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derk drank Kagayaki Sample Sencha by Tsuru No Maru Japan

1546 tasting notes

Short backstory to this tea:

Steepster members Todd and Mastress Alita met with me at the San Francisco Tea Festival last year (last year!). We took home samples of this sencha. When I decided to brew it at home, an explosion of rotten canned cat food occurred, ruining the sachet that was sitting on the counter and creating quite the foul atmosphere.

Nearly one year later (one year later!), Mastress Alita, recalling the mishap, sent me a new sample that she acquired at the Portland Tea Fest. Thank you! <3

Brewed according to the directions: Let 3oz of boiling water cool for 3min, steep for 60s.
Smooth and thick with sweet vegetal asparagus and secondary notes of bitter almond, sugar cookie, anise and earth.

I don’t have much experience with sencha but I really enjoyed this tea. It’s not grassy like other sencha I’ve had and has a much more substantial body that gets thicker in subsequent, hotter infusions. No astringency. Nice, light lingering bitterness and a returning sweetness deep in the throat. Six 3oz infusions from one sachet.

Flavors: Almond, Anise, Asparagus, Bitter, Cookie, Earth, Smooth, Sweet, Vegetal

Preparation

1 min, 0 sec 3 OZ / 88 ML

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3 comments

Mastress Alita
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Those flavor notes sound much nicer than cat food.

Leafhopper
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Agreed. I think the rotten cat food might have nixed this tea for me permanently.

Todd
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I loved it too, hope it’s available soon.

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Comments

Mastress Alita
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Those flavor notes sound much nicer than cat food.

Leafhopper
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Agreed. I think the rotten cat food might have nixed this tea for me permanently.

Todd
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I loved it too, hope it’s available soon.

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Bio

This place, like the rest of the internet, is dead and overrun with bots. And thus I step away.

Eventual tea farmer. If you are a tea grower, want to grow your own plants or are simply curious, please follow me so we can chat.

I most enjoy loose-leaf, unflavored teas and tisanes. Teabags have their place. Some of my favorite teas have a profound effect on mind and body rather than having a specific flavor profile. Terpene fiend.

Favorite teas generally come from China (all provinces), Taiwan, India (Nilgiri and Manipur). Frequently enjoyed though less sipped are teas from Georgia, Japan, Nepal and Darjeeling. While I’m not actively on the hunt, a goal of mine is to try tea from every country that makes it available to the North American market. This is to gain a vague understanding of how Camellia sinensis performs in different climates. I realize that borders are arbitrary and some countries are huge with many climates and tea-growing regions.

I’m convinced European countries make the best herbal teas.

Personal Rating Scale:

100-90: A tea I can lose myself into. Something about it makes me slow down and appreciate not only the tea but all of life or a moment in time. If it’s a bagged or herbal tea, it’s of standout quality in comparison to similar items.

89-80: Fits my profile well enough to buy again.

79-70: Not a preferred tea. I might buy more or try a different harvest. Would gladly have a cup if offered.

69-60: Not necessarily a bad tea but one that I won’t buy again. Would have a cup if offered.

59-1: Lacking several elements, strangely clunky, possess off flavors/aroma/texture or something about it makes me not want to finish.

Unrated: Haven’t made up my mind or some other reason. If it’s pu’er, I likely think it needs more age.

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