Sencha Zuiko

This is a remarkable Sencha – very full-flavored … brothy! Very smooth and vegetative. Grassy … like a savory grassy flavor with hints of sweet. Not a bitter savory, although there are some bitter notes in there, but it is more of a well-rounded savory kind of experience for the palate. Very nice.

This is a sweet, vegetal sencha I’m drinking to start the day. Alternating it with the Sencha Shin-ryoku, it might have a bit more umami, but really hard to be sure. They’re very similar, and I prefer both to the Fukamushi sencha maki I bought previously from Den’s.

I’m still pretty new to the Japanese greens, first tried them just six months ago, so have only had half a dozen different senchas, mostly small samples, to compare this to.

There is just the slightest tinge of bitterness to this tea. I suspect that I over-steeped it by a few seconds. Nonetheless it is still quite nice. It smells buttery and vegetal with just the slightest hint of flowers. My beloved says that it smells like a meadow and I can sense that as well. The taste is warm and calming with the same buttered vegetal promised by the fragrance.

Vegetal. Mild. Out of all the Den’s senchas I’ve tried, this one is the closest to being bitter. When I brewed it the suggested way, it was both weak and a tad bitter. So I experimented with brew temps and times, and found I got the best flavor when I brewed it for 2 min. 15 sec. at 150 F. When I brewed it this way, it was not bitter, and the grassy flavor stood out. The liquor is pale green in color. It’s a better quality sencha than many I’ve tried; however, it does not have the umami and depth of savory flavors I get from some other senchas, such as Den’s Fukamushi Sencha Yame.

Had a sampler of this and compared it directly to Shin-ryoku. I don’t always like giving a review after just a sample, because if I messed up the brewing parameters (or more likely, if I haven’t found brewing parameters that I like with that particular tea through experimentation, which I can’t obviously do with a sample), I won’t get a very accurate idea of how I like the tea and how it compares to others.

In order to compare this and Shin-ryoku fairly, I did a blind test, and used the same parameters (3 oz @160 F, 2 grams tea, 90 seconds).

This came out with hints of sweetness, a little (just a little) bitterness, creaminess (yes, like delicious whipped cream without the sugaryness), and a little astringency. I think this would do even better at a lower temperature for the first brewing, so I’m going to try it (when I get a full bag) at 140 or iced-brewing and report back.

Semi sweet and semi vegetal – it’s a tad sooth – and quite memorable! I like this!

Just got some of this since it’s on sale. First brew, used about 3oz water to 2.4g tea, for 90 seconds at 150F. The color is light yellow and very clean, almost no “dust”. The taste is…similar to a Chinese tea, like a good Dragonwell. There is just the right amount of bitterness and plenty of umami. Not as vegetal as some…this is a little more on the floral side. Overall, a very good tea, but a little expensive at it’s regular price.

Oh and as always, the extras Den puts in the order make it just that much better. Got a free sample of Mugicha (barley tea) that I’ve always wanted to try.