Fragrant, sweet, flowery, complex, and inexpensive, this tea took me by surprise since there was little information on the actual plants and tea garden, which seems to be grown at lower elevations. Regardless, the Morita family really knows how to make tea. I think this was $12 when I purchased it in the spring and it was a real treat. I tend to purchase organic senchas since they tend to be tastier due to the amount of investment made in the soil and where they are grown, but this tea, which seems to be grown in the suburbs of Saitama, not far from Tokyo, is like a hidden gem.
The dried leaves are broken up, but are very fragrant. The steeped leave a pungently fruity and flowery aroma. The tea soup is an attractive shade of green. The first steep is flowery, uplifting, pure tasting, and refreshing. The following steeps are rich and sweet, and reveal a complex mixture of sweet vegetal notes, minerals, and tannins.
Very enjoyable, but I think the tea has been renamed kakurei or hoju.
