Green Tea Steep Time Conundrum

[Topmounter]

There is a wonderful sweetness in this Sencha that I can taste very subtly in the back of my throat.

Is there a way to bring this out? Does lowering the temp and increasing the steep time help?

[Chip]

In a word, yes.

Lowering temp can increase sweetness, but there is a point of diminishing returns. Increasing time can sometimes help as well.

More leaf, less leaf. Interesting how sometimes adding leaf increases sweetness, while other times perhaps beyond the point of diminishing returns, decreasing amount of leaf can help.

You simply have to experiment with the variables. And sometimes you just have to accept and appreciate right where you are at.

[Topmounter]

How quickly does Sencha start not being fresh? I'm keeping it in the bags Den's sends it in, but it "seems" my steep times are creeping up... or maybe I'm just getting adjusted to the "Sencha experience"?

Nonetheless, I'm almost done with my Sencha and need to order some more... YUMMY

I think I'm also going to get the Kyusu that Den's has on sale... the infuser in my ForLife cup doesn't seem to be well suited to a tea like Sencha that expands significantly in water, especially on the 2nd steep I feel like I need to stir the leaves in the infuser.

[olivierco]

How quickly does Sencha start not being fresh?

I try to finish a sencha package within three-four weeks but you should be able to keep it "fresh" about two months.

[Chip]

How quickly does Sencha start not being fresh?

I try to finish a sencha package within three-four weeks but you should be able to keep it "fresh" about two months.

+1 ... there are several factors though, like how fresh was the tea to begin with, the environmental conditions of your home, how well do you take care of it.

I like to finish a bag of sencha in less than a month if possible, some Japanese teas seem to be more immune to going stale, but fukamushi is generally not one to keep around too long once open.