by Teaarch » Jun 10th, '16, 20:40
Tried the Kirameki from o-cha. I was surprised because it tastes exactly how I remember it did, except some (but not all) of the astringency is gone that last years had. However, it's still just as light as I remember. O-cha labeled this one as kind of difficult to brew, and it definitely took me a while to dial this one in. After a few experiments and a lot of light tasting brews, I've settled on 176f, 1/2 cup, 5.4g, times at 62, 30, 4:00 (this one at 192f).
However, it's still relatively weak compared to some of the asamushi chas I've had. Maybe it's not fair to compare it to such, but after drinking a lot of the high mountain teas from Shizuoka with rich flavors and even more powerful aftertastes, this one fell a bit short. It wouldn't be that big of a problem for me, but I've found I can barely get three brews out of it, and the third one is mostly astringent, even without increasing the temp.
With that said, I still really like the taste, and aroma, of this tea. It's something sweet, slightly fruity, with a bit of honey, and just a tad bit astringent. Griff mentioned elegance in his post, and I think that's a good way to describe this tea. That and classy. However, I wish it was more lively.
I see in an earlier post of mine that I said I was disappointed in the san no ma; however, before I received the Kirameki, I had another go at the san no ma and got it to where the taste was much better. I mentioned it here because it was almost the exact opposite of this tea. The leaf, and even when brewed, doesn't have as nearly as rich of an aroma as the Kirameki, and the taste is quite subtle, however, the aftertaste is quite strong and lasting. The Kirameki is more upfront; beautiful aroma, and the taste, though I also said it was subtle, is quite a bit bolder than the san no ma was, though it didn't have the length of the aftertaste that the san no ma did. I know o-cha says it's not the same blend, but I'll be interested to taste this years san no ma again for comparison.
I also had the oku-midori from o-cha. Shame to say, I really don't have much good to say about this one. It tastes, and smells, almost exactly like the cheap tea I used to find in tea bags that claimed they had sencha; sort of tastes like smoked or roasted grass. It did say reduced price, so maybe this years isn't as good as previous ones, or maybe it's just not my cup of tea.
EDIT:
Tried one more adjustment to the Kirameki; basically just added a bit more leaf, which I was seriously doubting I could do without bringing out any defects but the tea has handled it wonderfully. I could probably push it even further, but I'm happy now with the results. I had today what was probably my favorite brew out of all the shincha I had, so while I may have sounded a bit harsh about the Kirameki above, it has still impressed me and I find myself loving it more and more. The third brew is still kinda of disappointing, but the first two are heavenly.
