Organic Tea

[Chip]

Finally after 11ish days, 5 O-Cha Orgainics arrived today!!! Oku Yutaka, Fuushun, Ooigawa Supreme, Warashina Supreme, and Kabuse. I think this covers a pretty wide range.

I opened the Oku Yutaka, the dry leaf smells wonderful and the leaf has an "organic look" to it. I will be trial brewing this first thing in the morning. Pretty excited as it has been a few months since trying anything new in Japanese teas.

[Chip]

Oku Yutaka, Fuka or Chumushi, maybe in between. The name is the breed and the first encounter I believe for me with ths breed, might have had it one time before? This is my first Organic from O-Cha.

This is a single estate which is very common for quality organics. The dried leaf is a bit "fluffy" and having a lovely sweet aroma ... creating anticipation. I sense a very light roast in the finishing process which is more common today.

I started this trial with a .75 gram leaf to ounce water ratio, more than the recommended .5 gram per ounce. I sense this is an easy brewer!!!

The first thing instantly noticable is the aroma that permeates well into the room from the Kyusu and then the cup. The aroma is distinctly unique to this breed I suspect ... and the grower/manufacturer technique. How can I describe it? Baked bread, cinnamon, dried fruit/sweet and not a hint of green veggie, maybe a hint of fresh sweet corn. Cinnamon raisin bread is what I come up with!

The taste is not as potent as the robust aroma, but quite remarkable, mild, sweet, baked. Again, very unique experience.

The second steep was pivotal, less aroma, more taste, quite delicious.

5 steeps later, I still smell the leaf in the pot, I sense there is still flavor in these leaves!!! I will continue into a 6th and try a 7th.

I have to say, this was a tremendous first encounter for my first O-Cha organic. I have 4 others awaiting trials, but for this moment in time, I will savor this one.

[Seeker]

Thank you Chip - great review!
I really like the Oku Yutaka.
I quite resonate with all your comments.
I look forward to hearing about the others.

[Chip]

I am also thinking that this pure bred (one breed tea leaf) single estate would make an excellent blender. It is great on its own, but it has the strength to blend its profile with another tea to make a potentially awesome blend.

EDIT: blended today, a little Oku Yutaka and a little Hatsumi (yeah, heh, blended a nonorganic with an organic ) and it came out excellent. These are two very divergent sencha-s, but harmonized beautifully.

[Seeker]

Woh - never heard of blending senchas before .
Sounds cool.
I want to try. Hmmm.
Any guidelines?

You also have mentioned home roasting in some previous posts - with sencha (or oolong)?

[Chip]

Woh - never heard of blending senchas before .
Sounds cool.
I want to try. Hmmm.
Any guidelines?

You also have mentioned home roasting in some previous posts - with sencha (or oolong)?

Thing is, Sencha is very much so blended, either at the source or by the manufacturer. I have been blending Japanese teas for a few years with generally very good results. Sometimes I just think a tea needs more balance or just a kick of something potent to bring it up a notch. Often times I find that the results are better than either on their own ... or at least different.

Sometimes I am scraping the bottom of the barrel of a sench and just use the last of it in blends.

Of course, adding matcha or even kukicha can really create an interesting blend.

Guidelines, wish I could say I have any, I just go with what I sense will work. In the case of Hatsumi and Oku Yutaka, these are at opposite ends of the flavor spectrum, yet it worked really well ...

Roasting ... there are many ways to accomplish this. In the case of grains, pan fired, oven roasted, hot air popcorn popper to name a few will work well.

In the case of a sencha or bancha that is not so great either because it is simply not so good to begin with ... or perhaps it has faded. I generally pan fire with care. Sometimes I just do a freshness roasting to remove the staleness/reduce moisture content, in which case a very short pan firing is generally good.

If I want to create more of a houjicha, then longer firing will be needed. Keep in mind, sencha is "rolled" into needle form, thus not like bancha that is generally flat, but it still will work.

I have been reading that most sencha go through a light roasting phase near the end of processing, and I have been picking this up in the flavor of many sencha.

[Seeker]

Thanks Chip!
I'd love some detailed instructions for "pan firing".
I've got some year old oolongs and also want to try with sencha.
I'm thinking, heat up a stainless steel pan, put the tea in, toss it about a little bit?
Sorry to take so long to reply - busy, busy.
I might start to disappear a bit - licensing exam coming end of January - gotta study, study, study.

[Tead Off]

Thanks Chip!
I'd love some detailed instructions for "pan firing".
I've got some year old oolongs and also want to try with sencha.
I'm thinking, heat up a stainless steel pan, put the tea in, toss it about a little bit?
Sorry to take so long to reply - busy, busy.
I might start to disappear a bit - licensing exam coming end of January - gotta study, study, study.

