Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green Tea (with Matcha)
Where to Buy: Sugimoto America
Tea Description:
Ingredients: Tea Leaves, Roasted Rice, Matcha
Special blend of Genmai Cha and stone-milled Matcha, the powdered green tea for traditional tea ceremony. The added Matcha gives Genmai Cha a smooth body and vivid emerald-green color. Genmai Cha is a toasty, nutty tea and is one of Japan’s most popular varieties.
Use 1 tablespoon (5g) for 12 oz of water. We recommend steeping with 175F water or above for 30 – 60 seconds. Yields approximately 100 servings/package.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Genmai Cha with Matcha from Sugimoto America is one of those green teas that I have tried a few times but place in a special section of my cupboard because I don’t want to drink it all at once and run out.
The green tea leaves start very flat and plump up a bit when you add the hot water. The roasted brown rice looks just like popcorn as it stereo-typically would in a tea such as this. The matcha looks and smells fresh and crisp and coat every spec of the tea/popped-rice combo.
After you infuse about a tablespoon of the mixture worth in hot water for about 30 to 60 seconds – the aroma is reminiscent of a nice warm spring day in Florida with nearby neighbors mowing their already well kept lawns. I don’t know if this wicked weather we’ve been having has made me think this way – or if the aroma really DOES take me back to my childhood while visiting my grandparents. Either way…the aroma is pleasant and warming with a bit of sweetness and fresh grass or greens!
Because of the matcha – you will notice the tea water is a cloudy green/gray – but – this just adds to the overall experience of it all! The match flavor is great! The taste and texture of the sip on the tongue is more like a brothy-soup than a tea and it’s more filling that just a regular tea or tisane…it’s more like a meal than a beverage. It’s completely fulfilling and delicious!
This is a tea to savor, a tea to save for when you really NEED it, a tea to have on hand when you need an escape, and a tea to appreciate. This is a pure delight!
Temomi Shin Cha Green Tea from Sugimoto America
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Sugimoto America
Tea Description:
Temomi Shin Cha is one of the rarest and highest quality Japanese green teas. The word temomi means “hand-rolled”. From the meticulous picking of the best young tea leaves to the final process of kneading the leaves to fine needles, the whole practice is done by the hands of elite temomi artisans. A method used in Japan centuries ago, the temomi technique is vanishing due to the adoption of today’s machines to produce tea. Temomi Shin Cha is offered to the Japanese Emperor each year in a ceremony celebrating the first tea of spring.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I have tried Shin Cha teas in the past, but I have never had this very rare Temomi Shin Cha tea before. What an amazing opportunity to try it!
This is one of the finest green teas I’ve yet to try.
The dry leaf is long and elegant. The photo above almost suggests an appearance of a Japanese Sencha, and … it does look a little bit like that, except that the leaves are longer. These aren’t a finely cut leaf, they’re the tender, young leaves – whole – that have been assiduously rolled by hand. Each tiny, beautiful leaf has been rolled into a long, very slender, sleek “needles.” They’re gorgeous.
Since I do not own a kyusu, I steeped these leaves in my gaiwan. My gaiwan is not the “standard” gaiwan, it has a fairly wide, shallow chamber and it is the perfect size to accommodate these precious leaves. How this tea is brewed is very important. The temperature should be only 100°F – yeah! I did a double take on that temperature too. I don’t think I’ve ever encountered a tea where such a low temperature was required!
Fortunately, my Breville One-Touch doubles as a variable tea kettle as well, and while it doesn’t have a setting for a temperature so low, it does show the temperature as it builds and I was able to pull the kettle at 100°F. The steep time is 2 minutes. After two minutes, look at the leaves and see if they’ve opened. They were beginning to open at this point, but not fully open, so I gave the tea one more minute. After the extra minute, I strained the tea and sat back to enjoy my this rare tea experience!
The color of the tea is very pale. But even though there isn’t a lot of color to the liquid, there is a LOT of flavor and texture. It is sweet and the texture is thick. Thicker than any other Japanese green tea I’ve ever tried (Matcha is not included in that statement.) It is rich and buttery with a strong vegetative taste that is somewhat grassy. Sweet and grassy.
In the literature that comes along with this tea, it says:
Temomi Shincha is consumed in small amounts, very much akin to enjoying a rich and strong flavored espresso.
