Joined: Apr 22nd, '
- Location: Back in the TeaCave atop Mt. Fuji
Re: OTTI 2010 Round 4 Shincha Encore!
by Chip » Jun 30th, '10, 13:35
woozl wrote:Oooh, Ooooh me too.
Yes, I see that hand ... you be in!
Still some spots open! PM me if interested. Would love to have you join
us!
... even if you are not green! 
-
Chip - Mod/Admin
- Posts: 21012
- Joined: Apr 22nd, '
- Location: Back in the TeaCave atop Mt. Fuji
Re: OTTI 2010 Round 4 Shincha Encore!
by Marco » Jul 5th, '10, 15:03
And I thought about people sleeping at your doorstep to be first when you announce OTTI #4. Still open spots? straaaaaaaaaaaaaange 
Does your PM work correctly Chip?
I can't wait for the start!
Does your PM work correctly Chip?
I can't wait for the start!
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Marco - Posts: 328
- Joined: Jun 11th, '
- Location: Austria
Re: OTTI 2010 Round 4 Shincha Encore!
by JRS22 » Jul 5th, '10, 16:15
Still spots - do people not realize how much fun this is?
I'm a little concerned - I was considering buying an IPAD so I could read other people's brewing ideas in my kitchen. I decided instead to carry my notes back and forth (up and down actually - my pc is on the second floor) so I can spend the money on more tea.
I'm a little concerned - I was considering buying an IPAD so I could read other people's brewing ideas in my kitchen. I decided instead to carry my notes back and forth (up and down actually - my pc is on the second floor) so I can spend the money on more tea.
- JRS22
- Posts: 875
- Joined: Nov 7th, '0
Re: OTTI 2010 Round 4 Shincha Encore!
by Chip » Jul 5th, '10, 16:24
Yes, I am still seeing spots! Hopefully shincha will cure this condition! 
And yes JRS22, we must sacrifice for the leaf we love!
Still room kiddies for a few more players!
And yes JRS22, we must sacrifice for the leaf we love!
Still room kiddies for a few more players!
-
Chip - Mod/Admin
- Posts: 21012
- Joined: Apr 22nd, '
- Location: Back in the TeaCave atop Mt. Fuji
Re: OTTI 2010 Round 4 Shincha Encore!
by bsteele » Jul 5th, '10, 16:25
Come on kids, join the fun!
Free iPad with every spot this round?! Yeaaaahhhh!
Free iPad with every spot this round?! Yeaaaahhhh!
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bsteele - Posts: 545
- Joined: Dec 26th, '
Re: OTTI 2010 Round 4 Shincha Encore!
by JBaymore » Jul 5th, '10, 21:31
I'm in. Chip...see your PMs.
best,
..............john
best,
..............john
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JBaymore - Posts: 1425
- Joined: Sep 15th, '
- Location: Wilton, New Hampshire USA
Re: OTTI 2010 Round 4 Shincha Encore!
by Seeker » Jul 5th, '10, 22:45
When do we get 'em?
(pant, pant)
(pant, pant)
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Seeker - Posts: 1645
- Joined: May 22nd, '
- Location: Northern California
Re: OTTI 2010 Round 4 Shincha Encore!
by Chip » Jul 5th, '10, 22:49
Welcome to the newer participants!
Although there is still room, I am hoping to pack up this week. Thursday perhaps.
Although there is still room, I am hoping to pack up this week. Thursday perhaps.
-
Chip - Mod/Admin
- Posts: 21012
- Joined: Apr 22nd, '
- Location: Back in the TeaCave atop Mt. Fuji
Re: OTTI 2010 Round 4 Shincha Encore!
by Chip » Jul 8th, '10, 01:34
Yeah, you know the routine?
I will be closing this in a day or two. So if you want to join us, please let me know asap!
I postponed the packing and shipping of this OTTI for a few days due to the extreme heat here.
I will be closing this in a day or two. So if you want to join us, please let me know asap!
I postponed the packing and shipping of this OTTI for a few days due to the extreme heat here.
-
Chip - Mod/Admin
- Posts: 21012
- Joined: Apr 22nd, '
- Location: Back in the TeaCave atop Mt. Fuji
