OTTI 2010 Round 4 Shincha Encore!
Re: OTTI 2010 Round 4 Shincha Encore!
by Chip » Jul 21st, '10, 14:40
Sae Midori is Japanese for "Soylent Green." 
Well, Midori means green anyway.
BTW, SM can be brewed even cooler, but it gets too mild for me.
Well, Midori means green anyway.BTW, SM can be brewed even cooler, but it gets too mild for me.
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Re: OTTI 2010 Round 4 Shincha Encore!
by woozl » Jul 21st, '10, 14:47
Oh noes it's people.................. 
Well I just bungled the first zencha choice
Brew this one cool folks.......I would skip the preheat too
Well I just bungled the first zencha choice
Brew this one cool folks.......I would skip the preheat too
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Re: OTTI 2010 Round 4 Shincha Encore!
by Chip » Jul 21st, '10, 17:36
woozl wrote:Oh noes it's people..................
Well I just bungled the first zencha choice
Brew this one cool folks.......I would skip the preheat too
Takumi is supposed to be brewed pretty cool. I go 150* with preheating the kyusu (as I mentioned in the brewing directions). They actually say 140*, if you want, give it a try. But then also brew longer than the 60 seconds I recommend.
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Re: OTTI 2010 Round 4 Shincha Encore!
by Marco » Jul 22nd, '10, 12:39
Whoaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa -- just jumping around excited 
You won’t believe - Pennsylvania to Austria - 4 working days.
Yes my OTTI package arrived
And I'm sure you already guess - I brewed my first Shincha.
Hey Chip all this folding reminded me of my Origami figures
Okay package number 4 was a little bit damaged - so I started with it.
Zenchas Shincha Takumi
Dry leaves smell a little veggie - wet leaves smell very fresh I think.
Tried to follow your instructions and of course needed a converter first (Fahrenheit to Celsius and ounce to ml)
1:1 (in fact 4g of tea and 120ml of water) 150°F(~65°C)
Even took out my tasting set with smelling cup for the very first impression. Nice smell and it has a touch of Gyokuro - is it because of the Gokou leaves?
The second infusion was very intense and had really a taste of vegetables.
The fourth is very decent - will try a fifth but I think four are enough.
I don't know how to rate - it is to new to me. But I liked this one.
Yea I have fun
Thanks Chip
bye
Marco
You won’t believe - Pennsylvania to Austria - 4 working days.
Yes my OTTI package arrived
And I'm sure you already guess - I brewed my first Shincha.
Hey Chip all this folding reminded me of my Origami figures
Okay package number 4 was a little bit damaged - so I started with it.
Zenchas Shincha Takumi
Dry leaves smell a little veggie - wet leaves smell very fresh I think.
Tried to follow your instructions and of course needed a converter first (Fahrenheit to Celsius and ounce to ml)
1:1 (in fact 4g of tea and 120ml of water) 150°F(~65°C)
Even took out my tasting set with smelling cup for the very first impression. Nice smell and it has a touch of Gyokuro - is it because of the Gokou leaves?
The second infusion was very intense and had really a taste of vegetables.
The fourth is very decent - will try a fifth but I think four are enough.
I don't know how to rate - it is to new to me. But I liked this one.
Yea I have fun
Thanks Chip
bye
Marco
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Re: OTTI 2010 Round 4 Shincha Encore!
by Proinsias » Jul 22nd, '10, 13:34
Nishi from Rishi today.
Sweet, light, floral. Subtle but lingering. Still never really been captivated by an organic Japanese green.
Drank it from my chawan, first time for non-matcha use! Felt like I should have had Bowie's Rebel, Rebel playing
I thought this might be a Japanese green my wife would like - she generally hates them but can drink some Chinese green. Very lightly steamed and gently brewed with my new high tech thermometer and timer set up, it's horrible apparently. Returned to the kitchen to make her a white tea and pomegranate teabag. Oh well, all the more tea for me.
Sweet, light, floral. Subtle but lingering. Still never really been captivated by an organic Japanese green.
Drank it from my chawan, first time for non-matcha use! Felt like I should have had Bowie's Rebel, Rebel playing
I thought this might be a Japanese green my wife would like - she generally hates them but can drink some Chinese green. Very lightly steamed and gently brewed with my new high tech thermometer and timer set up, it's horrible apparently. Returned to the kitchen to make her a white tea and pomegranate teabag. Oh well, all the more tea for me.
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Re: OTTI 2010 Round 4 Shincha Encore!
by Seeker » Jul 22nd, '10, 15:05
Takumi today (après matcha in shadows).
~1:1, ~148*, 60+sec.
Yum!
Consistent and persisting sweet stone fruit aromas (love this! Held through three infusions).
Nicely rounded mouth feel, leans toward the astringent side of things, but in a balanced way. Just the teeniest hint of bitterness, but I had to really search for it, and it definitely lends to the overall balance.
Umami quite evident and lovely and very balanced.
Richness of vegetal flavors begins to fade on third infusion and continues to do so in the fourth, but umami and v flavors do nonetheless persist.
Fourth infusion, the subtlest hints of spice emerge aroma-wise, replacing the sweet fruitiness. Astringency becomes slightly more pronounced.
"A" (I'd have gone to +, but today, I thought butteriness was needed for that nudge north of an A).
Think I'll order some of this fine leaf.
~1:1, ~148*, 60+sec.
Yum!
Consistent and persisting sweet stone fruit aromas (love this! Held through three infusions).
Nicely rounded mouth feel, leans toward the astringent side of things, but in a balanced way. Just the teeniest hint of bitterness, but I had to really search for it, and it definitely lends to the overall balance.
Umami quite evident and lovely and very balanced.
Richness of vegetal flavors begins to fade on third infusion and continues to do so in the fourth, but umami and v flavors do nonetheless persist.
