108th Nights Shincha Umegashima

I have been wanting to try this tea for quite a while (about a year).
When shincha season came up this year, and I saw that Den’s Tea was not offering it, I was disappointed… but then I discovered that one can order from their Parent Co. directly in Japan (though, it is a bit tricky to do so).
And with the help of Google translate, I saw they were selling this tea!

It has intrigued me for several reasons; first, it is a high elevation tea, and that often can mean good quality. Second, the method and care described by which the farmer, Sugiyama, goes about growing the tea was fascinating and the results just called out to be experienced. Finally, this tea is not the usual Japanese green tea cultivar, Yabukita. Instead it is ‘Zairai’ which I’ve wanted to try for some time, as well.

My first time having Zairai though, was not this tea, but Obubu (they offer a few, but their best of this cultivar is Sencha of the Earth, definitely recommend!).
Anyway, Zairai is quite interesting to me because it is actually the original tea cultivar that was brought from China (at least, if I’m remembering correctly) when tea was introduced to Japan.

This shincha has been excellent so far. The aroma of the dry leaf is especially strong and delicious. I typically enjoy the smell of dry leaf, but it is often not very pronounced until the leaves have been brewed for the first time. Not so with this tea!
It smells strongly of pine, somewhat sweet, somewhat (pleasantly) bitter—just irresistible.

I’ve managed to get three good infusions out of it each time. I might be able to get a decent fourth, but haven’t had the time to usually do so.
The tea reminds me of Sencha Zuiko (also by Den’s Tea), but it is less like fresh-baked bread, and more pine and lemon. There are probably other nuances to it that I can’t remember right now, but I’ve enjoyed every cup.

My intrigue in this tea has not been disappointed!

This tea is a beauty all the way around. A lighter steamed sencha, the 2011 108th Nights Shincha from Denshiro Shirakata Shoten has such long, gorgeous needles that I could hardly scoop it up with my teaspoon. My first experience with this tea was a bit more subtle and built up nicely, but this time it exploded from the get-go. Both times I used a preheated (~7oz) kyusu,

First Steeping (145/90 secs) — A wonderful balance of sweetness and fruity notes. The tea glides across my tongue effortlessly; leaving a silky smooth mouthfeel behind, with a teensy bit of bitterness towards the back if you focus hard on it. I notice very little astringency — afterwards, you’re left with a smooth tongue, and lingering citrus/plum notes. Very nice umami.

Second (160/45 secs): “Mellow Yellow.” This cup tastes like a natural continuation of the first cup — smooth, soft, but somewhat unremarkable aside from the bitterness that is now present “up front.” I think I should have gone with a slightly higher temperature (closer to 170) for around a minute — we’ll see how the third session goes!

Third (185/2 mins): Now, the bitterness is really shining through. I think I may have gone a little overboard with the temperature here (or sapped out all the tasty subtleties earlier), as I’m not getting much more than that “overdone sencha” taste.

Fourth (Boiling/4+ mins): Since I obviously screwed this session up, I went ahead and brewed this last infusion strong and tossed it over ice with a pinch of sugar. What surprised me here was how little bitterness/astringency came through, and how it still gave me that silky mouthfeel I tasted earlier. A nice way to finish a botched session!

In summary: this is a tea you have to keep your eye on. The first time I brewed it, I used a little less leaf at a slightly higher temperature, and it held up a bit better through multiple infusions. This time, I had an incredible start, and it fell flat afterwards. I think I’ll try less leaf in my houhin next time, and see how things go!

(Thanks again to Shinobicha for the help ordering this tea direct!)