"Japanese Style" sencha from Africa?

[ryan]

Anyone try "Japanese style" sencha grown in Kenya before?

http://greentealovers.com/greenteaprodu ... CKENYAG%22

"Produced from an imported Japanese Sencha tea genus. Certain plots of Kosabei Estate shared similar ph levels to traditional Sencha plots in Shizuoka, Japan. The broad-leafed bushes proved highly adaptable the Kenyan soil. The Japanese method of steaming the leaf before production is employed the final cup is bright with notes of grass, moss, honey and delicate seaweed. What makes Kenya teas so excellent (and called the Tuscany of tea) are its excellent climactic conditions and rich soil found east of Kenya's Rift valley. his tea estate is pesticide and herbicide free. Pests can't survive the high altitudes. Nitrogen is used as a natural fertilizer to boost yield and ensure continuous crop. The all natural farming methods produce tea of unsurpassed flavor and high antioxidant content. Ethical Tea Partnership & Fair trade certified. "

[TwoPynts]

Intersting.
Nope, but I'd be interested to try it.

[Chip]

I would not mind trying this ...

A small picky thing ... maybe, the description says ...

Produced from an imported Japanese Sencha tea genus.

However all tea is produced from the genus Camellia and species sinensis. There are then many varietals, clonals, etc. But they are all the same genus.

[skilfautdire]

I noticed on the web page that they recommend to steep the tea for 3 minutes. I'm wary of such long steeping times. All of the green teas I've tried so far that have such recommended times do not taste much to start with, much less at the second infusion. Maybe they're wrong and it can be steeped 60 seconds or less or maybe they have in mind huge mugs instead of regular ~150ml cups.

[TubbyCow]

However all tea is produced from the genus Camellia and species sinensis. There are then many varietals, clonals, etc. But they are all the same genus.

Well, they are technically telling the truth. It's completely useless and misleading information, but it's true!

[tortoise]

Weird. I'd think as important as the "genus", lol, would be the processing technique.

As for steeping times, that's one of those things that most vendors know nothing about...oddly enough.

[ryan]

I have seen some poor steeping times from a lot of vendors who should know better... so that will not deter me. I opted to make an order for other tea but may try this one soon.

[Catfur]

Even when I get tea from O-Cha, I often find two differing sets of steeping instructions on the bag, neither of which matches the steeping instructions they have online. The one printed directly on the packaging (as opposed to on a stick-on label) usually has the longest, hottest steep indicated.

[skilfautdire]

Yesterday I dropped by a Japanese supermarket to take a look and got some Yamamotoyama fukamishi sencha. At some $7.00 for 150g, it can't go that much wrong. It had an expiry date set next year and since this was a Japanese store which seems relatively busy I presume there can be some action on the shelf stock. Also, the steeping instructions were right and that's still an important point for me. For a supermarket tea, if they'd put 3 minutes steeping time, then I'd would have looked elsewhere. 30-40 seconds looked in the right steeping time range.

I cannot figure why a vendor would not know about the merchandise he's selling. well, in a general sense I would of course. The Real Estate Guy does not know really about the house he's selling that's why an inspector has to be hired. Of course there are people there in it only for the money. But with the choices being offered on the market, I would tend to go along wiht one that actually show more interest in the product and not only in the money !