Fourth infusion, the subtlest hints of spice emerge aroma-wise, replacing the sweet fruitiness. Astringency becomes slightly more pronounced.
"A" (I'd have gone to +, but today, I thought butteriness was needed for that nudge north of an A).
Think I'll order some of this fine leaf.
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Re: OTTI 2010 Round 4 Shincha Encore!
by Chip » Jul 22nd, '10, 15:30
My post went poof. That is black magic! 
OK, Marco, glad you got it so fast! Yes, theTakumi does exhibit a little gyokuro character, most likely due to the use of Gokoh (sp) leaf. Good stuff.
I hear you about the conversions. The there is this ratio that uses grams:ounces ... drives my AR side crazy.
But the ratio is a very easy # so I manage to overlook this.
Proinsias, I liked the Nishi Organic, pretty good. Glad you liked it, sorry your DW did not ... or am I ???
Great Seeker. The Takumi does not give much of a bitter kick, especially at these low temps. It can be brewed hotter for more intensity ... or cooler for even less intensity.
Thanks for posting, 3 amigos! Enjoy!
OK, Marco, glad you got it so fast! Yes, theTakumi does exhibit a little gyokuro character, most likely due to the use of Gokoh (sp) leaf. Good stuff.
I hear you about the conversions. The there is this ratio that uses grams:ounces ... drives my AR side crazy.
But the ratio is a very easy # so I manage to overlook this. Proinsias, I liked the Nishi Organic, pretty good. Glad you liked it, sorry your DW did not ... or am I ???
Great Seeker. The Takumi does not give much of a bitter kick, especially at these low temps. It can be brewed hotter for more intensity ... or cooler for even less intensity.
Thanks for posting, 3 amigos!
Enjoy!-
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Re: OTTI 2010 Round 4 Shincha Encore!
by putibungsu » Jul 22nd, '10, 23:50
Marco wrote:.......... to Austria - 4 working days.
Yes my OTTI package arrived
Chip, did you really use black magic to ship to Austria
mine hasn't arrived yet 
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Re: OTTI 2010 Round 4 Shincha Encore!
by Chip » Jul 23rd, '10, 00:04
putibungsu wrote:Marco wrote:.......... to Austria - 4 working days.
Yes my OTTI package arrived
Chip, did you really use black magic to ship to Austria
No, that was GREEN magic!
My TC post disappearing was black magic.
Really, that is surprising that you did not get it yet. Yours went out with all the others, so it is about a week now.
Keep me posted. Thanks.
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Re: OTTI 2010 Round 4 Shincha Encore!
by putibungsu » Jul 23rd, '10, 00:24
Oops sorry I read your post too fast and misunderstood 
Hope it will get here tomorrow. If not, I will let you know
Hope it will get here tomorrow. If not, I will let you know
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Re: OTTI 2010 Round 4 Shincha Encore!
by Marco » Jul 23rd, '10, 09:06
Okay so go on with tasting
Rishis Supreme Shizuoka First Flush Kukicha today - and it is nearly to hot for tea.
Nice leaves - less broken and dust than the one I had last time. Dry leaves and wet leaves both have a nice odour.
I did it 1:1 again and with a little lower temperature than you recommended. 160°F for the first infusion with 60 seconds.
Smell of the tea - just an idea in the nose - nearly nothing.
It has a very smooth and soft taste in the mouth but very very decent. The finish is great - I think that is what you call umami
It is just in the first two infusions I think - then it is getting too decent.
The tea is too soft for my taste. But it is good.
Will try a little hotter first brew with the second half
Rishis Supreme Shizuoka First Flush Kukicha today - and it is nearly to hot for tea.
Nice leaves - less broken and dust than the one I had last time. Dry leaves and wet leaves both have a nice odour.
I did it 1:1 again and with a little lower temperature than you recommended. 160°F for the first infusion with 60 seconds.
Smell of the tea - just an idea in the nose - nearly nothing.
It has a very smooth and soft taste in the mouth but very very decent. The finish is great - I think that is what you call umami
It is just in the first two infusions I think - then it is getting too decent.
The tea is too soft for my taste. But it is good.
Will try a little hotter first brew with the second half
Last edited by Marco on Jul 23rd, '10, 11:17, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: OTTI 2010 Round 4 Shincha Encore!
by Marco » Jul 23rd, '10, 11:51
Couldn't wait and have been in the mood for Zenchas Shincha Moe.
A lot of small leaves here. Nice smell of the leaves but not this intense.
1:1 165°F 45"
Nice in the nose - but I think I do not smell mutch today.
And there is something in the first sip - can't tell what it reminds me of. Has a very good mouthfeel but is a little weak in the aftertaste.
Sweet and soft again - very "rounded" I'd say.
Three good infusions and fourth is okay.
And I've seen this one is really a bargain. Nice price for a shincha.
A lot of small leaves here. Nice smell of the leaves but not this intense.
1:1 165°F 45"
Nice in the nose - but I think I do not smell mutch today.
And there is something in the first sip - can't tell what it reminds me of. Has a very good mouthfeel but is a little weak in the aftertaste.
Sweet and soft again - very "rounded" I'd say.
Three good infusions and fourth is okay.
And I've seen this one is really a bargain. Nice price for a shincha.
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Re: OTTI 2010 Round 4 Shincha Encore!
by Chip » Jul 23rd, '10, 14:03
Thank you Marco for your reviews. I would try the Kukicha with hotter water, but not too hot. Kukicha is never going to rival Sencha in intensity, but it is a nice change of pace Japanese green.
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Re: OTTI 2010 Round 4 Shincha Encore!
by Ambrose » Jul 23rd, '10, 14:13
Its here woot woot! reviews to follow !
woot woot! reviews to follow !-
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