Official what GREEN are you currently drinking?

[AdamMY]

Sae Midori Shincha... its quite green.

[Chip]

opened both the organic Kaoru matcha and the Musashi anyway ...

Nice shot Adam ... I kind of think that the Sae Midori varietal offers up the greenest brew!

[Owlie]

Pi lo chun, probably something my former roommate accidentally left in the cupboard. I'm not a big fan of green tea, but it's not bad.

[Stentor]

Having Houjicha for the first time right now (Organic Houjicha from O-Cha).
It's delicious!! Very malty. Kind of mellow and soothing. Nice and warm, too
I was in search of an evening tea. This might just be it.

Quick phone pic:

Organic Houjicha from O-Cha, 2nd infusion

I was afraid to use a Tokoname kyusu with it, fearing it would absorb the aroma of the roasted leaves. What do you guys brew houjicha in?
I also decided not to use a Hagi cup, although now I think there won't be a problem with that.
Any comments on these issues?

Apart from that, I had Zencha's Takumi this morning and O-Cha's 7132 this afternoon. Both are excellent!

[Chip]

I was afraid to use a Tokoname kyusu with it, fearing it would absorb the aroma of the roasted leaves. What do you guys brew houjicha in?
I also decided not to use a Hagi cup, although now I think there won't be a problem with that.
Any comments on these issues?

I might be a bit A.R. about this, but I do not. I feel that toasty flavor can be ... invasive, persistent. Especially with unglazed clay. You might not notice it early on, but keep using it for houjicha and you will.

I use something, anything glazed including a glazed kyusu.

Ditto with genmaicha, mugicha, etc. Common denominator is toasty/roasty flavors and aromas.

[Stentor]

I should probably get a glazed kyusu sooner or later. I used a cheap chinese glass pot to brew houjicha. It was fine, I just don't enjoy using it much.

A handmade japanese porcelain kyusu or dobin would be nice. Good ones seem a bit hard to find, though.

Maybe a Hagi kyusu?
They're typically glazed on the inside so there shouldn't be any absorption of aromas, right? Have you ever tried brewing different types of tea in the same Hagi kyusu?
I'd like something that I can also use for other teas, like genmaicha.

[Vash4]

Just brewed my best batch of Sencha from Hibiki-an. very pleased with myself. going to be a good day:)

[Chip]

Just brewed my best batch of Sencha from Hibiki-an. very pleased with myself. going to be a good day:)

AWESOME! Which sencha? We are pleased with you as well!

I should probably get a glazed kyusu sooner or later. I used a cheap chinese glass pot to brew houjicha. It was fine, I just don't enjoy using it much.

A handmade japanese porcelain kyusu or dobin would be nice. Good ones seem a bit hard to find, though.

Maybe a Hagi kyusu?
They're typically glazed on the inside so there shouldn't be any absorption of aromas, right? Have you ever tried brewing different types of tea in the same Hagi kyusu?
I'd like something that I can also use for other teas, like genmaicha.

You will get differing answers I think. Again I error on the safe side. I do not brew nor drink roasted teas in Hagi ... they do absorb tea, so it stands to reason that the roasty teas will persist over time. I stick with regular glazes with non porous clay.

I use a lot of TeawareArtisan cups for these teas.

[teaisme]

zhuyeqing from sichuan e-mei mountain zhuyeqing tea co. ltd
pinwei grade

on the 5th brew still putting out good flavour
brewed pretty heavy pretty fast

ok stopped at 8 still smells like it could keep going

I've only had 2 zhuyeqing, one from jings and then this one
Is it normal for this type of tea to have an underlying astringency or should it be totally smooth?

[iannon]

I should probably get a glazed kyusu sooner or later. I used a cheap chinese glass pot to brew houjicha. It was fine, I just don't enjoy using it much.

A handmade japanese porcelain kyusu or dobin would be nice. Good ones seem a bit hard to find, though.

Maybe a Hagi kyusu?
They're typically glazed on the inside so there shouldn't be any absorption of aromas, right? Have you ever tried brewing different types of tea in the same Hagi kyusu?
I'd like something that I can also use for other teas, like genmaicha.

I have found some nice Kutani porcelain kyusus work well and are quite versatile too as long as the filters isnt TOOOoo large

[Nenugal]

The pot I use for genmaicha and hojicha and other aromatic Japanese teas is a glazed kyusu I got from Hibiki-an (the US$31.50, 360 ml one). It has a quite fine-grained (fukamushi-compatible) filter and generally works well, although it is a bit big for my taste.

[brlarson]

Jing's Imperial LJ is in my cup.

It's lighter in character than the heavyweight LJs from Postcard, Hojo, and Red Circle, but it has pure flavors and it will stand up to 11 infusions. I suppose the light character is due to cultivar #43. Also, it doesn't have the creaminess/oiliness that you get in some fashion or other from the top LJs, but it is still quite tasty.

[alan logan]

oku yutaka from yuuki-cha.
very very good for very very nice price.
dry leaves smell vividly of mango with a hint of pine needle, aroma expands in preheated vessel. liquor is very fruity with smooth full mouthfeel and a sweet/nearly sugar flavor. the sweet side is enhanced distinctly when brewed with cooler water, fruit does not fade though.
I also tried to increase amount of leaves (up to 8g for about 10cl) but that is of no particular interest (not a big surprise but I can't help trying). playing w temp is much more interesting (not breaking big news here).

[Chip]

Jing's Imperial LJ is in my cup.

It's lighter in character than the heavyweight LJs from Postcard, Hojo, and Red Circle, but it has pure flavors and it will stand up to 11 infusions. I suppose the light character is due to cultivar #43. Also, it doesn't have the creaminess/oiliness that you get in some fashion or other from the top LJs, but it is still quite tasty.

You are da man when it comes to Long Jing! I will be picking your brain in the Spring!

Have you ever tried Bai Long Jing, TeaSpring had been offering it at least up to several years ago? First trials of this were quite good, then later ones of ironically higher grades were mediocre.

zhuyeqing from sichuan e-mei mountain zhuyeqing tea co. ltd
pinwei grade

on the 5th brew still putting out good flavour
brewed pretty heavy pretty fast

ok stopped at 8 still smells like it could keep going

I've only had 2 zhuyeqing, one from jings and then this one
Is it normal for this type of tea to have an underlying astringency or should it be totally smooth?

I am not familiar with this vendor ... Zhu Ye Qing is a fave 5 Chinese green for me, and I would greatly appreciate hearing more about the vendor and their teas!

Thanks in advance!

[Chip]

Currently open ...

Kumpu from Ippodo and findling I need to brew more than 1:1 ... going with 5:4, 158-160*, 90 seconds which seems to work, but I know they recommend a lot of leaf, I think 10 grams per 7 ounces, so I am in the ball park.

Also Zencha's Sencha the Ultimate, also brewing with a lot of leaf coincidentally. 5:3 at 140* for 60 seconds for the first steep, quite gyokuro like, which makes me wonder the varietal used.

O-Cha's newer karigane Musashi from Tsuen Tea Shop which blends sencha components with gyokuro stems. Pretty interesting, can play with it for varied results. A good casual tea and inexpensive per gram.