Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Kyoto Obubu Tea Plantations
Tea Description:
Sencha of the Summer Sun or 太陽の煎茶（夏） is the companion to Sencha of the Spring Sun, with a bitter taste that is strong at first. But the as the aftertaste spreads through you mouth, you begin to taste the sweet early summer sun shining brightly. Great for washing down oily meals (like summer BBQs…yum!).
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I think that the description above, while somewhat bardic, is pretty spot-on to what I’m experiencing with this tea. The sip begins with a savory bitterness, and as it washes over the palate, there is a bright, fruity sweetness that comes through. It’s really quite remarkable, this Sencha of the Summer Sun!
When compared to other green teas – or even compared to other Japanese Senchas – this Japanese Sencha has a strong, assertive flavor. I would categorize it as a full-bodied green tea. It has a fair amount of astringency to it, and some may find it to be too astringent (personally, I do not find it to be too astringent, but I could see how others might find it so), so I recommend steeping for just 1 1/2 minutes to start (175°F) to help taper the astringency.
But even though it is a bold green tea, I’m not finding it to be overly vegetative. There is some vegetal notes in there, sure, but it tastes more like creamed spinach to me than a grassy taste. Sharp floral notes that meld with the aforementioned savory bitter tones give it an umami kind of effect which then subsides into a lovely fruit-like sweetness.
A true delight, this Sencha from Obubu Tea!
Houjicha (Smoky Roast) from Kyoto Obubu Tea Plantations
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green Tea
Where to Buy: Kyoto Obubu Tea Plantations
Product Description:
Roasted green tea, or Houjicha (ほうじ茶 sometimes 焙じ茶), is unlike any green tea you’ve tasted before. With a richly smokey flavor that is simultaneously light and sweet, houjicha has none of the bitterness of traditional green teas. And like decaf coffee, the roasting process removes the caffeine from the leaves making it the perfect after dinner / before bed drink.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This is my third and final tea from the December “Steep for Japan” Steepster Select box … yes I am a little behind this month! It was the 12 Day countdown with 52Teas that did it to me! But at least I am indeed tasting and reviewing it in the month of December, right?
The idea of this box was to celebrate the teas from Japan, and I think that the varieties offered in the box showed three very different types of tea from one very small country – all unique and very delicious reflections of a country that endured some pretty rough times this past year.
I’ve tried a couple of different Houjicha teas from Kyoto Obubu Tea Plantations, including the Organic Houjicha and their Houjicha Dark Roast. And I must say that even though they are all Houjicha, each possess their own unique qualities depending upon how they are grown and processed.
This Smoky Roast Houjicha is indeed smoky. The other Houjicha teas tend to have a smoky element to them due to the roasting process, but, here, the smoke is very well defined. It is evident in the aroma of the dry leaf and brewed liquor, and it is especially evident in the flavor. That being said, I wouldn’t call it overly smoky (this is no Lapsang Souchong). I like the level of smokiness to this Houjicha; it’s not too smoky for my palate, and I like that it does not overwhelm the other notes in the cup.
This tea is smooth and pleasantly sweet, reminding me a bit of caramel and I like the way the caramel-like notes meld with the smoky tones. A complimentary wood note fills in the background, providing a well-rounded flavor. It has very little astringency, and it is not bitter. Just a very enjoyable and relaxing cup!
As as it cools the flavors remain pleasantly warm and agreeable. The effect is something I’d liken to a soft, cozy blanket or fuzzy slippers; I get that kind of warm, comfortable sensation from this tea. Very nice, indeed!
ITFA Global Tea Taster’s Club, August Shipment, Part 3: Organic Gemmai cha
Leaf Type: Green
Produced for the Kyoto Obubu Tea Plantations
For More Information, visit the Tea Farms webpage
About ITFA Global Tea Tasters Club:
By subscribing to the Global Tea Tasters Club, you will receive tea from ITFA tea farms 6 times per year. Each time, we will select a different region to feature and as we grow in tea farm members, so will your tea experience.
Your tea will also be accompanied by info about the tea and the tea farms themselves.
To know where your tea is coming from, who has grown and produced it, to taste the difference in teas from around the world…what could be better?
Taster’s Review:
Editor’s Note: I know it is usually spelled “Genmaicha” or “Genmai Cha,” however, the label on the package says Gemmai Cha.
Genmaicha stands out as my first really positive green tea experience. Way back (about 15 years now! yikes!) when I first started drinking tea “seriously” (err… that is, buying and drinking loose leaf tea), I had decided (rather prematurely) that I wasn’t crazy for green tea. Most of what I had tried was bitter. I have since realized that it was my fault because I had not yet learned the proper way to brew green tea. It was about the time that I started learning more about brewing temperatures and steeping time that I tried Genmaicha, and I really enjoyed it.
