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“This shincha surprised me because of how deep-steamed that it is. I would pretty much say ‘super’ deep steamed, because there are very, very, few whole needles. I was a bit surprised at that,...” Read full tasting note
Ingredients: Young Tea Leaves
Net Weight: 50g (1.76oz.)
Hachiju Hachiya means “88 nights” and refers to the eighty-eighth day after the first day of spring on the traditional Japanese calendar. It is believed that the 88th day is the best time to pick tea, and Hachiju Hachiya Shin Cha is prized as high-quality green tea.
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This shincha surprised me because of how deep-steamed that it is. I would pretty much say ‘super’ deep steamed, because there are very, very, few whole needles. I was a bit surprised at that, because typically, if you have lower-quality leaf material to begin with, deep steaming helps to offset that fact and you end up with a pretty tasty tea in the end.
I assume that shincha is comprised of the youngest leaves and buds that have the most nutrients and flavor of all the harvests in the year (ie, pretty good leaf material to begin with), so that is why I was a little surprised at how deeply steamed it is. Is that really necessary?
It makes for a very yummy tea, but it’s hard for me to tell it is a shincha. The thick brothy consistency, the strong veggie and semi-toasted flavors overpower any of the fresh, young, bitterness I expected. Actually, it reminds me very much of two of Den’s Tea: Fukamushi Yame and Maromi.
While I personally don’t know what differentiates this tea from a regular first flush sencha, it is still good and a decent price. There is a little bit of sweetness mixed with a nice astringency in the aftertaste, and though it doesn’t laste long in the throat (like Shincha Houryoku by Den’s Tea), it is very pleasant and enjoyable.
Either they’re using the dregs of the shincha barrel and steaming the crap out of them, or else they really take the “deep steaming” to heart. I usually don’t get as much of that “fresh bitterness” from fuka teas, but I can see where you’d feel like it was a bit of a lost opportunity with the shincha they started with.
I really enjoyed the Fukamushi Yame I had a while back, but was utterly underwhelmed by the sample of Maromi I tried the other day. Sounds like this one isn’t too bad, but I think I’ll stick with the Houryoku for now. Can’t get that aftertaste out of my head!
Yeah, this is good, but both Yame and Houryoku are (esp. the latter) much better. I actually liked Maromi, as it was almost a mix of sencha and houjicha, but not sure I’d order it.