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Yuuki-Cha Organic Miyazaki Kamairicha Tsuyobi Shiage
Origin: Hinokage
Town, Nishiusuki District, Miyazaki, Kyushu, Japan
Harvest: Blend
of Spring and Summer 2014
I am sad
to say Yuuki-Cha is out of stock of this current tea, I did not notice before
publishing this, but I decided to keep this up in case Yuuki-Cha has a 2015
version of this tea since it was a very interesting experience and I would have
recommended purchasing this. It’s not often that a tea store admits they are
selling a tea blended from multiple harvests or multiple regions. I do have a
couple more reviews of older teas that are out of stock in my backlog that I
may or may not post if I believe they are amazing. Yuuki-Cha describes this as:
Tsuyobi Shiage, meaning high flame/heat
finishing, combines leaves from both the first spring harvest and the second
summer harvest which are given a stronger than normal firing during the
finishing stage.
The combination of the tender first
flush leaves with their delicate sweetness, and the slightly coarser second
flush leaves that contain good proportions of catechins gives this organic
kamairicha an excellent balance of taste, while the stronger firing done on the
leaves during the finishing stage really draws out some very delicious, savory,
juicy, full flavors that totally enlighten the taste buds, makes for one highly
aromatic green tea, and also makes it easier on the stomach, too!
At the low price we're offering this
organic kamairicha for it's a really excellent green tea that you can enjoy
daily, and one we would recommend without hesitation if it's a tasty, aromatic,
daily organic green tea you are looking for.
Dry Leaves: The leaves are dark and curled, a little reminiscent of
Korean greens more so than a typical kamairicha in my opinion. It has a rather
interesting corn aroma; I could distinguish a lot of fresh green and vegetal
smells, which was a little strange for a kamiricha where I normally smell the
roast more than anything else. The leaves are very green and very fresh despite
being almost a year old.
First
Steeping
Temperature:
167oF
Brewing
Time: Thirty Seconds
Aroma: Roast
Corn and Peas
Flavor: Sweet
peas, corn, asparagus and floral.
Tasting
Notes: It feels very fresh and clean, not at all like what I expect a
kamairicha to be. I was surprised at how floral this is! I was not expecting to
be reminded of a Chinese green so much when trying this, but it is much more
flavorful than the typical Chinese green perhaps because of the astringency. There
is a bit of astringency in this, but this is a very smooth tea nonetheless.
I cannot help, be reminded of a yellow
tea, I already mentioned when I was describing the dry leaves it reminded me a Korean
green, perhaps because of the corn aroma, but at the same time I am starting to
be reminded of a nice yellow Huoshan Huang Ya although it lacks that nutty
taste many yellow teas have.
Second
Steeping
Temperature:
175oF
Brewing
Time: Forty-Five Seconds
Aroma: Roast Corn and Vegetal
Flavor:
Corn, Asparagus, Bamboo and Floral
Tasting
Notes: The fresh pea aroma is gone instead there is a murky vegetal scent that
while nice is nowhere as pleasant as the pea scent from the previous. It’s starting
to feel more like a pan fried tea, still not exactly in that typical kamairicha
area, but more like a Chinese green with a deep unami taste. It still is a very
sweet tea even though greener flavors are starting to develop.
It is a little more astringent than the
previous infusion, it’s definitely reaching the point that it may turn some
people off, but I don’t mind astringency in my tea and it has some nice clean
flavors.
Third
Steeping
Temperature:
180oF
Brewing
Time: One Minute
Aroma: Roast
Corn and Vegetal
Flavor: Corn,
Asparagus, Bamboo, Floral and Coconut
Tasting
Notes: Pretty much the same as the last infusion, the astringency is growing
and still very sweet, but there is a new coconut taste that was rather strange.
I did not necessarily find it a bad taste, but it did clash with the vegetal
notes. I do not think it detracts from the tea since it is a nice contrast to
the dark vegetal notes, but I did enjoy the fourth and following infusions more
than this because I was not as startled by the coconut taste.
I did get another six or so steepings
out of the leaves, but there was nothing as out of place as the coconut flavor
that suddenly appeared. While this tea is no longer available I purchased this
for $6.48 for 100g and that was an amazing deal, if Yuuki-Cha stocks a new
version of this tea I’d definitely check it out. While it does not feel to be
the typical kamairicha it is rather interesting.
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