Help a newbie out! Sencha/Shincha

[Chip]

Okay folks, I'm an impatient sort, so I went over to Uwajimaya to see what they had. The store by my office is extremely busy and very well-maintained, so I thought there might be some decent products there. I was really surprised to see not only some recognizable names, but in checking the sell/use-by dates, as well as the shelf tag dates, it seems that product is reasonably fresh.

Also, I found this:



and thought, why not? Especially for a tad over $11 for 85g. First thoughts... yeah, I was drinking crappy sencha, this is a whole different ballgame.

First steep was somewhat harsh and astringent, but the 2nd was mellower, richer and mildly astringent. 3rd steep was what I imagine you sencha-heads rave over: Sweet, mellow, rich, lots of fresh flavor. I get it. Wow.

The leaves are quite impressive. BRILLIANT emerald green, yielding a chartreuse liquid. The picture does not do justice to the color.



I also picked up a package of "2008 New Crop Shincha Genmaicha" from the same vendor. It might be interesting, I've never tried Genmaicha, good or bad.

The only negative I noted at Uwa was that the Den's selection consisted of 2 boxes, very old. Weird.

Shincha looks crazy good in that cup. Remember to put it in the Oolong Box for me...last I looked, I was still after you.

I get so jealous of you northwesterners who can just pop into Japanese and Chinese shops...

Thanx for sharing your intro to sencha with us...it is always exciting!!!!!!!!!!

[Salsero]

Thanx for sharing your intro to sencha with us...it is always exciting!!!!!!!!!!

Ditto

[Geekgirl]

I get so jealous of you northwesterners who can just pop into Japanese and Chinese shops...

Thanx for sharing your intro to sencha with us...it is always exciting!!!!!!!!!!

That's funny, I was just telling my husband that I am so jealous of the Seattleites with all of their Asian markets and Teahouses. I guess we have more than our share here in Portland, but we're just the baby brother to Seattle's diversity.

[Pentox]

Heh, I actually picked up that same tea last time I was up at Nijiya (Japanese grocery store in San Jose). I've had some mediocre experiences with Maeda-en before, but I figured i'd give it a try. I haven't tried the tea yet, but I guess I should bump it up on my ever growing list.

I'm a bit surprised that you had a harsh/astringent 1st infusion. You might want to try dropping your water temp / infusion time to help reduce that.

Welcome to the green side.

[devites]

Im up in Seattle and the Uwajimaya has a great tea selection, practically a whole aisle. We get the tea but we also have rainy summers with low 60s weather.

[joelbct]

If you want to PM me your shipping addy, I have some a bunch of Shincha and I prob won't be able to drink it all soon enough, so I could Fedex you some samples.

My fave source is Ito En, and Ippodo and O-Cha are high-quality too.

And no Chip I haven't forgotten your Shincha Shipment either, just been swamped at work (and hooked on Final Fantasy XII), but I should get to the Fedex Drop Box this weekend

-Joel

[Geekgirl]

Okay guys, looking forward to this very much, thank you! But please make them *small* samples. The last package of samples I got looked a bit like my visits to the teashop! I'm floating away here! PM'ing addy.

[henley]

The lack of sample sizes is my biggest hesitation w/green tea. I don't want to spend my money just to get something I don't like.

[kymidwife]

Henley... me too! There are so many things I hear mentioned here, and I sort of *know* there is a green out there somewhere that I will just love, but I haven't found it yet.

<nudges Chip>

I suggest a..... Green tea box pass!

[Pentox]

Try the den's thing! It's 3 dollars shipped that gets applied to your next order!

[Salsero]

Try the den's thing! It's 3 dollars shipped that gets applied to your next order!

Yes, I always forget that Den's special offer ONLY FOR FIRST TIMERS. I only learned about it after I had already ordered from them, thus I never got mine.

People who have never ordered from Den's should be required by law to get one of those virtually free samplers.

[Chip]

If you want to PM me your shipping addy, I have some a bunch of Shincha and I prob won't be able to drink it all soon enough, so I could Fedex you some samples.

My fave source is Ito En, and Ippodo and O-Cha are high-quality too.

And no Chip I haven't forgotten your Shincha Shipment either, just been swamped at work (and hooked on Final Fantasy XII), but I should get to the Fedex Drop Box this weekend
-Joel

Thanx for mentioning this...saves me a panic PM wondering if it got lost.

My list in order currently...O-Cha, Den's, Hibiki. There are around 5 others that I keep close tabs on but only order from once a year maybe. The list of places I want to order from for the first time is overwhelming to me.

Also Sencha Premier from Adagio is actually very nice, a bit mellow for my tastes, but this makes it a good Japanese intro.

[Geekgirl]

I'd be glad to share samples of this maeda-en shincha too. Also I got the Genmaicha, which I find very yummy and sweet. I'm waiting on some of those little foil zipper bags, but they should be here any day. (100! anyone need bags? )

[Chip]

The only negative I noted at Uwa was that the Den's selection consisted of 2 boxes, very old. Weird.

Shincha STILL looks crazy good in that cup. I just had to resfresh everyone's memories.

I also wanted to comment on Den's old inventory at the store...second time we heard this under the Green Tea forum here. I will likely talk to Den. I know he would be unhappy knowing this, but would want to know.

[Geekgirl]

Shincha STILL looks crazy good in that cup. I just had to resfresh everyone's memories.

I think this cup was MADE for shincha. It's the only tea that has really shown the color through the sides, like it was meant to do. Sorry to torment you with photos. It's my favorite cup, and the one I'm most likely to be using at any given time. Wish I could find a few more.