Sencha cost

[coconut]

Do you think that 8$ per 4 oz for sencha indicates poor quality?

[Chip]

Do you think that 8$ per 4 oz for sencha indicates poor quality?

99.99% of the time, yes.

[olivierco]

+1

[edkrueger]

Well, Ippodo has some around there that are pretty good. They are a bit bitter and have some funk.

[olivierco]

Well, Ippodo has some around there that are pretty good. They are a bit bitter and have some funk.

If you add the shipping costs (about 350 yen per item if you order enough packages) even their lowest grade is 950 yen for 100gr which gives more than 8$ for 4oz. (11-12$ I guess)

[Chip]

$8 sounds like Asian market "Crapolla Brand" which I have had and would not want again even if it was free. Just not worth wasting a tea moment on, period.

I remember trying to find everyday drinkers costing around $10-12 per 100 grams, thing is, even at that price they are hard to find. And although they are cheaper than my typical average price of around $20-22 per 100 grams, the vast majority of these cheaper sencha are just poor value and do not resteep well.

Hmm, what value does a tea have that does not bring any enjoyment.

I good sencha will often cost less per steep and a session might last several hours ...and bring much enjoyment.

[JBaymore]

Hmm, what value does a tea have that does not bring any enjoyment.

0

[bigmonstertruck]

A cheap sencha is hard to obtain a great flavor from. It will usually have some degree of bitterness. A really good sencha is hard to goof up. It is delightful (although maybe not ideal) under a variety of temps and steep times. At least that has been my experience. Best find so far has been O-cha. In terms of $/oz, very high, but worth every penny. It is delicious and satisfying. If you haven't tried higher end sencha, you haven't tried sencha. See separate thread on O-cha. That is not to bad-mouth anyone else. I have tried some other high-end green tea vendors in the past, but I do not think I knew what I was doing with the tea at that time, nor was my palate educated. I think I need to go back and try them again.

Just my experience, and I am not very experienced.

Ed

[edkrueger]

Well, Ippodo has some around there that are pretty good. They are a bit bitter and have some funk.

If you add the shipping costs (about 350 yen per item if you order enough packages) even their lowest grade is 950 yen for 100gr which gives more than 8$ for 4oz. (11-12$ I guess)

Sure, but the 8 dollar sencha the OP mentioned may have needed to be shipped from Japan too. I also said "around."

[iannon]

The nicest "lower cost" Sencha I have had was the Sencha Moe from Zencha..at just under 13 bucks shipped its not too shabby IMHO