Help me find the perfect tea

[silverneedles]

itoen logo on that ryokucha bag, its what we'd find at a regular asian market (aka not that great tasting, itoen is ok not necessarily bad - tho Chip is not a fan of Itoens )

4g 8.4oz(250ml) 60s should be ...ok maybe watery /i do 4g in 4-6oz @ ~60-70C x 1min (but im particular to what i like)

[TaiPing Hou Kui]

+1 for trying the ice brewing......I ice brew all the teas that I didnt like hot.......and I would say that 90% of the time I am relatively happy with them as a cold drink. I would recommend truly ice brewing (not hot brewing a strong batch and adding it to ice)..........place the leaves in a container (teapot, pitcher, etc) add as much ice as you can and add cold water to the rest.........wait til' all the ice melts, strain and enjoy. Heat is what activates the caffeine in tea and often times bitterness, so truly ice brewing will eliminate almost all bitterness with the tea.

-Nick

[Chip]

itoen logo on that ryokucha bag, its what we'd find at a regular asian market (aka not that great tasting, itoen is ok not necessarily bad - tho Chip is not a fan of Itoens )

Not so much "not a fan" as just not 100% endorcing the way they handle their teas from the store to the customer. Constantly reopening huge cold bags of delicate sencha is far from ideal.

I have no idea how they handle this particular brand, but if it is in an Asian market, it is likely low end and low grade. Again, looking at a close up of the leaves pictured on the bag, it is nothing more than green bancha.

If I am in NYC, I will stop in and sample some nice teas, and if I find something I like, I will buy an ounce or 2.

[silverneedles]

i agree, i was thinking the same thing when i went there 2 weeks ago,
the bags didnt seem that big, maybe half pound?
but anyway, they are repeatedly cycled temperature and humidity so its not good. (if that really is a fridge)

[scruffmcgruff]

Am I doing anything wrong? :\

Based on those brewing parameters, it doesn't sound like it! It might help to try a little less leaf and/or slightly lower temperature (72-75C or so), but as others have mentioned, cheap sencha can simply be bad regardless of how you brew it.

Ice brewing is interesting, but I think if you are not looking for the grassy flavor, it is a step in the wrong direction (in my limited experience anyway, I never found a taste for it).

[zeto]

uhh, I don't think anyone has suggested this, but the prudent thing to do is to go back and ask again, without accepting 'common' as an answer.

Ask for the brand, distributor, sencha or not, what do they mean by common? Just ask for specifics... When they order it, it does have a name.