Re: Need sencha edumacationOn Jul 2, 7:25 am, Melinda <u...@domain.invalid> wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> I am not a knowledgeable sencha person and I know others on here are so
> I will ask you. I recently went to a local better-quality Asian store
> and bought a paper packet of sencha. The English on the stick-on label
> reads "Japanese green tea (Minamien sencha kanbai" Exported by Central
> Trading Co Ltd. and the URL on the front of the package which is the
> only English on the front says " * w w w .minamien.jp". There's also a
> phone number but that's not important. This sencha is the first more
> expensive sencha I have bought, I think it was around $18 or something
> for 100 gms. It's much more finely shredded than any sencha I've had
> before, when I steep it it's not a powder but does make a rather thick
> soup before I strain it, and the liquor is a really intense almost neon
> green. I'm used to the regular sencha in the stores that is more dry,
> more large pieces, more like the Upton's basic sencha. More like what
> they mix in genmaicha. My basic question is: Is this more like what
> sencha "should" be like in terms of higher quality? Does anyone have any
> comments as to the character of a finer-textured sencha like this? The
> first thing that really struck me about this was the finer texture of
> the dry leaves. It's not a powder by any means but it does leave a lot
> of residue in the bottom of the glass after straining. The flavor is
> certainly stronger and richer (more brothy in texture, not sweet in
> taste but not too much seaweed either, it's vegetal but not in the same
> way as a Chinese green might be. . it 's more mossy or something).
>
> Anyhow. Is this an example of what I should look for in a higher quality
> sencha? Thanks in advance.
>
> Melinda
Hey Melinda,
Well by no means can I offer you a proper edumecation on Sencha but I
can try to offer some info. Sencha is a class of its own and within it
there is a ton of variation and differences, it would be analogous to
me trying to sum up "oolong" or "darjeeling." There are different
regions and kinds of senchas, "spider leg" is more wiry and thin,
while many senchas can be fairly broad and flat and long. I,
personally, like my sencha to not be overly brothy or thick but there
are high quality senchas that produce thin and thick tea. I like fishy/
kelpy and I also like the very light and sweet vegetal ones. I have
become in love with Chinese Huo Shan Huang Ya which is a yellow tea
but encompasses all of what I love in sencha, but I still go back to
the real deal when I get a craving.
It sounds to me like you have a fairly basic grade of sencha there,
but a bit better than standard grocery store fare. For cheap sencha I
tend to drink what is actually Bancha from the Hime brand, it is like
$4 for a pound of it and it is actually decent. It probably would
stand up well to the $18 tea you bought. I have seen packets like you
mention being sold for similar prices and even higher ~$24 which have
only contained mid-grade sencha. I have also seen some of these
packets that were a mix of sencha and matcha powder which may produce
something similar to what you described.
As for good sencha: o-cha . com is very good and one of my top choices,
Itoen is OK but I'm never fully satisfied with their combination of
prices/quality (more price than quality as they are generally very
high quality)... however I have had some great tea from them at times,
sometimes Silk Road Teas will have a decent one.
Quite some years back I was much more into sencha, but anymore I have
begun exploring and really enjoying the differences and flavors of
Chinese greens and yellows as sencha can become a bit one-dimensional
and even though I hate to say it, boring. I still enjoy it at times
throughout the year, but to specialize in just sencha would be a bit
disappointing for me knowing what else is out there.
Gyokuro, however, is a great time and while expensive it is still a
guilty pleasure of mine. Matcha can be a nice change too and also has
a world of its own to explore. Sencha or "Shincha" such as at o-
cha . com is another great treat which is like a "first flush" in
Darjeeling land. Kukicha (green or roasted) is also a neat side path
to wander down. Genmaicha is totally out for me as I don't like it so
I couldn't speak to it at all. For a great start: * w w w .o-cha . com /green=
-teas/sencha/
and if you have some money to throw at it: * w w w . it oen . com /leaf/index.c=
fm
(just pick "green" for the first field and hit search)
- Dominic
* teasphere.wordpress . com