O-Cha.com tea

[RussianSoul]

With pleasure Russian Soul. Guricha is just another name for it.

Guricha

Ahhh, thanks! Tamaryokucha. I thought so, but wasn't sure.

I am preparing an O-Cha order and have 3 items on it so far. Do you think I should add Guricha? Just to save on shipping... Or it would be too much tea? I only do one green tea a day so far.

How much is their shipping?

[Pentox]

North American & Europe Orders: $2.45 per order + $2.00 per item.

[Chip]

Their shipping is reasonable in my mind. My orders are usually around 6-7 bucks for shipping. If you start checkout, you can see your actual shipping charge.

I am going to try the Guricha, working on my order as well. I have only tried one other which I enjoyed. Kevin, the owner, only sourced it because there was such demand for him to bring one in. He graciously complied.

What are you going to try???

[RussianSoul]

Thanks, Pentox!

[Chip]

If you'd like to try some of Lupicia's Guri i'd be more than happy to send you some. Like i've said before, I'm really not a fan of Guri from what i've had of it.

I'd love to hear about your opinions on their senchas, as their pricing is a bit steep for simply sampling. While I don't doubt that the product is probably worth the price, it's not a company I can simply sample from. A lot of those at 100g packs and 20ish dollars a pop are of a leap of faith than a simple test.

Pentox, if you would like to exchange addresses, I would be happy to swap with you or simply send you a sample. PM me!

It would not be too much of a leaf of faith to try one or 2 of their sencha. There are plenty of TeaChatters who will vouch for their teas.

[RussianSoul]

What are you going to try???

I am thinking Sencha Miyabi and Yutaka Midori. I am probably going to get the Green Tea Gift Set with the two of them, love the canisters. In addition to that - Matcha Kaoru.

After I got my thermometer and managed to make my Sencha correctly, I am enjoying my Den's samples very much. And so began to think beyond samples.

I also want to try Gyokuro, but don't know which. Any suggestions?

[scruffmcgruff]

A lot of those at 100g packs and 20ish dollars a pop are of a leap of faith than a simple test.

Agreed. I really wish he would sell sample sizes... but unfortunately he has proven to be fairly obstinate about it. I know all his teas are going to be great quality, but it would still be nice to know what I'm in for before I buy 100g!

[Pentox]

A lot of those at 100g packs and 20ish dollars a pop are of a leap of faith than a simple test.

Agreed. I really wish he would sell sample sizes... but unfortunately he has proven to be fairly obstinate about it. I know all his teas are going to be great quality, but it would still be nice to know what I'm in for before I buy 100g!

Yup, and the other reason is that I don't doubt that the tea is wonderful, I just don't necessarily want to be 100g committed to a tea for too long, especially if i ordered a few packs of them. Recently i've really been interested in trying out different things from different vendors so smaller is better.

[Michael_C]

Bear in mind that normal Japanese style green tea drinking is done from just one batch, every day, so 100g is not too big for them - there is not so much 'sampling' done in smaller quantities - I spent an entire day trying to find 50g tea containers in both Osaka and Nara, and couldn't come up with any!

Probably, then, the 100g portions are a good sign, then, since those tend to be the authentic smallest portion sold at markets. 100-120g, to be more specific.

Japanese households tend to have one tea container in the kitchen with the daily green. That way it doesn't go bad from age (everyone there knows after six weeks it isn't so good anymore). If you look at it like that, 100g is fine. We've all got plenty of time left, I hope. Settle into your tea - there's always another one over the horizon.

[Salsero]

I'd love to hear about your opinions on their senchas, as their pricing is a bit steep for simply sampling.

I agree about O-Cha's prices. Considering the quality, I find the price/value equation very acceptable, but like you say, I wouldn't want to just start buying their stuff blind at $20 a pop! I would probably never have gotten any of their teas were it not for the recommendations of Chip, Space, and others here a few months back. I really wish Kevin would start offering little samplers.

On my O-Cha shopping list--based on gossip and innuendo-- I have inscribed:

• “Top 3”
  Fukamushi Supreme
  Miyabi
  Hatsumi
  
  “Second Stringers”
  Kabusecha
  Fukamushi

As you might guess, next time I order from them, it will be Fuka Supreme.

As long as we are talking about everything EXCEPT O-Cha (sorry Chip), I am having a Den's $19 kyusu sent to my brother's house prior to a visit I will be making next month, rather than drag my own pot up there and risk breaking it. I thought I should throw in a tea. The question is, "What's a good Den's sencha for me to brew for my bro who is pretty much a nOOb to sencha." Should I just take whatever at that time will be left of my Premium Fuka Maki or is there something else (maybe cheaper) that might be a better intro for him and his guy friend? The friend drinks mostly bag tea because he feels it is healthy, but my bro is very open to new tastes and has enjoyed tasting and talking about sheng, yancha, and Dong Ding. He is also a tad disappointed that I am not taking my matcha kit along, but happy that I am bring yixing and puerh.

[olivierco]

I also want to try Gyokuro, but don't know which. Any suggestions?

You can try this one Uji Gyokuro Kame-Giru-Shi
50gr package. I brew it 10gr 80-100 ml 55°C 90s for first infusion, quite no waiting time for the subsequent four infusions.

[olivierco]

Did anybody get their Guricha yet? I am getting ready to order.

Nothing in my mailbox this morning.

[RussianSoul]

You can try this one Uji Gyokuro Kame-Giru-Shi
50gr package. I brew it 10gr 80-100 ml 55°C 90s for first infusion, quite no waiting time for the subsequent four infusions.

Thanks, olivierco. Gyokuro Kame-Giru-Shi looks good from the description too. I added it to my second order list. It will likely be two Senchas and one Matcha for the first order. More than that seems like too much tea.

When you say 10gr, how many teaspoons is that? I don't have scales... Do I need scales? I don't mind buying small digital scales, there is another area of my life where I can use them. Any recommendations for good scales for the money?

[olivierco]

How many teaspoons for 10gr, I don't know. Gyokuro is not very easy to measure with a teaspoon imo.

Since this gyokuro is sold in a 50gr package, you can easily divide it in 5 equal parts to get an idea of how many teaspoons are needed for 10gr.
Some will advice to 1gr/oz brewing 2- 2'30min for first infusion and 30sec for subsequent ones. It's good also, but I prefer to drink gyokuro more concentrated. You will have to experiment by yourself.

I bought a cheap scale on ebay france this one

[RussianSoul]

Thanks again, olivierco! Very useful information, especially for a newbie.