OTTI 2010 Round 4 Shincha Encore!
Re: OTTI 2010 Round 4 Shincha Encore!
by puerhking » Jul 26th, '10, 12:35
Rishi Kagoshima Shincha Sae
This is pretty good stuff. Im not sure which is best between the Takumi and this. But by the time you bought two of these for $21ea plus shipping to get the 100g of the Takumi for $31...I think that says it all. Not to mention the O-Cha YM Kaoru Supreme!
This is pretty good stuff. Im not sure which is best between the Takumi and this. But by the time you bought two of these for $21ea plus shipping to get the 100g of the Takumi for $31...I think that says it all. Not to mention the O-Cha YM Kaoru Supreme!
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Re: OTTI 2010 Round 4 Shincha Encore!
by Chip » Jul 26th, '10, 22:05
great reviews and posts! I still have not said much about my experiences with these ... 
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Re: OTTI 2010 Round 4 Shincha Encore!
by putibungsu » Jul 27th, '10, 01:16
And I am still waiting for mine 
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Re: OTTI 2010 Round 4 Shincha Encore!
by nickE » Jul 27th, '10, 01:46
I'm a little late to the party, but here goes!
Supreme Shizuoka First Flush Kukicha
My previous experiences with Kukicha have been kind of "meh," but this certainly changed my perspective!
The aroma is grassy, rich in veggies [broccoli] and some nuttiness. The brew came out a vibrant yellow.
The taste had a nice umami punch with a mellow finish. Some marine in the aftertaste. Light, but still rich. No bitterness as expected. Lots of veggies.
Very calming. I felt myself relax and become almost drowsy while drinking this.
Three solid infusions. This was an awesome tea for the price ($9/50g). I'd think it would pair nicely with food, maybe sushi/sashimi?
I'm also glad I only used half my sample.
Supreme Shizuoka First Flush Kukicha
My previous experiences with Kukicha have been kind of "meh," but this certainly changed my perspective!
The aroma is grassy, rich in veggies [broccoli] and some nuttiness. The brew came out a vibrant yellow.
The taste had a nice umami punch with a mellow finish. Some marine in the aftertaste. Light, but still rich. No bitterness as expected. Lots of veggies.
Very calming. I felt myself relax and become almost drowsy while drinking this.
Three solid infusions. This was an awesome tea for the price ($9/50g). I'd think it would pair nicely with food, maybe sushi/sashimi?
I'm also glad I only used half my sample.
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Re: OTTI 2010 Round 4 Shincha Encore!
by Chip » Jul 27th, '10, 01:51
putibungsu wrote:And I am still waiting for mine
Oh oh ... yours went out on the 16th with all the others.
I recently had a priority package take a little over 2 weeks to arrive here. So there is still hope. Maybe Tuesday is the day!!!
nickE, I really like kukicha, glad you do too!
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Re: OTTI 2010 Round 4 Shincha Encore!
by puerhking » Jul 27th, '10, 12:42
Rishi Nishi first flush organic
This turned out to be pretty good. Lots of grass on first brew with umami and some nice vegetal sweetness. Nice amount of complexity for an organic. I liked it better the the Yuuki Cha Sayamakaori. I would buy this one.
This turned out to be pretty good. Lots of grass on first brew with umami and some nice vegetal sweetness. Nice amount of complexity for an organic. I liked it better the the Yuuki Cha Sayamakaori. I would buy this one.
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Re: OTTI 2010 Round 4 Shincha Encore!
by Seeker » Jul 27th, '10, 13:16
Had the kukicha yesterday. Very nice. Solid, rich aromas of buttered veggies, and then very light on the palate (which I find typical of kuks, and sometimes disappointing after such nice, rich aroma).
More flavor came thru on the 2nd infusion, and the tea held out for about six infusions. Impressive. I liked this better than the Den's I tried last year, which has sat since then - I was just so underwhelmed by it. Maybe I'll have another go with the Dens for kicks.
This morning had the nishi first flush organic.
(btw, all teas infused strictly as per Chips posted guidelines).
Really nice, solid shincha.
First thing I noticed in aroma was mineral/metal quality. Nice balance of astringency, bitter, and umami - none stand out but balance for a nice, round, full tea experience.
Tea infusion looks more like a mid or even deep steamed, as the liquor was quite green and particulate. Also, I had not even a hint of ocean, seaweed or such, but really more deep, vegetal, slightly (pleasantly) grassy richness with an overarching mineral/terroir quality.
Ahhhh, shincha.
More flavor came thru on the 2nd infusion, and the tea held out for about six infusions. Impressive. I liked this better than the Den's I tried last year, which has sat since then - I was just so underwhelmed by it. Maybe I'll have another go with the Dens for kicks.
This morning had the nishi first flush organic.
(btw, all teas infused strictly as per Chips posted guidelines).
Really nice, solid shincha.
First thing I noticed in aroma was mineral/metal quality. Nice balance of astringency, bitter, and umami - none stand out but balance for a nice, round, full tea experience.
Tea infusion looks more like a mid or even deep steamed, as the liquor was quite green and particulate. Also, I had not even a hint of ocean, seaweed or such, but really more deep, vegetal, slightly (pleasantly) grassy richness with an overarching mineral/terroir quality.
Ahhhh, shincha.
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Re: OTTI 2010 Round 4 Shincha Encore!
by nickE » Jul 28th, '10, 02:11
Shincha Takumi
The dry leaf had a lot of powder which in turn made for a very murky cuppa. The warming leaf smelled fruity & sugary which I was not expecting.
