Finally finished off the last of a 2010 packet of sencha, and have now started my first 2011 shincha:
Very deep green leaves, most fairly small pieces, sweet rich scent
between 5 and 6 oz water, 160 degrees in my Petr Novak kyusu, about 45 seconds first infusion
sweet, nutty, vegetal, lightly grassy, and delicate green color but can’t judge that well against the blue glaze of the teacup
2nd infusion, 20 seconds, 160 degrees, very similar, some grassiness a little more prominent towards the end of the infusion
3rd infusion, 170 degrees, 30-45 seconds, sweet, vegetal, a little less nutty, sugar snap peas rather than asparagus
4th infusion, 170 degrees, 1 minute, sweet, light, astringency absent
There was a 5th, but I was too distracted to note much—it was 180 degrees, for about a minute, quite light and tasty.
Addendum: 2nd series of infusions, about the same setup, except I started lower, 145 degrees, working up to 180 at the sixth, still all delicious, perhaps even a little moore so than the first time. Nice that it’s so flexible.
One sad note: my packet is 100 grams, so given my 2-4 times weekly sencha habit, it may not all be drunk while still ‘shincha fresh’. And that would be sad.
