OTTI 13 O-Cha Shincha

[minor_glitch]

Re: OTTI 13 O-Cha Shincha

by minor_glitch » Jun 18th, '12, 08:16

Tried the Sae Midori last night. Love the sweet smell of the dry leaves.
I'm a bit sleepy, so for now I'll just post photos. I'll save my reviews for the end once I've tried all the teas.




First steep, 70ish deg, 50 seconds.







Second steep, 70deg, barely 5 seconds. VERY green!




Leaves after 3rd steep.


The last remnants of flavour after the 4th steep.

I'm starting to think I should invest in a second kyusu for fukamushi!

[tortoise]

Re: OTTI 13 O-Cha Shincha

by tortoise » Jun 18th, '12, 09:34

Thanks for the photos. I think fukamushi definitely works better with a metal screen, but also larger kyusu-s, where the spout is higher from the pile of leaves in the bottom. I have two pots, both with clay filters, neither would be considered a fukamushi pot. My taller one lets far less leaf detritus through to the cup if I pour very slowly. My little Masaki is shaped similarly to the one in your photos and it tends to dump the garden greens all over the place. For this reason, I only use it for asamushi. The key, though, is a really slow pour. That will cut down on it in all cases, though perhaps not as much as you would like without a filter with a tighter weave.

[Peacock]

Re: OTTI 13 O-Cha Shincha

by Peacock » Jun 18th, '12, 13:11

Whenever I get a bunch of leaf particles at the bottom of my cup I find some subtleties of the tea sometimes can be lost, but thats nothing an obiami filter can't fix.

[AdamMY]

Re: OTTI 13 O-Cha Shincha

by AdamMY » Jun 18th, '12, 13:19

Mini Sencha Setup by Adam Yusko, on Flickr
Changed up the mat under my tea set up today. Love the towels from Mago for that.

The leaf in the warm kyusu smells incredible. Having one of Chips "Sit down moments" good thing I was already sitting.

A very rich aroma, lots of green vegetables and grains, perhaps a slight hint of a fried egg. The taste is also very satisfying a good bit of umami, probably more umami than anything else.


2012 OCha YM Shincha by Adam Yusko, on Flickr
Second infusion almost as good, a little less umami, but a little bit more gentle.

Third infusion matches more with the second, vegetables, and grains, still a subtle hint of umami. But a solid three infusions so far. I'll keep drinking but end my notes here.

oh yeah a score: this gets a big ole 5.

[aeflo]

Re: OTTI 13 O-Cha Shincha

by aeflo » Jun 19th, '12, 17:49

received my package today.

Started with Kirameki today, had a really lovely session.

i brewed 3.33 g with 85 ml of water in a not preheated shiboridashi:
1st steep 75° for 90s
2nd steep 78° for 30s
3rd steep 80° for 90s

had two more steeps with higher temperatures and lover steep-times that were still really tasteful.

really loved this one, compared to the Aoi the taste of the Kirameki was mellower but somehow richer and wider, but all in all as good in my opinion.

rating: 4.75 - 5

[JohnnyChai]

Re: OTTI 13 O-Cha Shincha

by JohnnyChai » Jun 19th, '12, 19:51

Tea arrived to Lake Tahoe, California...! Thanks again Chip for all your efforts...

The Saemidori is quite an interesting brew...and YM certainly lasts for four , lovely tea this season.

[MIKE_B]

Re: OTTI 13 O-Cha Shincha

by MIKE_B » Jun 20th, '12, 17:51

Yesterday I brewed up the Sae Midori.
This was "the greenest tea I ever saw."
The second and third infusion looked like a matcha minus the froth. I thought for sure it would be overly bitter and strong, but not true. All three steeps of this tea were light and sweet.
It was pleasant enough and I enjoyed it, but wasn't the most interesting tea of the bunch.

rating...4

[Poohblah]

Re: OTTI 13 O-Cha Shincha

by Poohblah » Jun 20th, '12, 19:16

I'm slightly colorblind (a little red-green, the most common form of colorblindness) and I always get so jealous when I hear people say "X is the greenest tea I've ever seen!" Most sencha leaves and brew look equally green to me... I guess that's one aspect of tea I'll never be able to appreciate

I finished the first round of tasting. YM was my favorite. I'm surprised nobody has mentioned the peachy smell of the cold dry leaves and the dan-cong-esque sweet aftertaste on the front of the tongue. Maybe I'm hallucinating these flavors, though. It wouldn't be the first time Now I'm going to go back and try again. I think the first time around I used too much water and too cool temperatures. The fukas tasted nice, but I had trouble appreciating the lighter steamed teas; I wonder if this was a factor. Currently drinking some of my older, cheaper sencha to reset, then it's on to round two

On a side note, five grams of sencha gives me quite the caffeine buzz. I still feel a kick even when I use less leaf, as I usually do for sencha!

