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Sencha of the Summer Sun 2014 from Obubu via What-Cha
Origin: Obubu Tea, Kyoto, Japan
Harvest: Summer 2014
So I received a new houhin from
O-Cha and decided to break it in with this Sencha. I haven’t been that
impressed with many of the Japanese teas I’ve had this year even though Senchas
are probably my favorite kind of tea, so I was a little cautious about this tea
even though it is from Obubu Tea being sold by What-Cha.
Dry
Leaves: I think this is a machine harvested, judging by some of the
smaller tea leaves. This isn’t as uniform tea as I like for Sencha, there are
quite a few bits that would not stand out from Long Jings, while others are
tightly coiled and sill there are some smaller fragments. I wasn’t too
impressed by the leaves, but they had a lovely green bean aroma and a nice
spectrum of colors. There were more yellows and blues in my sample packet.
First Steeping
Temperature: 158oF
Brewing Time: One Minute
Aroma: Vegetal and Camphor
Flavor: Sweet Grass, Seaweed and
Spinach
Tasting Notes: The first steeping
was bitterer then I expected, although I did not find it entirely unpleasant,
at first I thought I used more tea leaves then I should have, but in subsequent
infusions the tea started to shine. Besides the bitterness this first infusion felt
very much like a run of the mill Sencha.
Second Steeping
Temperature: 163oF
Brewing Time: One and a half Minutes
Aroma: Vegetal
Flavor: Wet Grass, Vegetal, Hay,
Citrus and Savory Bitterness
Tasting Notes: While it wasn’t as
bitter as the previous infusion, it still had some bitterness, although it
became much more pleasant. I was quite surprised, while I wasn’t that shocked
to find a Japanese tea with some initial bitterness, I was amazed by how quick
it became pleasant. Otherwise it started to develop a sweet finish.
I was quite fond of this infusion
even though I liked the previous, this time it had a nice balance.
Third Steeping
Temperature: 168oF
Brewing Time: Two Minutes
Aroma: Vegetal
Flavor: Grass, Savory Bitterness,
Buttery and Sweet
Tasting Notes: It became much more
simple than the previous infusions, and not as nuanced, although it was still
quite pleasant. Even though the flavors were not as complex or as crisp as
previous infusions, this was my favorite of the three infusions.
Overall I was impressed with this it
was rather enjoyable for a summer tea. And at $8.80 for 50g (at the time of
writing this) it is well worth the price. I am not sure if I would recommend
this tea unless someone was familiar with Japanese greens. I haven’t had many
summer senchas that start out as strong as this one then become sweeter in
subsequent infusions which was a rather interesting transition for a sencha.
While it may not be a daily drinker for everyone, it certainly s for me I can
easily see myself buying more of this as my morning tea. I got about five
infusions out of this tea although I might stop at four the next time.
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