We don't know when or if this item will be available.
“This came as a green tea in my green tea gift set I got for Christmas. I know that green tea has a short shelf life so I figure I’d better start drinking some of this. I used about 2 tsp for 12 oz...” Read full tasting note
“17°C, phone weather app? Really? I highly doubt it as that must surely be the warmest 17°C ever measured. It was definitely more like somewhere between 20 and 25! I absolutely refuse to believe...” Read full tasting note
“Hmmm I really liked this when I first tried it, I think I did a 30 sec steep at 175 in cast iron. Today I did it for 30 secs in a glass infuser mug and unfortunately it was straining really slowly...” Read full tasting note
A Green Tea included in Teavana’s Shizuoka Green Tea Gift Set.
Website’s Description:
The Shizuoka region of Japan has been producing fine teas for over 800 years and grows 50% of the tea consumed in Japan. This handsome gift set includes four of the most traditional and sought after Japanese green teas: Gyokuro Matcha, Fukamushi Superior, Gyokuro Genmaicha, and Tama Ryokucha. Each comes in an ornate traditional origami paper 2oz tin (four total). 2oz of each green tea are included along with details of these teas. Comes in a beautiful gift box.
This came as a green tea in my green tea gift set I got for Christmas. I know that green tea has a short shelf life so I figure I’d better start drinking some of this. I used about 2 tsp for 12 oz of water. The instructions said to steep at 175 F for 90 seconds and I believe my temp was around that amount, although I do need to find my thermometer.
This does not seem like the best fukamushi I’ve ever had. It is very grassy with a touch of bitterness at the end. I would expect this more with a lower quality sencha. I may try decreasing the steeping time even further. I may also start cold brewing some of this green tea so I can drink it all before it goes stale. I definitely enjoyed the other 3 in the gift set more than this one.
Note: I did try a resteep at 60 seconds with around the same temp and it is a lot sweeter, perhaps less is more with this one, need to treat it gently.
17°C, phone weather app? Really? I highly doubt it as that must surely be the warmest 17°C ever measured. It was definitely more like somewhere between 20 and 25! I absolutely refuse to believe otherwise.
Anyway, this warm, summery weather has put me in the mood of something green, and therefore I turn towards a tea that Autumn Hearth shared with me an embarrassingly long time ago. She sent me a whole little green tea education that time, but I never managed to make it through all of the things she sent me, as I must have misplaced this and two others. Obviously my old system for storing samples doesn’t work, and my newer system of keeping everything untried in a box on my desk seems to be working much better.
This one smells very fruity. I’m thinking something along a sweet apple sort or possible some sort of stone fruit. Yeah, mostly the latter, actually.
It tastes very sweet too, and it has that fruity note in the flavour as well as the aroma. There’s also a fairly strong mineral note and something that reminds me of some kind of green vegetable. A leafy sort of flavour. I’m not sure what it is. I’m getting thoughts of spinach here, but it doesn’t really taste like spinach at all. That’s just because whenever someone says ‘leafy greens’ to me, spinach is the first thing that comes to mind.
This is quite pleasant. I’m not one to drink an awful lot of green tea. It’s something that I have to be in a very specific mood for these days, but when I do, I’ve noticed that I tend to favour Japanese over Chinese. They generally strike me as having a clearer, crisper flavour profile, where Chinese green tea often strikes me as more sort of thick and murky.
Huh! Looks like I’m the odd duck. I quite enjoyed this and mine is ancient.
Uh oh! Are you liking Japanese greens now? Cause if you are, there’s something I totally need to stick in your next tea package!
Yeah, but… when in the right mood. I’ve always preferred them over Chinese greens. It’s not a type I ever go out and buy unless it’s some kind of flavoured thing. I generally prefer green tea fruit-flavoured in some way.
Ah yes, I remember now – we only have twin tastes in black tea! :D
Hmmm I really liked this when I first tried it, I think I did a 30 sec steep at 175 in cast iron. Today I did it for 30 secs in a glass infuser mug and unfortunately it was straining really slowly so it steeps for more lie a min (which is actually the recommended parameters on the tin), very astringent which is unfortunate as the leaves actually had a nice natural fruity smell going on. Second infusion I lowered the temp to 170 and steeped for 25 pouring it through a stainless steel strain into another cup, still bitter. Okay one more time 170, took out some leaf (or rather let it stay in the other strainer) steeps for 10 sec. Still crap.
I was planning on cold brewing but after reading Amy oh’s tasting notes below, I’m guessing there is no hope. So while I was going to start off this note saying I need to find better ways to brew Japanese green teas I’m going to add what I already knew, I need to find better Japanese green teas. I have a list for Mellow Monk and Dens but right now my tea budget only allows one major purchase a month and its been with Verdant for the last 6 months and I don’t see that changing any time soon, unless someone gets me a gift card for the holidays or a tea of the month subscription ;) Also I apologize for sending some of this to Angrboda, I really did have a fond memory of this at the time :/
I almost never get tea things for Christmas! :(( Everyone says I have too much tea and I don’t need it (true). I really like tea and if I don’t get any for Christmas, I go on a buying spree shortly after ( ie, my New Year’s Day tea splurge from Thunderbolt Tea)! Not to mention my successful purchase of 5 oz of Mei Li from The Tao of Tea, a day or two after Christmas!! :)) Maybe I’ll find some tea surprises next year for Christmas. :)) One can hope anyway. :-//
Definitely Cold Brew it….
If I do cold brew it I’ll let you know
@ScottTeaMan: same for me. When my husband asks me what I want, I’ll tell him (and it’s usually tea or some sort of tea related item), and he tells me he does not want to get that for me. And I’m like, well, why did you ask me what I wanted if you aren’t going to get it for me? So, I buy my own tea gifts for Christmas.
I didn’t ask for this tea as a Christmas gift but I got it anyway… luckily it seems to be one of the better things Teavana offers. :)
But I usually don’t ask for specifics, maybe just gift certificates. I feel like Yukon Cornelius, when he is searching for gold, licks his pick axe, and says, “Nothing!” :-//