If you want to freshen up a tea, you can try and use a rice cooker, without liquid , on the 'WARM' setting. This is fairly safe and unless you walk away and leave it for a long time, I don't think it will burn. You can check it every 10-15 minutes and judge by the smell when you want to stop. Using a frying pan requires some skill and you may not get an even fry out of it. The rice cooker is good for removing excess moisture and restoring some flavor. Experiment and don't use all of the tea in one process in order to compare results.

[Seeker]

just cracked open my first bag of Organic Kagoshima Saemidori.
Yummm!
I'd just like to say, umami to spare!
Mmmmm, mm.

[Chip]

Where from, Seeker?

Asamushi Warashina Supreme from O-Cha. This is an outstanding organic. I find it to be an easy brewer as well. It lacks a little on the higher notes of a more intense asamushi such as Kirameki as I would expect from an organic, little astringency or bitterness. The payoff is a smooth asamushi that is surprisingly enjoyable and flavorful and well rounded, balanced for an organic.

The brew has a beautiful aroma that has to be experienced first hand. Notes include floral, fruit ... dried, lighter veggie, and some cocoa. This all harmonizes very nicely.

5 out of 5 stars all the way.

[Seeker]

Hi C!
I went and checked the bag - no luck.
So I poked around my accounts, and found the info!
It is from Yuuki-cha.
I'm gettin' quite curious about asamushi's - haven't had any yet.

[wireless]

The Saemidori from Yuuki-Cha is incredible, also try the Tokusen for an asamushi option.

[Chip]

Ooigawa Supreme from O-Cha. This is a very enjoyable organic Fukamushi. I prefer this one over the Fuushun, also a Fukamushi from O-Cha. Ooigawa has a smooth sweet character, has a nice flavor, and plenty of it. This is a more premium level Organic Fukamushi, and this definitely comes through in the cleaness and abundance of flavor.

Fuushun, more mild than Ooigawa Supreme. It is priced lower as well. I definitely prefer the Ooigawa Supreme, of course since it is a higher grade and higher priced. But Fuushun is very nicely priced, I feel, making it a good value.

So two Organic Fukamushi options depending on what your priority is, good tea that is an outstanding value or oustanding tea that I feel is still a good value.

The third Organic Fukamushi listed on the site is Oku Yutaka, but I am thinking this might be somewhere in between Chu and Fuka, just a hunch.

[Tead Off]

Ooigawa Supreme from O-Cha. This is a very enjoyable organic Fukamushi. I prefer this one over the Fuushun, also a Fukamushi from O-Cha. Ooigawa has a smooth sweet character, has a nice flavor, and plenty of it. This is a more premium level Organic Fukamushi, and this definitely comes through in the cleaness and abundance of flavor.

Fuushun, more mild than Ooigawa Supreme. It is priced lower as well. I definitely prefer the Ooigawa Supreme, of course since it is a higher grade and higher priced. But Fuushun is very nicely priced, I feel, making it a good value.

So two Organic Fukamushi options depending on what your priority is, good tea that is an outstanding value or oustanding tea that I feel is still a good value.

The third Organic Fukamushi listed on the site is Oku Yutaka, but I am thinking this might be somewhere in between Chu and Fuka, just a hunch.

I was singularly unimpressed with the Fuushun and the regular Ooigawa, not the Supreme. The Warashina was good but expensive, IMO. I'm a little reluctant to try any more teas from them after striking out on 2 of 3. Wouldn't you be a little reluctant to buy more if your experience was similar?

Mod Edit: removed Tead Off's reply from the "quote" and also deleted posters duplicate post.

[Chip]

Tead Off, I am not being smart here ... if I had given up so easily, I would not be drinking Japanese greens, quite literally as I had years of struggles with Japanese teas in dealing with domestic USA vendors. But fortunately, persistance pays off in big ways sometimes. Japanese greens are my fave these days, largely because of O-Cha and teas like their Yutaka Midori.

I went back and reread your initial comments and was reminded that these were very early in your sencha drinking days. Also, you were very sensitive to bitterness in Japanese greens at the time, which is not uncommon. Also you compared them to some non organic teas including a super high grade that was uber expensive.

Having tried many Asamushi, likely well over 20, I can vouch for the value of Organic Warashina Supreme, great asamushi can easily run 40 bucks per 100 grams. This one is organic and is just under 30. Given the complexity of the flavor and aroma of this one (see my earlier post), I would highly recommend it at this price point.

Since you asked, I would sincerely suggest you had a bad experience, brush it off and move on, one way or another ... but I do think you should go there again with a fresh perspective that you have gained now with a little bit more experience with sencha.

If you do not want to, that is fine, then move on and allow us to enjoy their teas. The overwhelming majority of people I have spoken to about O-Cha are either repeat buyers or call O-Cha one of their faves.

Are we all wrong?