So I am always happy to receive Genmaicha, and was thrilled to find a package of Genmaicha along with the other teas that I received as part of August’s Shipment for the Global Tea Taster’s Club.
About this Genmaicha:
Obubu’s Genmaicha, or brown rice tea, is made with new leaves harvested in the summer. Instead of regular rice, Obubu uses sweet rice grown locally in the valley of Wazuka, creating a tea with a strong, sweet, toasty flavor and an aroma that fills the room.
While I am enjoying this Genmaicha immensely, I do disagree with the above quote regarding this tea. This has to be one of the lighter Genmaicha teas that I’ve ever tasted. But I don’t think that’s a bad thing. It is sweet and toasty, and it is very aromatic, but, it doesn’t have the strong flavor that I usually experience with a Genmaicha.
Yes, I do appreciate the strong flavor of a typical Genmaicha, but, I am finding the lightness of this Genmaicha to be very refreshing, and I’m liking it a lot. The green tea tastes fresh and exhilarating. It has a crispness to it, and a moderate amount of cleansing astringency.
The sweet brown rice adds that cozy, comforting toasty flavor, but it doesn’t taste overly roasty-toasty. It is the brown rice flavor where the lightness is especially noticeable. The brown rice isn’t overpowering the flavor of the green tea, which I think is often the case with Genmaicha. With this Genmaicha (Gemmai Cha?) it is the green tea that is celebrated, and not the toasty rice.
A very unexpected yet delicious Genmaicha!
Sencha of the Wind from Kyoto Obubu Tea Plantations
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Obubu Tea
Product Description:
A tea popular with female customers in Japan, our Sencha of the Wind or 風の煎茶, is a sencha with a soft sweetness that is perfect for our warm water (sencha espresso) steeping method. Steep it with boiling water though, and surprisingly the tea retains much of its sweetness.
Grown on southeast facing rolling hills at an altitude of 500 meters (1640 feet) and harvested in late May, the cultivation technique is very similar to our Kabuse Sencha. However, in addition to being harvested slightly later than the Kabuse, this tea does not use the Yabukita variety of tea plant (said to be the most suitable for Japanese tea) and is instead cultivated on standard tea plants. The difference is in the leaves as these leaves produce less amino acids than the Kabuse and therefore less bitterness.
Taster’s Review:
This is one of the softest Sencha teas I think I’ve ever encountered. It is like a bit of fresh air – which seems right considering the name of the tea.
The flavor of this tea is very delicate yet refreshing. There is so very little vegetal/grassy taste to this Sencha. It has no bitterness to speak of. It is sweet and possesses a very interesting fruit-like note that hits the palate towards the end of the sip. It tastes smooth and clean, with a pleasant crispness to it. It tastes like the early days of spring to me.
This tea also has a light yet very pleasant mouthfeel. It is just as soft as the flavor, soft and silky. I really enjoyed this tea. Such a unique Sencha!
Sencha of the Earth from Kyoto Obubu Tea Plantations
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Obubu Tea
Product Description:
Balancing sweetness with bitterness, the Sencha of the Earth or 大地の煎茶, was named because it comes from standard tea plants over 30 years old. The strength of these plants is simply amazing, and we can feel the power of the earth as we drink it. Grown on northwest facing slopes near the Wazuka River.
Taster’s Review:
Another fantastic Sencha from Obubu Tea!
It brews to a pale green that is much more translucent than Obubu Tea’s Sencha of the Autumn Moon that I reviewed previously. It possesses a slightly nutty aroma with a hint of spice in the background, and a vegetable front note.
This tea tastes so fresh and vibrant, like a run through a dew-drenched meadow of clover on a sunny afternoon. There are strong notes of vegetation that are a little more grassy than vegetable, and unlike some Sencha teas I’ve encountered, I don’t get that heavy buttery quality. There is a note of creaminess, but it is more like creamed spinach than it is creamy butter.
This tea is appropriately named, because there is also an earthy quality to the flavor of this tea that I don’t think I’ve ever experienced before with another Sencha tea. With this earthy note and the aforementioned grassy tones, this tea truly is a Sencha of the Earth!
This Sencha is delicious hot or iced, but I recommend trying it first as a hot tea so that you can fully appreciate all of the subtleties that this tea has to offer, because as it cools some of the flavors mute slightly, and this becomes much more vegetal-tasting than it is hot. One thing worth mentioning, though, is that as it cools, I notice more of a gentle pepper-y taste in the background that is quite delicious.
Regardless of how you choose to serve it, you should definitely try this tea!