Shizuoka Tea Research Institute #3: Sayamakaori

This is the third and last of the three samples I am tasting for the Shizuoka Tea Research Institute, as facilitated by Chiki tea. Each one is a sencha provided in a tea bag with specific steeping instructions.

The name of the Sayamakaori makes me think of the first place I lived in Japan…Sayama-shi! The dry leaves of this tea smell quite vegetal, and this aroma strengthens once the leaves have been steeped. The liquor smells vegetal and umami, slightly creamy, and steeps out to a very pale yellow green. I would say this one has the palest liquor of the three. The taste of this one is also the gentlest of the three. I am getting an asparagus vegetal flavor up front with an umami body and a bit of a sweet and creamy finish, but it is quite subtle. This one is extremely smooth, definitely the smoothest textured overall. It’s got a bit of viscosity to it, as well. Overall, this one is kind of brothy and very comforting. This tastes the most like a standard sencha of the three. I don’t think I would pick up on any florals in this one if I didn’t know to look for them—even moreso than with the Yabukita. A bit of astringency comes in at the very end of the cup, but not much.

The packaging rated the flavors for this one as follows:

Floral: 5/5
Sweet: 3/5
Vegetal: 2/5
Umami: 3/5

I would rate them as follows:
Floral: 0.5/5
Sweet: 3/5
Vegetal: 4/5
Umami: 3/5