2012 Official Shincha Review Topic

[blairswhitaker]

Miyazaki kamairicha tokujo 2012 by Yuuki-cha

pan fried

varital: yabukita and saemidori

Dry leaf appearance: curled, matte olive green leaf, very uniform in shape and color.

Dry leaf Scent: saline, briny

brewing 1oz/1grm
water: crystal geyser, heated in a tetsubin.
brewed in a tokoname pot by gyoko

steep # 1: 70c/1min
color: golden green, very transparent
aroma: mild, slightly toasty
flavor: smooth, silky, nice upfront umami. feels like leave have not fully "awakened" perhaps a slightly longer first steep would improve things.

steep # 2: 70c/10sec
color: very clear green liquor
aroma: fresh, bright and grassy.
flavor: a sweet attack with a crisp clean finish, very spring like. leaves seem to have fully awakened and opened up more. nice amount of umami for this type of tea, also very buttery and silky with mouthfeel.


steep # 3: 75/1min
color: similar to 2nd infusion
aroma: similar to 2nd
flavor: sweet and buttery, almost no astringency, grassy but also brothy, a nice vegetal flavor as well. slightly thinning out with the mouthfeel.

Overall Impression:
a solid and poignant kamairicha, very smooth and buttery but at the same time fluid and silky, very, very fresh and grassy.

[iannon]

I just opened a bag of Kinari last night (thanks to iannon for the recommendation). Anybody have any parameters on this?
I did:
5g to 4-5oz at 160 for 60sec
then 165 for 30sec
then 170 for 60
etc.
It was nice, I'm not complaining. I'm just wondering how others are brewing this.

My parameters are very unconventional, as I typically brew on the mild side. 5.5g for 120mL Lower temps (157-160) and slightly shorter infusions (45, 30s, etc) This brought out a nice sweet note, especially on the breath. Guess I'm a wuss....

I am at about a 1:1 ratio of tea to water. I also go around 90 seconds for first steep but also go cooler. I hit it at around 145-150 or so on my first go and then creep up from there on the following steeps.

[blairswhitaker]

kagoshima kirishima no kaori by Yuuki-cha

steam: asamushi

varital: yabukita

Dry leaf appearance: dark green, shiny needles. slightly more broken up than I was expecting.

Dry leaf Scent: deep umami, stock like, brothy rich and savory, like beef stock with celery, sea vegetables

brewing 1oz/1grm
water: crystal geyser, heated in a tetsubin.
brewed in a tokoname pot by gyoko

steep # 1: 70c/1min
color: golden yellow, very clear, vibrant
aroma: rich, briny, faithful to dry leaf
flavor: briny, umami, the most umami of any tea I have had this year, sea vegetables and broth in the attack, big green timothy and bromus grass in the in the finish. a mellow smooth body.

steep # 2: 70c/20sec
color: ever so slightly darker than #1
aroma: savory, mouthwatering
flavor: deep umami in the attack with more big green timothy notes following. fresh and inspiring, very yin. strong chi. briny and savory, sea vegetables, nori-dulse-kombu. a hearty flavor reminiscent of bullion. rich and complex sweet highlights and subdued rounded body. the finish fades just a little to fast for me.

steep # 3: 70/1min
color: lighter golden yellow
aroma: same as #2
flavor: less oceanic, more sweet on the nose and front palate. hints of umami lurking on the back palate. somewhat thin texture slides down the throat very easily.

Overall Impression:
This is by FAR my favorite tea of 2012 as of yet. savory, meaty, umami with a big bushel of timothy and bromus to go with it. I appreciate everything that goes into this tea. My must have for 2012. Yabukita asamushi at its finest.

[Peacock]

Question pertaining to Yuuki-Cha's Kirishima Kanayamidori. Does anyone know why it wasn't successful this year? It was my favorite sencha last year.

[bambooforest]

Maiko Shincha Sencha (Not Kinari) - maikotea.com

I've had this tea twice. Once with much hotter water and once with much cooler water.

If using a lot of leaf, hotter water will not work with this tea, in contrast to how Den's Shincha Kunpu will.

4 grams per 4 oz:

Water temp probably between 150 and 160F (I'm guessing).

Steep: 1:20 to 1:30

Nice vegetal, sweet flavor. An enjoyable, traditional asamushi. Very strong flavor with this tea.

I'll have to experiment with less leaf and hotter water in the future with this tea.

[Ill-literate]

Question regarding Shincha - Do you guys keep unopened Shincha in a TeaFridge like you would Sencha? The other day, some people in the chat were saying not to. Thanks!

