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derk drank Sencha from Sayama, Musashi-kaori cultivar by Thés du Japon

1644 tasting notes

May 2022 harvest

I prepared this at home a few times hot in a small pot and wasn’t thrilled with the deep vegetal flavor, though I’m sure others might be. So I relegated it to “Work Tea” which means western steeping in either a ceramic or glass vessel. But I tired of the flavor quickly during the winter months as it wasn’t what I really craved. The bag made many trips to and from work in my backpack and as a result, probably 95% of the remaining leaf was crushed to fannings.

Cue a warmer spring than normal and I’ve found myself cold-brewing the fannings everyday for several weeks now. I’m down to my last serving and am happy to say this makes an excellent cold-brew despite being 2 years old at this point. It’s so flavorful and deeply vegetal, sweet, fruity and thick yet refreshing. Really hits the spot and glad I could put my backpack mistake to use!

I usually cold-brew Chinese greens with a light hand, the same 1g:100mL that I use for western steeping. This sencha does well with that ratio as well. Since I had plenty of leaf with which to experiment, I found my sweet spot is over double the leaf, about 6g to 450mL, and left to sit in the fridge overnight.

Flavors: Fruity, Sweet, Thick, Vegetal

Preparation

Iced 8 min or more 6 g 16 OZ / 473 ML

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This place, like the rest of the internet, is dead and overrun with bots. Yet I persist.

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.

Favorite teas generally come from China (all provinces), Taiwan, India (Nilgiri and Manipur). Frequently enjoyed though less sipped are teas from Georgia, Japan, and Nepal. 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, possesses off flavor/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 puerh, I likely think it needs more age.

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