1st infusion was pretty light in color and taste. However, a thickness of mouthfeel and deep complexity made it wonderful. Very subtle, fruity notes ending with umami & marine together on my tongue.
The next infusion really got interesting. Pretty dark color and lots of ku wei. This, to me, is "pleasant bitterness" as it was pretty strong but not annoying. The fruit from the first has faded and in its place is a nice mentholated feeling. The soup is quite gloopy and thick now. This infusion was perfection to my palate.
The 3rd infusion finally contained some vegetal notes as well as the fruitiness from the 1st. It really reminded me of the sweetness from an apple. Also, the marine is back, tastes like seaweed.
This tea gave me 2 more decent infusions that were still very nice. The Cha qi was also present and energizing, I felt refreshed afterward. This is definitely one of the better Shinchas I've had and I'm glad I got to try it.
The dry leaf had a lot of powder which in turn made for a very murky cuppa. The warming leaf smelled fruity & sugary which I was not expecting.
1st infusion was pretty light in color and taste. However, a thickness of mouthfeel and deep complexity made it wonderful. Very subtle, fruity notes ending with umami & marine together on my tongue.
The next infusion really got interesting. Pretty dark color and lots of ku wei. This, to me, is "pleasant bitterness" as it was pretty strong but not annoying. The fruit from the first has faded and in its place is a nice mentholated feeling. The soup is quite gloopy and thick now. This infusion was perfection to my palate.
The 3rd infusion finally contained some vegetal notes as well as the fruitiness from the 1st. It really reminded me of the sweetness from an apple. Also, the marine is back, tastes like seaweed.
This tea gave me 2 more decent infusions that were still very nice. The Cha qi was also present and energizing, I felt refreshed afterward. This is definitely one of the better Shinchas I've had and I'm glad I got to try it.
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Re: OTTI 2010 Round 4 Shincha Encore!
by Chip » Jul 30th, '10, 22:11
Geekgirl wrote:I can haz tea?
Didn't you get yours? They were all sent 2 weeks ago.
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Re: OTTI 2010 Round 4 Shincha Encore!
by Geekgirl » Jul 30th, '10, 22:12
I blame my mail delivery person. We just got a new one though, and he seems very competent. Perhaps things will turn up, although 2 weeks sounds like it won't. Ah well, these things happen.
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Re: OTTI 2010 Round 4 Shincha Encore!
by Chip » Jul 30th, '10, 22:18
Well, please let me know! Thanks ...
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Re: OTTI 2010 Round 4 Shincha Encore!
by nickE » Jul 31st, '10, 02:53
Geekgirl wrote:I can haz tea?
That sucks!
Hope it arrives soon..Rishi's Nishi Organic
Definitely has the whole "asamushi profile." Light, mellow, clear yellow soup. The whole session (3 solid infusions, 2 more sweeteawater) was dominated by buttery vegetables. I got spinach, but who knows? Very smooth, light nuances made it interesting. Lingered a long time on the palate. 2nd steep had a slight bitterness that added some complexity. Ended with lime acidity and faded into smoothness.
A nice tea, but I guess I prefer deeper steamed Sencha.
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Re: OTTI 2010 Round 4 Shincha Encore!
by Marco » Jul 31st, '10, 06:57
Rishis Kagoshima Shincha Sae Midori for me today.
A lot of small and broken leaves - nice in the nose though.
1:1 ~160°F 60"
Mellow, soft and nice. Some fruit I can't identify. Really good balance.
Four good infusions, then it gets weaker. But a fifth is okay.
It has been the last one of my OTTI-teas.
So it is time for a little ranking.
Kagoshima Shincha Sae Midori
Shincha Takumi
Nishi First Flush Sencha, Organic Japanese Green Tea
Shincha Moe
Supreme Shizuoka First Flush Kukicha
But I think all of them are good and worth a try
Thanks a lot Chip for this experience.
A lot of small and broken leaves - nice in the nose though.
1:1 ~160°F 60"
Mellow, soft and nice. Some fruit I can't identify. Really good balance.
Four good infusions, then it gets weaker. But a fifth is okay.
It has been the last one of my OTTI-teas.
So it is time for a little ranking.
Kagoshima Shincha Sae Midori
Shincha Takumi
Nishi First Flush Sencha, Organic Japanese Green Tea
Shincha Moe
Supreme Shizuoka First Flush Kukicha
But I think all of them are good and worth a try
Thanks a lot Chip for this experience.
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Re: OTTI 2010 Round 4 Shincha Encore!
by nickE » Aug 2nd, '10, 00:56
Rishi Sae Midori
The warming leaf smells sweet and mouthwatering. Not many needles, mostly particulate.
The first steep has a heavy sweetness that turns into a massive amount of umami. I think I am actually salivating while the tea is in my mouth. This steep is not very complex, however. The second steep was a very dark & swampy green, quite cloudy. Some bitterness here and a very buttery mouthfeel. More complex, but less umami. The third was an echo of the second steep.
I got two more infusions that were decent. This tea might have been the most umami-packed I've ever had! That said, it wasn't complex enough to really capture my attention. Also, Rishi's price is $21/50g.
The warming leaf smells sweet and mouthwatering. Not many needles, mostly particulate.
The first steep has a heavy sweetness that turns into a massive amount of umami.
I think I am actually salivating while the tea is in my mouth. This steep is not very complex, however. The second steep was a very dark & swampy green, quite cloudy. Some bitterness here and a very buttery mouthfeel. More complex, but less umami. The third was an echo of the second steep.I got two more infusions that were decent. This tea might have been the most umami-packed I've ever had! That said, it wasn't complex enough to really capture my attention. Also, Rishi's price is $21/50g.
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