[SilentChaos]

..on the o-cha kaoru packaging it says store outside fridge too..hmmm...I wonder why

[Chip]

It is generally best to open it up and use Shincha right away, but I know of no reason why it would not benefit from cold storing if you are going to be keeping it unopened for a period of time.

[SilentChaos]

hmmm...true...*wonders...would it make any sense if it means not to store opened Shincha in fridge? Or, maybe if it is opened after having been cold stored, then it doesn't technically count as shincha? I'm just guessing now

[bambooforest]

Shincha Sencha, Maikotea.com

Been drinking this frequently. Changed up my parameters, with very good results, so thought I'd share.

Latest enjoyment:

3.6 grams per 3 ounces, 1 minute (before slow pour), 150 to 158F (not sure exact temperature)...

I have found that this tea is rather delicious in such a concentrated approach with a relatively short brew time. You really get a sense of tasting the leaf's natural flavor with such low temperatures, high leaf amount, and short steeping duration.

2nd steep about 25 seconds (before pour) at around 165F (guessing)

3rd steep at around 55 secs (before pour) at around 175F (guessing) [still quite tasty in this third steeping since previous steepings were done carefully and without too hot of water]

I've found a new appreciation for asamushi, when previously, I wouldn't take as much pleasure in it. I enjoy steeping only 3 ounces using Den's signature teapot and warming vessel. Since the tea is so concentrated, I feel totally satisfied with only 3 ounce serving.

This tea is interesting because it can taste pretty undesirable at hotter temps (depending on how much leaf is used), but with lower temps, everything comes together into a really nice tea expression.

Just goes to show you that experimentation can lead to peak results.

[Chip]

hmmm...true...*wonders...would it make any sense if it means not to store opened Shincha in fridge? Or, maybe if it is opened after having been cold stored, then it doesn't technically count as shincha? I'm just guessing now

Once opened, that gets complicated and risky. While I do at times, I never recommend it because of the risks involved.

However I take such extraordinary effort to ensure product safety, I am confident in my approach. Therefore I am willing to accept the risk which in my case is quite diminished to negligible.

[Chip]

Shincha Sencha, Maikotea.com

Been drinking this frequently. Changed up my parameters, with very good results, so thought I'd share.

Latest enjoyment:

3.6 grams per 3 ounces, 1 minute (before slow pour), 150 to 158F (not sure exact temperature)...

I have found that this tea is rather delicious in such a concentrated approach with a relatively short brew time. You really get a sense of tasting the leaf's natural flavor with such low temperatures, high leaf amount, and short steeping duration.

[snip]

I've found a new appreciation for asamushi, when previously, I wouldn't take as much pleasure in it. I enjoy steeping only 3 ounces using Den's signature teapot and warming vessel. Since the tea is so concentrated, I feel totally satisfied with only 3 ounce serving.

This tea is interesting because it can taste pretty undesirable at hotter temps (depending on how much leaf is used), but with lower temps, everything comes together into a really nice tea expression.

Just goes to show you that experimentation can lead to peak results.

Wowza, you are going higher ratio currently, at least with this selection! And shorter steeps. Is this a new approach for you or more an exception.

Thanks for sharing your results. I am currently waiting to open this selection!

[SilentChaos]

hmmm...true...*wonders...would it make any sense if it means not to store opened Shincha in fridge? Or, maybe if it is opened after having been cold stored, then it doesn't technically count as shincha? I'm just guessing now

Once opened, that gets complicated and risky. While I do at times, I never recommend it because of the risks involved.

However I take such extraordinary effort to ensure product safety, I am confident in my approach. Therefore I am willing to accept the risk which in my case is quite diminished to negligible.

Agreed, that's definitely risky not storing opened sencha in cold storage if its not going to be consume relatively quickly. Though, was thinking maybe there is something particular in shincha that gets lost if stored in fridge?

[Chip]

Well, theoretically, shicha is processed less than non shincha of the same tea (still first flush/ichibancha). It tends to have a higher moisture content. But not sure if this ties in.

I remember reading on "the other forum" that Kevin has customers who buy enough shincha to last them the entire year. I know one member here got a LOT of shincha in 2011 due to the disasters in Japan. Maybe he will chime in here as to his experience.

[Kevangogh]

You can buy and store it the fridge, no problem. It's once you open it that it becomes a problem. The moisture content of finished sencha is around 2-3%. If you have even the slightest leak, guess what's going to absorb moisture and refrigerator aromas like a sponge? Likewise, once you take it out you need to let it set for a few hours to warm up for the same reason.