Sencha from Tenryû, Tatsukawa, Y-2 (Yutaka-midori) cultivar from Thés du Japon

Sencha from Tenryû, Tatsukawa, Y-2 (Yutaka-midori) cultivar

Tea type
Green Tea
Ingredients
Not available
Flavors
Beans, Cabbage, Fruity, Spinach, Tropical, Umami, Vegetal, Astringent, Beany, Bitter, Butter, Grass, Grassy, Herbs, Oily, Pineapple
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Loose Leaf
Caffeine
Not available
Certification
Not available
Edit tea info Last updated by derk
Average preparation
170 °F / 76 °C 1 min, 0 sec 2 g 3 oz / 100 ml

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2 Tasting Notes View all

  • “Another interesting tea courtesy of derk. I was surprised by how fruity this was. And by fruity I mean tropical fruit which is unusual in green tea. When I first sniffed the leaves, I wondered if...” Read full tasting note
    87
  • “May 8, 2021 harvest. Initial tasting from a few nights ago. The dry leaf smells just like the 3 descriptors TDJ lists — sweet red beans, herbs, butter. The taste is much the same, moderately...” Read full tasting note
    65

From Thés du Japon

Sweet red beans, herbs, butter
Umami★★☆☆ / Astringency★★☆☆
Body★★★☆ / Firing★★☆☆

The Tenryû mountain sencha known as Y-2 is now very rare in Shizuoka, and might seem to have almost completely disappeared. In reality, however, Y-2 is hiding in plain sight since it is also known as Yutaka-midori, and has been grown widely in Kagoshima since the 1960s. Prized for its earliness, it is usually shaded before being made into fukamushi cha. Y-2 was selected in Shizuoka from Asatsuyu seeds in 1949. However, it was in Kagoshima that it became popular and acquired the name “Yutaka-midori” in 1966. It is very rare in other places, and it is even harder to find unshaded Yutaka-midori that has gone through standard steaming like this sencha from Tenryû.
This sencha has an overall sweet fragrance that includes notes of toasted bread and undertones of wild herbs.
There is a touch of umami in the mouth but also light bitterness, which is in fact typical of unshaded Yutaka-midori. The aftertaste is very long and sweet.
There is a surprising contrast between fruity and vanilla notes, and aromas of wild herbs, and also a light impression of camphor.
This sencha makes it clear that Yutaka-midori is a rather uncommon variety and that, without the intervention of shading and steaming, it can have a strong personality. It is a rich, robust tea, yet very fluid.

Type of tea : Futsumushi (normal-steamed) sencha
Origin : Tatsukawa, Tenryû Borough, Hamamatsu Town, Shizuoka Prefecture
Cultivar : Yutaka-midori
Harvest : May 8th, 2021
Brewing suggestion

Quantity of leaves: 4g / 1.3tsp Quantity of water : 70ml / 1/4cup Water temperature : 70°C / 158°F Brewing time : 60s

About Thés du Japon View company

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2 Tasting Notes

87
676 tasting notes

Another interesting tea courtesy of derk.

I was surprised by how fruity this was. And by fruity I mean tropical fruit which is unusual in green tea. When I first sniffed the leaves, I wondered if perhaps they had absorbed scent from another flavored tea.

Sure enough, the fruitiness from the aroma came through in the tea. Definitely taste the adzuki bean sweetness that derk noted. Soft umami, baby spinach, stir fried cabbage, and cherry blossom were amongst the flavors encountered.

As someone that drinks a lot of green tea, they often end up tasting rather similar. So a unique sencha like this with an atypical flavor profile is a welcome change.

Flavors: Beans, Cabbage, Fruity, Spinach, Tropical, Umami, Vegetal

Preparation
170 °F / 76 °C 1 min, 0 sec 2 g 3 OZ / 100 ML
1 comments
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derk
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This sencha, surprisingly, became fruitier with age! Glad you could enjoy it :)

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65
1548 tasting notes

May 8, 2021 harvest. Initial tasting from a few nights ago.

The dry leaf smells just like the 3 descriptors TDJ lists — sweet red beans, herbs, butter.

The taste is much the same, moderately buttery and beany with some bitterness and a bright grass-pineapple astringency that considerably lightens what could be an umami bomb.

Dinner was a rice bowl with kimchi, fried egg and seaweed. This sencha served as a solid palate cleanser for such a piquant meal, while still having enough flavor to stand on its own. A little too much caffeine to be having a few hours before bed, though :P To me, this is a utilitarian tea and performs well over 3 steeps.

I’ll probably go more in depth sometime since I have 100g to play with.

Flavors: Astringent, Beans, Beany, Bitter, Butter, Fruity, Grass, Grassy, Herbs, Oily, Pineapple, Umami

2 comments
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gmathis
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I’m getting tired and slap-happy….I’m hyper-focusing on saying beans, beany, bitter, butter, fruity, grass five times fast like a tongue twister. On a more rational note, I’ve been completely fascinated by your reviews of the entire Thes du Japon lineup!

Mastress Alita
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Oh man, I would be up all night if I had a Japanese green before bed! Of all the tea types I’ve tried so far, for some reason those hit me hard!

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