And I get that. No, I’m not tasting espresso here. But it does have a very strong and forward flavor, just like you might experience if you were to be sipping on an espresso – but without being brash like espresso can be. Hey, what can I say, I’m not into espresso … I’m a tea drinker through and through.
For the second infusion, I used 130°F water and steeped for only 1 minute. This cup is not quite as thick as the first was, but it maintains the same level of flavor and the same sweet, grassy, rich taste that I enjoyed in the first cup. Still buttery, but because it isn’t as thick, it doesn’t seem quite as buttery or creamy as the first cup was. It still has a really luscious texture though, it’s just a little lighter. I notice a bit of astringency to this cup.
I brewed my third infusion the same way, but I added 15 seconds onto the infusion time, steeping for 1 minute 15 seconds. The extra 15 seconds made a difference, and I’m getting that same soft, thick texture that I experienced in the first cup with this cup. It’s thick and buttery and delightful.
This third cup may be my favorite of the three. It has the same rich, brothy texture of the first cup, but with a softer vegetative presentation, the flavor is a little softer and this accentuates the creamy texture.
And because I wasn’t quite ready to say goodbye to this tea just yet, I decided to do something that I don’t ordinarily do: eat the leaves! I brought the kettle to a boil, and poured the boiling water over the leaves to soak them for five minutes to remove any tannic qualities of the leaves. So after I finished drinking this tea, I enjoyed a warm salad of tea leaves and a light dressing of sesame oil and orange. It was tasty!
This is – unquestionably – an exceptional tea and offers not just a journey that’s well worth taking but also represents an opportunity to taste a rare tea that is available only in limited quantities. I highly, highly recommend this tea to all those who truly love tea.
Product Review: Genmai Cha with Matcha Green Tea “Washi” Gift Set from Sugimoto America
Product Information:
Where to Buy: Sugimoto America
Product Description:
“Washi” Green Tea Gift – Genmai Cha features high-quality Japanese green tea packaged in a beautiful Japanese “Washi” canister. “Washi” is traditional Japanese rice paper printed with authentic Japanese patterns. Genmai Cha is a rich, aromatic blend of green tea, roasted brown rice, and matcha. Currently, it is one of Japan’s most popular teas.
Learn more about this product here.
Taster’s Review:
Not too long ago, I reviewed another Washi Green Tea Set from Sugimoto America, that beautiful blue Washi paper covered tin was filled with a delightful Sen Cha tea, and this gorgeous red Washi paper covered tin is filled with Genmai Cha with Matcha tea!
The dry leaf of this Genmai Cha with Matcha looks very much like other teas of this type that I’ve tried. It looks like a Genmaicha: green tea with roasted brown rice – some of which “pops” to look like tiny bits of popcorn. But they’re not bits of popcorn, they’re pieces of popped rice! Very cool. Because this is a “with Matcha” variety of Genmai Cha, the tea has been dusted with a coat of bright, jade green powdered green tea (aka Matcha).
When the tea is steeped (180°F for 1 1/2 minutes are the parameters that I used) the liquid is a somewhat opaque, beautifully bright, pale green color. The aroma is warm and toasty with a grassy tone.
Mmm! This is a really good Genmai cha! The overall flavor is that of roasty-toasty-nutty goodness. It is sweet from the roasty-toasty nutty flavors as well as from the green tea notes. It doesn’t taste overly “grassy” although there are some grass notes to this, I taste more of a lightly buttered, steamed lima bean flavor than that of “grass.”
I really enjoy Genmai cha because it is one of those “cozy” types of teas that I can enjoy later in the afternoon when I need something soothing and relaxing to sip. This tea offers that with the uplifting boost that comes from the energizing Matcha.
What impresses me most about this gift set is not the fabulous Washi paper covered tin – which is MOST impressive, indeed! – but the fact that the beautiful tin is filled with tea. What a lovely gift something like this would make to any tea lover. When you go to some of the expensive tea shops in the mall (you know which one I’m talking about, right?) these types of tins are very costly, and the price of the tin does not include the tea! With this gift, you not only get the beautiful tin but an excellent quality Japanese tea at a price that is probably about half what you’d spend in that expensive shop in the mall for the same type of product. I’m really impressed with the value of this product!
