Steeped 1tsp (3.8g) in 70C water. 30s wasn’t quite enough, yielding a very mild flavour, while 45s was almost too much. The liquor went from a bright, cloudy green to dark yellow-green in those 15 seconds.
The dry leaf is a pretty intense green, mostly dark with a few pale green pieces scattered throughout. Both needle-like and flat pieces of various sizes. The smell is different from other senchas I’ve had, grassy, peppery and almost chemical, though not in an unpleasant way.
Steeped, the liquor smells faintly nutty and metallic.
The flavour is interesting. There’s a faintly bitter edge, a soft vegetal flavour like zucchini and then a very strong, green flavour in the finish, which is long. Notes of peas, cucumber and lettuce. A fair bit of sweetness, and as the cup cools, a bit of honey.
Rather than typical tea astringency, this leaves my teeth feeling slightly fuzzy, like after eating raw spinach.
A very interesting tea. I don’t think it’s something I would reach for, and definitely not my favourite of the Morita tea garden offerings, but I’m glad I got to try it.
Flavors: Bitter, Cucumber, Grass, Honey, Lettuce, Metallic, Nutty, Peas, Peppercorn, Sweet, Zucchini