[David R.]

Re: OTTI 13 O-Cha Shincha

by David R. » Jun 21st, '12, 06:19

I finished my 20g of Sae Midori (4 x 5g). It is indeed the greenest tea I have seen so far. In the beginning, I think I used water which was not warm enough (65°C). I was way happier with 80°C from the start.

Nonetheless, for me this tea lacks length and aftertaste. It is very smooth and has a lot of qualities, but not the ones I am looking for.

3.5

[limbo]

Re: OTTI 13 O-Cha Shincha

by limbo » Jun 21st, '12, 20:44

Checked my mailbox and was ecstatic to see an envelope from Chip. Thanks for the Looney Tunes stamps

First up is the Sae Midori. When I opened it up, the leaves smelled like the skin of fresh ripe summer peaches. They smelt more like roasted sweet potatoes when it hit the preheated kyusu.

Had the same problem with sediment at the bottom using a smaller kyusu, but I don't mind it since it offers a different profile when you reach the bottom of the cup.

Umami, but very crisp and clean, so much so that you don't really get that aftertaste of green after consuming.

On my fourth infusion now, and it's not getting weaker per say, but the flavour is getting brighter, and I'm getting notes of peach. 80C and short brew times of 30s, 3s 5, 10s so far.

4/5 since I do like a rich umami that leaves an impression

[MIKE_B]

Re: OTTI 13 O-Cha Shincha

by MIKE_B » Jun 22nd, '12, 21:53

Just realized I forgot to post my review of the Yutaka Midori. I also neglected to take notes. I was too busy enjoying this tea.
Strong umami, great aroma, long lasting aftertaste. It felt thick, yet very clean. This sample had everything going for it. I will definitely be putting in an order for YM soon.

rating...5

[Drax]

Re: OTTI 13 O-Cha Shincha

by Drax » Jun 23rd, '12, 21:33

Had a chance to try the Miyabi tonight. It was a wonderful experience from the first moment of opening the package and smelling the potent leaves... wow, what a rush! I really enjoyed this one.

Only two left to try, then the repeats begin. Good stuff so far...!

[MIKE_B]

Re: OTTI 13 O-Cha Shincha

by MIKE_B » Jun 23rd, '12, 22:24

Miyabi was the last sample I tried. Had a great session with it today. Plenty of umami, thick, no bitterness or astringency. Great aroma and aftertaste. Delicious! Another winner from O-cha.

rating...5

[minor_glitch]

Re: OTTI 13 O-Cha Shincha

by minor_glitch » Jun 24th, '12, 06:50

Ok, I've now tried all the teas. I'll post the last of the photos sometime this week.
After round 1, I can't decide on a favourite!
Here are some quick thoughts though:

Sae Midori - Crazy green, smelled sweet and grassy in kyusu, taste was nice, but not as memorable as YM.
Chiran - fairly average on all counts. Smelled ok, tasted ok. If the leaves were any finer I'd be tempted to break out my chasen!(kidding)
YM - Best tasting of the fukas, but I wouldn't say I'm as in love with it as other people are.
Kirameki - Surprised me. I'd swear the leaves gave off some kind of oils that made the liquid smoother than the other teas. Everything about this tea was really refined and smooth. Smell is sweet but not mind-blowing.
Miyabi - Smelled fantastic, probably the best of the bunch, very rich and sweet. Taste was relatively mild and a bit forgettable. Maybe I didn't use enough leaf.
Aoi - Bland smell, wasn't expecting much. Surprisingly bold taste, I really enjoyed it. Could have sworn I tasted a hint of sesame on the second steep, (but it was 3am when I drank it so I could have been dreaming!) It can handle a really long 4th steep with no bitterness at all.

So far, I'd take A,K,S,or YM any day, and wouldn't complain if I only had M or C! I won't be taking pictures for the second round, so I can focus more on the taste.
Sadly, I STILL have no idea what umami is supposed to taste like! I keep imagining the Friends episode where Ross talks about unagi and I end up craving bbq eel! (my mind is odd like that)

[AdamMY]

Re: OTTI 13 O-Cha Shincha

by AdamMY » Jun 24th, '12, 13:41

Miyabi is next up. Tried some of this during the Kzoo tea met up with FlyedPiper, time to try it with myself at the wheel so to speak. I am going to aim for a hybrid of FlyedPipers brewing ( hot and quick) and my own personal style (Cool and long).

Turned out quite nice. A bit more potent and strength to it than I usually brew Sencha/ shincha, but not quite the garden puree that Seth made ( even he acknowledged he made it a little strong).

First infusion is nice and sweet, with a vegetable base. Almost like a Salad with a slightly wonderisweet salad dressing. Second infusion has a lot more spinach and broccoli, but still good.

I am torn between giving this a 4 or a 5... It was very good, but seemed to lack a little bit of a wow factor.