ITD May Shincha Tasting

[Chip]

OK...I will try and be as obscure while also trying to be informative. I am not going to offer any subjective tasting comments except to say, I love both the Miyabi and the Fukamushi Supreme. The O-Cha site has a lot of general info, but not a lot of specific info on specific teas...IMHO. Tons of general info.

http://www.o-cha.com/green-teas/shincha/ This is the shincha page.

OK...some "guidelines" to brewing. Please feel free to ask here if you have a specific question.

MIYABI is from Uji. It is likely to be classified as Chumushi Cha or mid steamed. To brew. Sal, Alex, and Wes have a bonus bag of Miyabi. Your bonus bag has enough for one session, 4 grams. All other bags of Miyabi have 8 grams, enough IMO for 2 sessions.

I recommend 4 grams (exactly 1/2 of your 8 gram bag) per 200 ml...7ish ounces ounces. If you like your sencha stronger, use less water instead of more leaf or you will cut into your second session's leaf.

I brew this lighter and have been pleased with the results. I brew it in a preheated pot with a fine screen at 165-168* for 1.5 minute. I am all for slow pouring of this shincha, so I start pouring 15ish seconds before time is up.

2nd...a very good steep. 175* for 30 seconds...starting the slow pour at 15 sec
3rd...this steep was really good too. 180* for 40ish sec
4th...if you are obsessive like Wes, 190ish* for 2-3 min
5th...if you are just crazy like me, pour water right at boiling and steep for AT LEAST 10 min. I often four and remember it an hour or more later and no harm done. All the other layers of flavor are gone by now except gentle sweetness. PLEASE NOTE, 5th step of sencha are not for everyone, most people stop at 3 steeps.

FUKAMUSHI SUPREME This is from Shizuoka prefecture. I generally brew shincha from here at a lower temp, but I find this to be fairly forgiving. Your bags fuka bags have 9 grams...enough for 2 sessions for all but maybe the Frenchman

I recommend 4.5 grams per 6 ounces, again, if you like it stronger, go for it with this one. In a preheated pot with a fine screen use 160-165* water for 75 seconds. I STRESS SLOW POURING THROUGH THE FIRST 3 STEEPS FOR THIS OR IT CAN ADD TOO MANY ULTRA FINE PARTICLES TO YOUR POUR. A slow pour will deliver a sweeter more consistant cup!. So, I start pouring at 60 seconds.

2nd...you will like the second if done right! Think "soylent green." 172-175* for 20-30 seconds, start pouring SLOWLY at 15 seconds.
3rd...again really green. 180* for 40-50 sec. I start slow pour at 40.
4th...190ish* for 2ish minutes.
5th...boiling water for at least 10 minutes.

The Fukamushi...the green color is not the actual color of the liquor, it is suspended particles that will settle as you drink. I will either swirl my cup a little to keep them suspended...or allow them to seetle and then add them to the next pour...adding more flavor to the next steep.

A note on SLOW POURING. Slow pouring of sencha has a dual purpose for me. First, it prevents excessive clogging of your screen. If you try to dump finer leaf sencha it will clog up your screen and slow your pour to a trickle...making a bitter brew and frustrating you.
2ndly, Pouring slowly allows the water to slowly flow over the settled leaf, preventing bitter brew and too much particle in your liquor.
Trust me, you will have particle in your liquor, this adds to the color and flavor of the liquor, too much of this give you bitter brew and a clogged screen.

OK...probably TMI, but I hope everyone enjoys the shincha experience!

[tenuki]

[Victoria]

So no on boiling, huh?


Thanks, I will need these instructions more than most!

[Space Samurai]

lmao

[Salsero]

Thanks to Chip.

Tenuki, how do you find this stuff!

[Space Samurai]

Some late evening Miyabi.



Thanks, Chip!

I used 5 grams for 7-8 oz.

First Infusion 75s: Very good, clean, flavorful. It seems to me sencha always has a good body.

Second 45s-ish: On par with the first, a bit over steeped, I can taste it in the finish. (I should've paid attention to Chip's instructions).

Third, 50 s, slow pour: a bit mild.

Thanks again Chip! I think I'll be buing some tonight.

[Chip]

Cool, Space! It is an awesome sencha...a little mysterious to me.

[Mary R]

Mmmmkay...at the risk of being ridiculed as an übernerd, I'm going to share my most ridiculously anal brewing trick. I'm only doing so because I'm going to have to use it for this tasting (6.75 oz is just a weird amount for me...when doing sencha, I invariably do 9 at a time). I want to brew as close to Chip's directions as I can because I'm no sencha expert. I'm the most idiotic grasshopper in this field of senseis.

So...I weigh the water. I throw the warmed kyusu with the sencha on my tea scale, tare it out, then pour in the water. 1 ml is equal to 1 gram. So when the scale hits the 200 mark, I know I've got it as precise as it's going to get.

There. I've confessed. Now I'm going to go hide in the tea cave.

(Space, that rose is freaking gorgeous!)

[Chip]

Grasshoppa...and baker...don't you have a liquid measuring cup?

To amuse Tenuki I will tell you my path!

I weigh the leaf out seperately (not quite sure if you are doing this),
boil the water and pour it into a measuring "cup."
(technically I have a pyrex beaker)
Then right into the kyusu.
Then back out into the measuring cup and put the leaf in.
The temp is usually right about where I want it by now. (I do use a thermometer) And I pour into the kyusu.

It is not as complicated as that sounds...very methodical. I can't do the electric slide, but I can somehow do this...can't be too hard.

[Salsero]

So...I weigh the water. I throw the warmed kyusu with the sencha on my tea scale, tare it out, then pour in the water. 1 ml is equal to 1 gram. So when the scale hits the 200 mark, I know I've got it as precise as it's going to get.

Oooh, I so admire smart women! Great idea.

[olivierco]

After less than 5 days, shincha fukamushi arrived in my mailbox.

Thanks a lot Chip!

I hope I will be able to find some time today for a Fukamushi Supreme Session.

[joelbct]

Uji Miyabi:

Thank you! First infusion, I brewed ~12 ounces, w/ 3/4 of one of those bags, at ~174 F, for 1 min 40 seconds.

I like it. Less astringent than a Kagoshima, sweet, notes of popcorn (not in a bad way) and matcha (Uji!).

Most of these fine Japanese sencha's have a feeling of excellent balance. The sweetness, slight bitterness, and vegetal aspects all interact wonderfully, and I think this is the result of many generations of skill and loving labor.

[Mary R]

Grasshoppa...and baker...don't you have a liquid measuring cup?

It's a holdover from my science background...but unless I have a carefully calibrated graduated cylinder, measuring out ml seems like sacrilege. Besides, my tea brewing stuff is on the 2nd floor of my house and the measuring cups are in the kitchen on the ground floor. The teascale, on the other hand, is a reach away.

[Salsero]

Most of these fine Japanese sencha's have a feeling of excellent balance.

Mmm, that is a fine insight.

[Chip]

Most of these fine Japanese sencha's have a feeling of excellent balance.

Mmm, that is a fine insight.

Yes...this is the point I was trying to make regarding the lofty priced Hashiri...it is uneven, lacking balance and depth. This is due to the fact it was picked with the ulterior motive of being the first of the first.

Kevin rants at us when we kept asking when shicha was coming...he said it will be here when it is ready...not a day sooner. I think he is turning Japanese!!!

I think the Miyabi went through an additional stage in production...a quick roasting. I pick this up, maybe I am wrong. But Miyabi is one of the later FF sencha to be released each year...they must be doing something to it.