Sencha – Yabukita – Grade 1 Rank 5 in 77th Hinpyoukai 2023 Sencha 4kg Category

Steamed Tea Background Information:
Steamed teas like sencha are one of the most traditional types of Japanese green tea. There are three main types of sencha; asamushi (light steamed, ~15seconds), chuumushi (medium steamed, ~15-45seconds), fukamushi (deep steamed, ~45+seconds). Lighter steamed teas tend to produce a golden yellow colour. Deep steamed teas however can produce vivid green colours usually with a thicker texture, and due to the longer steaming time the leaves are mostly broken and fragmented with many small particles, meaning we consume more nutrients (and caffeine!). Asamushi sencha leaves are mostly intact, rolled into needle shapes which unfold more attractively as infusions progress. Shincha (meaning new tea) is tea that has been picked during the first harvest of the year – in spring. Later harvests have drastically lower amounts of amino acids (which give us umami and sweetness) and higher catechin levels (astringency and some bitterness). After harvest the tea is steamed straight away to halt oxidisation, and will then go on to be dried and rolled through various processes, finally being fired (hiire) to further dry the leaves to under 5% moisture, and impart the final taste. Some Japanese green teas are made from blends of different cultivars or regions, and some are single cultivar (similar to coffee/whisky). Blends are created by tea masters who taste many teas and then choose a selection to combine for a desired final taste that is easier to replicate year after year by adjusting the cultivar ratios. Single cultivar teas show the drinker how that year’s particular harvest was for that cultivar, as easy year can be quite different. This allows the drinker to build up a mental profile of that cultivar’s characteristics with time, bearing in mind there will also be large influences from the region/terroir and the specific farmer and producer’s growing and finishing methods.

Notes For This Particular Tea:
This tea is grown and processed in Sayama, Saitama by Okutomi-san. It is a single cultivar Yabukita, as the vast majority of sencha 4kg submissions are. Futsumushi encompasses light and medium steamings, whereas fukamushi sencha (deep steamed sencha) has its own category in the competition. Teas are judged on four criteria; appearance, water colour, aroma, and flavour, and this tea scored top marks in each. It has a particularly clean and fresh but also deep and rich umami flavour, with some astringency extracted later on when using higher temperature water that provides a very satisying balance. Enjoy not only the delicious taste, but the whole experience of witnessing the change in the delicately rolled leaves, how the fresh aroma and the water colour change with the infusions.

Hot brewing guide:
Sencha 5 grams
Water 50ml
First infusion 60°C for 75sec
Second infusion 70°C for 25sec
Third infusion 85°C for 10sec

Storage:
Store in a cold environment (6-10°C) and avoid exposure to sunlight and air - these will degrade your tea.