Product Review: Sen Cha Green Tea “Washi” Gift Set from Sugimoto America
Product Information:
Where to Buy: Sugimoto America
Product Description:
“Washi” Green Tea Gifts – Sen Cha feature high-quality Japanese green tea packaged in a beautiful Japanese “Washi” canisters. “Washi” is traditional Japanese paper printed with authentic Japanese patterns. Sen Cha is a premium tea renowned for its balance of sweetness and astringency. For over three centuries Sen Cha has been Japan’s favorite green tea.
Learn more about this product here.
Taster’s Review:
I have said before on this blog that I’m a sucker for beautiful packaging. This Sen Cha Green Tea “Washi” Gift Set from Sugimoto America has to be the most beautiful presentation that I’ve ever seen. The tin has been covered with beautiful blue washi paper (just as you see to the right), and yes … the paper pattern has been matched up precisely! I was actually quite amazed by this, because you can see the true love, care and craftsmanship that was put into this gorgeous tin.
Tucked inside the tin is a 30 gram bag of Sen Cha Japanese green tea. And this is the good stuff! The flavor is sweet, slightly buttery and lightly grassy. It isn’t overly vegetal, and I’m not detecting a strong bitter bite from this tea. It’s sweet and really quite lovely to sip.
This Sen Cha has that fresh and uplifting flavor that I look for in a Japanese Sen Cha. It’s a crisp and pure flavor that revitalizes from the inside out. If I drink this after a long, busy day, I start to feel less weary and drained. It’s the kind of tea that puts the spring back into your step.
It’s hard to say what excites me more about this product: the tea or the tin? The tin is absolutely stunning and the tea tastes wonderful and refreshing. But what’s great about this product is that you don’t have to choose which is your favorite because you get both for a really great price. It’s an outstanding value and would make a great gift for your favorite tea lover (even if that tea lover is you! Hey, you deserve a gift too!)
Sen Cha Fukamushi from Sugimoto America
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where To Buy: Sugimoto America
Product Description:
This is our signature Sen Cha. Our Sen Cha is “Fukamushi.” refers to the deeper (longer) steaming process after the harvest. This extra steaming time results in fine leaves, and the taste is richer and more full-bodied than regular Sen Cha. Depending on steeping conditions, it has a bit of sweetness and outstanding fragrance.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I am finding myself just as excited to learn about the theme that Steepster has selected for the latest Steepster Select box as I am to receive the tea itself! This month, Steepster chose “Steep for Japan” as their theme.
Here’s some more information on this theme:
To say Japan has had a difficult year would be an understatement. This past March, the island nation experienced one of the most powerful earthquakes since the beginning of modern record-keeping. The quake and resulting tsunami have devastated the country, and while tea production was largely unaffected, the damage to Japan’s infrastructure has severely impacted thousands of Japanese people and businesses.
As rebuilding continues, we’d like to introduce you to a few classics from a country synonymous with green tea, as our own small way of supporting the cause.
All proceeds for this box will be donated to the Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Relief Fund, which assists organizations providing aid and emergency services to the victims. For more info visit bit.ly/steep-for-japan.
This Sen Cha Fukamushi is the first of the three teas that I’m tasting from December’s box, and I’m loving it!
The aroma of the dry leaf is incredible… very fragrant. Sweet and floral. I don’t get much of a grassy smell from the dry leaf at all, which is really unusual for a Sen Cha. At least, in my experience, it is. Normally, I can smell a strong vegetative sort of quality, but, not here. Interesting.
The brewed tea does have a vegetative aroma, smelling faintly of steamed vegetables – something mild like spinach, perhaps? I still detect notes of flower and that sweetness that I noted in the dry leaf, but, with the brewed tea it has become more of a unified fragrance that is a little sweet, a little savory and a little flowery.
The flavor is quite unlike any Sen Cha that I can recall tasting. It is remarkably light in color, but the flavor and texture is quite another story. The texture reminds me a bit of a light broth. The flavor is full and sweet, with a savory tone that hits the palate by about mid-sip. This savoriness is difficult to describe, because it’s not quite bitter, it is not quite briny and it is not quite sour … but it is a little of all three, and it arrives just in time to rescue the palate from what might otherwise be a sip too sweet – delivering a sense of balance. Very nice!
I’m finding this Sen Cha very enjoyable – a rich, smooth, satisfying green tea with very little astringency. Take the leaves for a second infusion – it’s just as lovely as the first! Another excellent choice from Steepster Select!