Oolong tea from Sashima, Kanaya-midori cultivar

Tea type
Oolong Tea
Ingredients
Not available
Flavors
Apricot, Astringent, Butter, Coconut, Cream, Floral, Grain, Grass, Honeysuckle, Lemon, Lilac, Lily, Mango, Mineral, Orchid, Peach, Quince, Sap, Silky, Spices, Spinach, Sugarcane, Tart, Vegetal, Creamy, Drying, Fruity, Round, Smooth, Stewed Fruits, Sugar, Sweet, Tangy, Toast
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Loose Leaf
Caffeine
Not available
Certification
Not available
Edit tea info Last updated by derk
Average preparation
Boiling 0 min, 30 sec 3 g 2 oz / 73 ml

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2 Tasting Notes View all

  • “Thanks, Derk, for all the generous Japanese tea samples! This is also my first Japanese oolong, and I was drawn to the ones featured on the Thés du Japon site because they were described as...” Read full tasting note
  • “And another freebie, thank you! May 4th, 2021 harvest. I can’t recall ever having a Japanese oolong before. Thés du Japon likens this tea to a baozhong oolong. I have to agree, though it is much...” Read full tasting note

From Thés du Japon

Located in the plains northeast of Tôkyô, Sashima is not what comes to mind when one thinks of a region that produces oolong tea. However, using Taiwanese material and having studied on Formosa Island, M. Kimura is one of the few Japanese producers who excels in making this type of tea. While he is especially well-known for his Qingxin-wulong, the teas he makes with Japanese cultivars are also amazing, as is the case with this Kanaya-midori.
True to a Kanaya-midori, this baozhong oolong has milky fragrances. They are accompanied by citrus notes and very light floral nuances.
In the mouth, the delicious milky aromas are even more dominant and have a round sensation. This is followed by citrus, floral aromas.
Over multiple infusions, it is always milky, even slightly buttery. In addition, fruity nuances of mangos and coconuts start to appear.
This is an exceptional Japanese oolong and a great example of a local cultivar suited to the baozhong style.

Type of tea : Semi-fermented tea (wulong tea)
Origin : Yamazaki, Sakai town, Sashima district, Ibaraki Prefecture
Cultivar : Kanaya-midori
Harvest : May 4th, 2021

Brewing suggestion Quantity of leaves: 3g / 1 tsp Quantity of water : 50ml / 1/5 cup Water temperature : 100°C / 212°F Brewing time : 40s

About Thés du Japon View company

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2 Tasting Notes

441 tasting notes

Thanks, Derk, for all the generous Japanese tea samples! This is also my first Japanese oolong, and I was drawn to the ones featured on the Thés du Japon site because they were described as resembling Taiwanese gaoshan, even down to the cultivars used. I had no idea how to steep this, not having a 60 ml vessel, so I filled my 85 ml teapot most of the way and hoped it was okay. TDJ also only gives directions for the first steep. I used my 3 g of leaf in boiling water and steeped it for 30, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 90, 120, and 240 seconds.

The dry aroma is of apricot, tart fruit (I haven’t had quince, but that seems accurate), grain, lemon, lilies and other flowers, and sugarcane. The lily, honeysuckle, orchid, and maybe even lilac florals do remind me of a Baozhong, as does the grass, butter, and silky texture. There’s definitely an element of grain that I haven’t found in Baozhong, and the tart quince/apricot/peach comes in on the aftertaste. (That peachy aftertaste might be the best part of this steep!) Spice is quite prominent in steep two, along with flowers, grass, minerals, grain, sap, and tart fruit. I see how Derk is getting mango in steep three, though there’s also some astringency, grass, spinach, lily, apricot, lemon, and minerals. The tea is starting to get a bit rough around the edges. Coconut appears in the fourth steep, though the spinach and grass are getting stronger and the fruit/florals are backing off. There’s still some creamy mango sweetness as it cools. The coconut, mango, and apricot continue in the next few steeps, but this oolong is getting very grassy, vegetal, and bitter.

This oolong evolved throughout my gongfu session and was a bit temperamental, though that could have been due to user error. While it did have some similarities to Baozhong, it took a wildly different direction in later steeps. (Also, keep those coconut teas coming!) Thanks to Derk for letting me try this tea!

Flavors: Apricot, Astringent, Butter, Coconut, Cream, Floral, Grain, Grass, Honeysuckle, Lemon, Lilac, Lily, Mango, Mineral, Orchid, Peach, Quince, Sap, Silky, Spices, Spinach, Sugarcane, Tart, Vegetal

Preparation
Boiling 0 min, 30 sec 3 g 3 OZ / 85 ML
derk

Haha 3g does not a generous sample make. Sorry bout that. But glad you got some coconut out of it

Leafhopper

LOL! It was nice of you to send me some at all. :) I appreciate all the samples.

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1620 tasting notes

And another freebie, thank you!

May 4th, 2021 harvest.

I can’t recall ever having a Japanese oolong before.

Thés du Japon likens this tea to a baozhong oolong. I have to agree, though it is much less florally intense than the Taiwanese teas I’ve had of this style.

The dry leaf smells toasty-biscuity with sweet-sour baked fruits, like an apricot-quince compote if I were to imagine one. The aroma of the tea is floral-sugarcane sweet with a creamy lily note.

First cup is smooth and silky, fruity-tangy with a unique sweetness and a spicy catch in the throat; drying with a persistent fruity mango-coconut? aftertaste. As I sip the second cup, I realize the overall taste is not well-defined but is round and rather ethereal, much like a Taiwanese Dayuling I had several years ago. Maybe with that silky mouthfeel it’s like coconut water? With the second steep, I notice a tiny bit of bitterness, however it’s not off-putting. Here is where I am arrested immediately by the intoxicating aroma coming off the wet leaf, the tea itself and also the bottom the cup. Macerated peaches with sugar and lemon sticks sweetly to everything! This carries into the third steep where the tea becomes slatey-mineral, reminding me in a way of how activated charcoal feels. I know that sounds strange but that’s where my mind went. From the fourth infusion on, the tea seems to regain a sense of self beyond the mineral character. The sweet, fruity aroma and aftertaste both carry even into the seventh infusion, where I call it quits.

I’m having a difficult time describing this tea and wish I had more to play around with! Despite this difficulty, it’s a treat of a tea with its aroma, silky mouthfeel and aftertaste. And it handles boiling water with grace, which is always a plus.

Flavors: Apricot, Butter, Coconut, Creamy, Drying, Fruity, Grain, Lemon, Lily, Mango, Mineral, Peach, Quince, Round, Silky, Smooth, Stewed Fruits, Sugar, Sugarcane, Sweet, Tangy, Toast

Preparation
Boiling 0 min, 30 sec 3 g 2 OZ / 60 ML
Leafhopper

This one sounds good!

Martin Bednář

If I remember correctly, another is waiting for you at the post office :wink:

derk

Oh cool :) I forgot the post office wasn’t open yesterday (public holiday) and I couldn’t make it before closing today. Tomorrow!

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