Green Tea Forum

cupotea · Uh, Can I Add Sugar? Joined: 13 Sep 2007 Posts: 12

Finally a website with a forum about sencha!

Quick question, which here at o-cha.com is the strongest tasting quality sencha? For me, the stronger the better!

I ask because every site that I buy from has great quality teas except for the sencha. Is there some reason for this? I first bought sencha from an offline vendor in New York and it was great (it was also expensive).

Anyway, hopefully my search ends here. Any suggestions?

Thanks,

-Dave

Chip · Posted: Sep 14, 2007 10:05 am Post subject:

My fav three O-Cha sencha are Miyabi (Uji), Yutaka Midori (Kagoshima), and Hatsumi (Shizuoka).

But perhaps the strongest is the Fukamushi, but I am still working on trying that one.

It is very simple why you cannot find great sencha domestically here in the USA...it is poorly sourced and it is not fresh. It is not uncommon for year old sencha to be bought up in Japan very cheaply and dumped here. Add to that the lengthy shipping used by domestic vendors, and probable mishandling and improper storage of their inventory...you end up with crappy sencha. I have had more than my share, but I have never been disappointed with the quality and freshness of O-Cha sencha which is shipped from Japan to your door via air mail in 4 days. w@@t.

cupotea · Uh, Can I Add Sugar? Joined: 13 Sep 2007 Posts: 12

Thanks Chip!

Ah, sounds promising. Shipped from Japan you say, perfect, sounds like it will be great. I have had other teas from sites like adagio.com that were ok, some real good...just not the sencha. Makes sense now.

I'll place an order this weekend. Thanks for the suggestions.

-Dave

Ed · Posted: Sep 14, 2007 10:47 am Post subject:

This is a lot better than anything from adagio, trust me. Miyabi and Yutaka Midori are my favorites from o-cha so far. But you will probably like any of them. Just pick one that sounds good to you. I haven't had o-cha's fukamushi yet, either, but as Chip said - that stuff is going to be potent so if you like strong tea then that's a good one to try. Smile

Deep Steamed Green Tea Fukamushi Sencha

cupotea · Uh, Can I Add Sugar? Joined: 13 Sep 2007 Posts: 12

Adagio has some good Chinese greens, but not good Japanese greens. They have good black and oolongs, and ok whites. Good place for beginners I guess since they are more mild with there teas, nothing too potent which seasoned tea drinkers seem to sometimes be after.

I'm more than likely are going to try ever Sencha and Gyokuro tea on this site. I tried almost all of adagio's teas, so I need something new... Smile

The teas sold here appear to be very fresh. I'm looking forward to them.

Thanks for the replies.

-Dave

FataliTEA · Posted: Sep 15, 2007 11:09 am Post subject:

Kevangogh · Forum God Joined: 19 Jul 2005 Posts: 916 Location: Japan

Great analogy!

Ryan · Sensei Joined: 19 Jul 2005 Posts: 475

In the spirit of forthrightness....

I clearly have a Tea PhD. We are talking professor level status....

So if anyone wants to continue their studies and learn from the very best... You know where to find me.

cupotea · Uh, Can I Add Sugar? Joined: 13 Sep 2007 Posts: 12

Potent as in strong...something of better quality, full-bodied. Was that not the right word describing sencha?

Anyway, it's like I said which you agree, adagio is a good starter place. I've been drinking loose leaf tea for only 2 and a half years so I still have much to discover.

Calling huh? Yeah, I seek higher quality.

BTW, I have a question. Are all sencha teas roasted, or just some varieties. Or is roasting a thing of the past?

I'm searching for a better understanding on the processing of this tea.

-Dave

syntheticpanda · 2nd Degree Black Belt Joined: 07 Nov 2006 Posts: 198

I think potent works, as opposed to stale or weak, anyway.

Sencha isn't roasted at all, actually, it's steamed. This is one of the big things that distinguishes Japanese green tea from Chinese greens (which are roasted, not steamed). There are a couple exceptions-- China makes *some* steamed green tea and Japan makes *some* roasted green tea-- but for the most part this holds true.

cupotea · Uh, Can I Add Sugar? Joined: 13 Sep 2007 Posts: 12

So a majority is not roasted, hmm. I was confused about that since I thought sencha meant "roasted tea". Perhaps I'm wrong about the meaning.

I only been with loose leaf a short couple of years, so I'm no expert. More of an intermediate who introduces novices to loose tea. I mean I can't tell by taste if a tea was harvested on a rainy day or on a sunny one, lol.

Although potent is probably not in the tea tasting vocabulary, it does mean strong and effective, something having power. That’s what I enjoy in a green tea which is why I used it.

-Dave

FataliTEA · Posted: Sep 16, 2007 9:44 am Post subject: Pardon the semantics

cupotea · Uh, Can I Add Sugar? Joined: 13 Sep 2007 Posts: 12

I guess what I’m trying to say is that I want a sencha tea with a very grassy taste. That is what makes green tea so awesome! At least for me Smile

Sencha I know offers that, along with several other flavors that treats the palate. Vegetal, yet sweet, that was my first sencha experience when I bought 2 ounces of it from a vendor in NY. Paid over $20 for it, and it was great.

Adagio’s senchas are what you described of having no depth. I seek something better. I first though adagio was the best out there, but now my tongue I find is begging me for more quality teas overall, not just greens. I know they’re out there, I just have to find them.

Not to knock adagio, I still think they’re an ok outlet, but more for the newcomers I’m realizing as mentioned before in this post.

Everyone here seems to be happy with the products sold on o-cha, so I’m really looking forward to the experience.

You have a good reviewing voice FataliTEA, would you mind having a quick look at my informational website and giving an opinion? Any suggestions would be appreciated Smile

Keep in mind it’s geared more towards the newcomers to loose leaf. Also, I’m no expert, so you’ll only find the basic information there. Like I said, I still have much to learn.

I want to expand my knowledge of Japanese green teas first, so I’ll park here a while.

Don’t want to anger anyone with posting a link on this forum, so I’ll just give the domain below.

(link removed by moderator - send FataliTEA a PM or email if you want him to review the website you are trying to get ranked.)

-Dave

Chip · Posted: Sep 16, 2007 3:50 pm Post subject:

Self promoting links especially to revenue generating sites are not permitted on this forum. Also links are not permitted by new members.

Please refer to the forum guidelines. Thanx.

cupotea · Uh, Can I Add Sugar? Joined: 13 Sep 2007 Posts: 12

Sorry about that...