How much Steam do you like?

[AdamMY]

Just curious as to what level of steaming the TChatters tend to like in the steaming of their Japanese greens?

While I love the deep greens given by good Fukamushi's, when its not quite at a certain quality it can look like swamp water, with a muddled greenish brown.

But the clarity of Asamushi's is great, plus it typically means fewer small particles making it easier to be used in Pots that don't have a finer screen.

I guess I do not really have an opinion on Chumushi's, and they are in essence a hybrid of the other two.

[Chip]

I like ... the variety of having all 3 options. I cannot say I have a singlular preference.

Asa can wow me with its simple beauty in flavor and aroma, yet complexity that can really make me take notice.

Chu is a nice balance between the two.

Fuka, well, fuka is sweet, thick ...

We did this a year or more ago, I will have to look it up. Should be interesting to see how we compare now to then.

OK, looked it up: http://www.teachat.com/viewtopic.php?f= ... a+chu+fuka

[Dresden]

From what I have read the Chumushi is more of a traditional style with asamushi and fukamushi coming along later.

That being said, it is the only type I have yet to try. I tend towards fukamushicha.

Of course, it may be living in south Louisiana that makes me enjoy that murky swamp water.

[Oni]

Louisiana woman, Mississippi man, we drink fukamushi sencha every time we can, the Mississippi rive can`t keep us apart, there is too much love for sencha in this heart.

[olivierco]

Asamushi.

[bryan_drinks_tea]

The complex flavors that I've found in good asamushicha really seems to hit the spot for me. I've had plenty of fukamushi cha, as it was the kind that I had heard about so much when I was first learning my Japanese greens. The look of the leaves doesn't bother me in either case.

[tsusentei]

Definitely none of the above. I like a traditional Japanese teas and they are not represented in these very modern classifications. Give me tea that has been steamed just enough that the vital liquids do not pour from its veins, but beads like sweat from a job well done.

[guitar9876]

Definitely none of the above. I like a traditional Japanese teas and they are not represented in these very modern classifications. Give me tea that has been steamed just enough that the vital liquids do not pour from its veins, but beads like sweat from a job well done.

Think you could direct me to where I could find teas such as those? I've had all the senchas from Horaido and that's the closest I've had to what you're describing.

[tsusentei]

Definitely none of the above. I like a traditional Japanese teas and they are not represented in these very modern classifications. Give me tea that has been steamed just enough that the vital liquids do not pour from its veins, but beads like sweat from a job well done.

Think you could direct me to where I could find teas such as those? I've had all the senchas from Horaido and that's the closest I've had to what you're describing.

Horaido has some lovely teas, but I prefer his Maccha, personally. Though I always get some sencha just for the packaging (^^). For the most part, I have only tried and purchased teas as I described above in Japan. One source I have found for something very similar is Tribute Tea and his Wazuka Gyokuro, though it is pricey. As far as quality of production goes, I can recommend the organic gyokuro gokou from Yuuki-cha. It has the organic element working against it, but if you double the amount of tea you would normally use, it is acceptable. I wish I had more options to recommend, but there aren't many Japanese teas available that I find palatable. You can PM me for more personal recommendations.

If you get any of these teas, try the White Snow Tea method of brewing. Basically, ice infusions ramping up to hot infusions. You can google it. Good luck

[tsusentei]

Someone asked me about modern teas and whether they stay fresh longer because they are drier. Here goes my best attempt at an answer and a bit of info distinguishing the major differences:

The modern asa, chu and fuka-mushi teas are all steamed to a higher degree than the more traditional teas to produce a tea that is drinkable immediately. The downside is that these teas expend all of their vitality in production and are only palatable, generally, within one year of production.

Ambient moisture robs dry leaves of their freshness by imbibing them with that moisture. The vital liquids I was speaking of are not on the outside of the tea, but rather sealed within a more traditional tea. This allows those liquids to gain character over time and, by providing moisture from within, in turn protects the outer layer from ambient moisture, producing a superior tea product. These teas can continue to gain character for up to 3 years! Tea leaves produced by more modern methods have no vital liquids and soon become chewy and bitter. In addition, the leaf of any quality tea is very pleasant to eat, like a spinach, and retains its leaf-shape after full steeping. It leaves a pot full of bright, 80% whole leaves, rather than a pot full of green tatters and sludge.

This is most obvious, aesthetically, when you use an older teapot with a modern tea. Your strainer, made for large green leaves, becomes clogged with particles and your tea becomes a murky, bitter mess.

And, for the record, if anyone prefers more modern teas or the variety they offer then that is their prerogative and I support that.