Sencha "Tosa"

A high quality sencha green tea from western Japan, near Mt. Ishuzuchi.
It has almost a floral initial note that moves to a grassy hay, then the classic green tea vegetal note emerges. It brews to a slightly yellowish green that reminds me of the first leaves of spring (vs the amped up algal green seen in senchas with added matcha or tea dust).

It’s a solid sencha without the off-putting fishy/seaweed notes that sometimes turn people off of Japanese green teas, which are a whole world away from Western “green teas” like Lipton, etc. Do note that authentic senchas brew quickly- some of them in under a minute, so keep an eye (mouth?) on them while steeping.

From the Book of Tea. Vivid green sencha with a rich, almost creamy dry aroma. The brewed tea is light yellow-green, with a buttery mouthfeel to it. Fresh, vegetal notes, reminiscent of spinach and peas. A slight bitter undertone that isn’t unpleasant. There is very little of the nori/seaweed note found in some senchas. While it’s not a tea I’d get excited about, it’s a solid offering of its kind.

I am not someone who drinks green tea so I am going to apologize ahead of time for all my reviews as I doubt they would be very informative however, this came in the Book of Tea so I figure I should at least give it a try and see what I think. And what do I think of this particular sencha? I think it tastes like buttery hay. Seriously, that is what I am getting. I suppose one could call that “rustic” so in that sense, it delivers on what Lupicia promises. It is not something I would reach for again but its not so bad so I guess this might be an interesting choice for green tea lovers. 294.