Hirumaen - Sayama cha from Iruma

[Logan6]

I mentioned this already to Fortunato, but Mr. Hiruma (he goes by the trade name Gokuchanin, or Goku for short) is one of the finest examples of an artist that I know.

As you have longer relationship with Mr Hiruma and, I assume, longer experience of his work than anyone else here, is there any of his teas you would consider a favorite one ?

As for Temomicha, I have so far only experienced one source (Kaburagien), and lacking references, I don't know if it would be relevant to think in terms of levels of quality regarding this type of tea in general ; what are your thoughts ?

[OchameTaiken]

As you have longer relationship with Mr Hiruma and, I assume, longer experience of his work than anyone else here

I wouldn't go so far as to say that. It really depends on which teas you would like to try. When it comes to Goku's work, he has a wider repertoire of teas than most Japanese producers.

If it's your standard Japanese staples you're looking for, it sounds like user Fortunato has tasted more of his sencha than I have. He may be able to attest to some of the more interesting cultivars that Hiruma uses, and which styles are best.

If you want to try the very premium temomicha, he carries small lots from many different artists who entered the national competition. You can try temomicha made by one of his group members, or representatives from other regions. It's all high-quality, but it depends on the experience of the craftsman. The last time I visited him, he had 3 of his men preparing lots for the competition, one was a seasoned artisan, while another was more beginner. (Of course beginner still means at least 3 years of training!)

Then, there are his really interesting styles where his artistry shines! If you ever wanted to try a fine Japanese oolong, or minutely-fermented tea similar to wenshan baozhong, he's the only one I know who makes it. He has tea flower scented tea for a novelty, and all sorts of other experiments and happy accidents.

[Logan6]

Thanks a lot Ochametaiken ! Your answer is a fine guide, as my current focus is not so much on standard staples (not to say that I disregard them, I do drink and appreciate these) but rather on greens that I feel go on a path different from what I know.

thx again for your time

[fortunato]

If it's your standard Japanese staples you're looking for, it sounds like user Fortunato has tasted more of his sencha than I have. He may be able to attest to some of the more interesting cultivars that Hiruma uses, and which styles are best.

I also own many different kind of Temomicha actually



As an example you can see 4 different kind of Temomicha

A Yoshiaki Hiruma Temomicha 1st prize (1050 yen/3grs) absolutely amazing ! UMAMI cure !!!



A Takashi Hiruma Temomicha (Yoshiaki Hiruma brother) (630 yen/3grs) very intense with a big seaweed scent



Another Yoshiaki Hiruma Temomicha (420 yen/3grs) it worth every yen



Last one a Temomicha hand rolled by a Yoshiaki Hiruma Temomicha student for a Temomicha examination (2500yen/100grs) very interesting drinking as a Sencha and still a true Temomicha !



You can also see some pictures about Yoshiaki Hiruma Hanhakkoucha named TEFUTEFU = butterfly, his kind of japanese wulong who is the only one that I know to produce :

はなやか Hanayaka = Blissful - Hokumei cultivar



The mysterious Mu = Musashikaori cultivar



And about Hanhakkoucha Yoshiaki Hiruma produced different kind of wulong process with several cultivars and you can even get a 2008 Yumewakaba Hanhakkoucha and more...

One very very unique Yoshiaki Hiruma production his Bihakkou Sencha using a micro-withering before an Asamushi (or Futsumushi) process as a Sencha, as I said, very unique, one of a few that are produced :

つややか Tsuyayaka = Shiny - Yumewakaba cultivar

[Ed]

Wow, that looks like some incredible tea you have there, Fortunato! Thank you for posting the pictures. Perfect looking leaves!

[iannon]

Wow, that looks like some incredible tea you have there, Fortunato! Thank you for posting the pictures. Perfect looking leaves!

+1
yes..looks amazing..i hope to be tasting some soon!

[Chip]

Wow, quite a priviledge to try so many of these artisan sencha. They are amazing in every respect. Thank you to the contributors of this topic! Really quite amazing.

I expect the gentleman Wojciech Bońkowski from the Polisish Wine Guide mentioned by fortunato will be dropping by this topic as he asked for assistance in activating his account yesterday.

[debunix]

The blog reviews were quite incredible.

I drooled on my keyboard.

[Nerval]

Hello everybody, I've been a long time browser on these forums but somehow have never started posting, Hiruma tea is a good place to start!

My name is Wojciech Bońkowski but I'll be posting under my forum nickname Nerval. I'm a wine taster and writer from Poland and my other passion is tea.

My thanks go to Fortunato for sending me generous samples of these incredible teas.

I'm in the process of ordering new season stuff from Hiruma and I'll update you about them in due time, both on my humble blog and here on the forum.

Happy drinking!

[fortunato]

Hello everybody, I've been a long time browser on these forums but somehow have never started posting, Hiruma tea is a good place to start!

My name is Wojciech Bońkowski but I'll be posting under my forum nickname Nerval. I'm a wine taster and writer from Poland and my other passion is tea.

My thanks go to Fortunato for sending me generous samples of these incredible teas.

I'm in the process of ordering new season stuff from Hiruma and I'll update you about them in due time, both on my humble blog and here on the forum.

Happy drinking!

Hey great to see you there !

I'm glad that I introduced you to Yoshiaki Hiruma teas !

After reading your review, I'm relieved to note that you understood all my explanations and informations/translations with my big e-mail !

Sorry to ask you to do corrections about a few things on your review again...

[Nerval]

Corrections done, thank you Fortunato!

[fortunato]

[demonyc]

So... I'm kind of reviving this thread from a 4.5 year sleep... Anyone have any further experience with Yoshiaki Hiruma teas? Seems like the link is broken, and a cursory forum search didn't shed much light. His teas seem so interesting and different from the standard Japanese mold, something you don't see too often! I'm very interested in learning more and hopefully trying some of his tea, if I can obtain it

[shinobicha]

If you don't mind ordering via email, and paying via Paypal, you can definitely order his teas!
His email is hirumaen (AT) ictv.ne.jp
Here is the link to his shop, just run through a translator:
http://gokuchaninshop.cart.fc2.com/

He only uses EMS shipping, which is more expensive but insured and fast.

I ordered from him (for the first time) back in May. I definitely plan to do so again. Of those I ordered, I recommend: temomicha (pricey but awesome), seikakou, tefutefu, hanahoji (think a combination of houjicha + ali shan oolong!), and syansyan hanayaka.

Anyway, his English (or use of translator software for your email) is definitely good enough, he helped me figure out what to order.

Finally, be sure to ask him to include brewing parameters. They are helpful, and also, different than usual. Go with his suggestions!

[demonyc]

Thanks, shinobi! Super useful information, I appreciate you taking the time to write it out I'll email him and see what he says!