2009 Takumi Shincha

Class: Green
Origin: Yame prefecture, Japan
Year: 2009
Vendor: Zencha.net (Product page)
Price: $31.00 (100g)


This sencha has a lovely color. It's not quite as green as O-Cha's Yukata Midori, but what is?
I've been enjoying this shincha (wondering what "shincha" is?) for a couple weeks now. Mmmm. It has been a long time since I've had any Japanese greens, but this tea fills my springtime sencha craving nicely.

It's a lot like O-Cha's Miyabi, if I remember it right. It is just a little grassy the way I brew, though you can pretty much eliminate it with cooler brewing if that doesn't sound appealing.


There are some long leaves with a good helping of small bits, so I would guess that this tea is chumushi (mid-steamed).
There is also a sweet depth to this tea, more like O-Cha's Yukata Midori than Miyabi (Yes, I know, I always refer back to these two teas. I don't drink a whole lot of different sencha, okay?). Takumi sencha is made from the Gokoh/Gokou tea varietal, which is normally used in gyokuro production, so this may explain the tea's uncommonly "round" and sweet flavor. Whatever the reason, mmm. Expensive, yes, but oh so worth it.

[I know, sencha reviews are boring and not very helpful. To be honest, I mostly wrote this so I don't have to stare at MacGyver's mug while I continue to procrastinate on the next teaware guide. To push that mullet even further down the page here are two photos of Bryce Canyon, from my recent drive through the American Southwest.]


A tree just off the Navajo Loop trail, with some classic Bryce Canyon hoodoos in the background.

One of the many gorgeous vistas along the canyon rim. (Both photos taken on Fomapan 100 @ EI 80, developed in Rodinal 1:50.)