What Shincha Should I Order from Den's?

[TimeforTea]

I'd like to place an order from Den's but am still too new to tea to decide what to get. Any suggestions as to how to decide?

[chamekke]

I'm still awaiting my first order from Den's, so I can't recommend specific teas from personal experience yet. BUT...

If you're placing your first order, do get the "Green Tea Kit" (sampler):
http://www.denstea.com/index.php?main_p ... th=174_173

It's only available to first-time customers - and it's a real deal!

[olivierco]

I'd like to place an order from Den's but am still too new to tea to decide what to get. Any suggestions as to how to decide?

If you want specifically a shincha, I guess the Kunpu (light steamed) is a good start. Light steamed sencha or shincha are easier to brew.
But I haven't tasted it.

[Pentox]

I ordered all 3!

[bambooforest]

The Kunpu is *very* mild -- and demands a lot of leaf to get a nice tasting cup. I actually find that Fukamushi-cha is easier to brew.

I only had two sessions of the kunpu - but it seems pretty darn good.

[Chip]

I have never been disappointed by their mid to high range sencha and fukamushi. Their guricha is quite good as well.

They are a good vendor, but since all their teas are from Shizuoka I need to go beyond them for variety.

They do not nitro flush which is a slight down side for me. Smaller bags are a plus.

My current trio of Japanese based vendors are O-Cha, Hibiki, and Den's. They are all very good.

[bambooforest]

I think it's particularly wonderful that Den's sells in 56 gram bags. It's a nice change of pace. And, even though they don't nitro flush, there is an oxygen absorber in the bag which is suppose to be very effective.

If I have a bag of Den's in the fridge unopened, I think it would stay fresh for a long time to come.

[olivierco]

The Kunpu is *very* mild -- and demands a lot of leaf to get a nice tasting cup. I actually find that Fukamushi-cha is easier to brew.

That is precisely the reason why I find light steamed sencha easier to brew: quantity of leaves isn't critical (as long as you use enough of them and I sure use much (too much?) leaves) and as long as you watch temperature, you won't get any bitterness.

Perhaps my opinion comes from my sencha debuts when I struggled a little to obtain good results with deep steamed sencha.

[Chip]

The Kunpu is *very* mild -- and demands a lot of leaf to get a nice tasting cup. I actually find that Fukamushi-cha is easier to brew.

That is precisely the reason why I find light steamed sencha easier to brew: quantity of leaves isn't critical (as long as you use enough of them and I sure use much (too much?) leaves) and as long as you watch temperature, you won't get any bitterness.

Perhaps my opinion comes from my sencha debuts when I struggled a little to obtain good results with deep steamed sencha.

I tend to follow Olivier's thinking...asamushicha is easier for me to brew often times since I can use varying amounts of leaf and get a nice session out of it.

Fukamushicha can be less forgiving, but when it is good, it is sooo good.

[bambooforest]

Both Olivierco and Chip make a valid point. Indeed, if you use too much fuka it can make a sub par pot of tea. I think too much light steamed can too, but not to the same extent.

[TimeforTea]

Thanks for all the tips!

[greenisgood]

I agree with bambooforest on the freshness of Den's, I've had a few bags of Maki in the fridge for a while now and recently got one out after a few months and it was still very fresh tasting. I haven't had the O-Cha Supreme but Maki is darn good fuka.