Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green Tea
Where to Buy: Yunomi.us
Tea Description:
Sencha from the town of Monou in what is now Ishinomaki City brews into a deep forest green with a strong astringency. With a 400 year history of tea farming, the town of Monou is the northernmost tea region, and the field managed by Sasaki-san is the northernmost tea field in Japan.
Monoucha Genmaicha blends Sasaki-san’s sencha with toasted rice grains as well as rice cracker balls (plain and matcha flavored) for a uniquely toasted nutty flavor.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This review will be one of the my lengthiest reviews to date here are Sororitea Sisters and it’s because of Kashima: Monoucha Genmaicha ‘Tsukihime’, Ishinomaki Brown Rice Tea From Kashima Tea Garden/Yunomi.us & Kumamoto Earthquake Tea Fund Announcement. Yes! It serves a duel purpose. The tea review will be of the Kashima: Monoucha Genmaicha ‘Tsukihime’, Ishinomaki Brown Rice Tea From Kashima Tea Garden/Yunomi.us and then you will see an announcement about The Kumamoto Earthquake Tea Fund to follow.
Upon opening the package of Kashima: Monoucha Genmaicha ‘Tsukihime’, Ishinomaki Brown Rice Tea From Kashima Tea Garden available for purchase at Yunomi.us I found the aroma to be somewhat subtle but pleasant. To the eye – this tea looks just like you think it would for a Genmaicha. You see popped rice, flatted green tea leaves, matcha coated balls – you name it!
Once I infused this eye and nose pleasing green tea I noticed the post-infusion water was murky grey-green which isn’t surprising for a Genmaicha. The aroma of the tea once infused is more roasted than prior to infusing. Again it’s a lovely smelling tea!
As for the taste it is very green tea tasting with strong roasted notes! It’s somewhat reminiscent of a broth but a bit heavier and I’m ok with that. I’m more than ok with that! I’m enjoying this quite a bit. This is one of the most well-rounded Genmaicha’s I have tried in a long time. It seems to offer everything I’m looking for without it being lopsided on one characteristic over the others. This Kashima Monoucha Genmaicha ‘Tsukihime’, Ishinomaki Brown Rice Tea From Kashima Tea Garden (available atYunomi.us) is one for the ages!
Now…I would like to bring something to your attention. And I’m pasting info below straight from the source(s).
“IMPOSSIBLE TO REMAIN STANDING” – JAPAN TIMES
The Kumamoto Earthquakes were a series of earthquakes between April 14-16, 2016, with the main shock at magnitude 7.0. The earthquakes have resulted in 63 deaths, 3000+ injuries, and nearly 200,000 people evacuated to shelters in the aftermath.
Affect on Kumamoto Tea
Kumamoto is also a tea production region, and while we don’t believe tea production was affected in any major way by the earthquakes, tea producers and merchants, particularly small-scale operations that rely on local business for their livelihoods, will be affected as the region attempts to recover from this disaster. Merchants with shops in the most heavily damaged regions for example, experienced major damage to their buildings.
Tea people helping tea people
As part of the global tea community, we wish to contribute to the recovery of the region by creating this tea fund for the purpose of buying tea from these companies. While information is still coming in, we suspect the small tea shops in the hardest hit towns will benefit most from this fund rather than tea farmers or factories, but we will keep you updated on the contribution page.
TEA FUND – We would like to stress that while the sentiment is to help the region, this is a for-profit business effort. Suppliers, the small tea companies who we buy from, will make a profit, and profits we make from this specific fund will be used to buy more tea from these suppliers. This shifts the financial risk of the inventory from these tea companies to ourselves. A full accounting of funds will be updated regularly on this page (see below).
CHARITY – If you choose the option to donate to charity, 100% of your funds after transferred into Japanese yen will be donated Civic Force, a non-profit organization established in 2009, and was active after the 2011 Tohoku earthquake in rescue and relief efforts. They sent staff immediately to earthquake hit regions in its aftermath to aid in the search for survivors trapped in collapsed houses and buildings. Images and video from Civic Force. **We are unaffiliated with this non-profit organization but have received permission to use their images and video. Contributions will be aggregated and donated in full at a rate of 110 yen / USD (transaction fees and any other expenses paid by Yunomi).
THE TEA FUND – HOW IT WORKS
- For every $10 contribution, you will receive 30 grams (3.52 oz) of Kumamoto-grown tea.
- Tea will be shipped to you beginning in July by Standard Airmail without tracking (buy tracking here if necessary).
- Tea will be sourced from a Kumamoto tea producer or a tea merchant in the most heavily affected areas.
- We will procure tea at retail price. Purchasing will be made in June at the earliest. The first few days after an earthquake are focused on rescue, then relief in the weeks following the disaster. Allowing for at least 1.5 months should be enough time for life to return to some semblance or normalcy and beginning of recover. However, we will monitor the situation and adjust accordingly.
- Messages will be translated and sent to the companies we buy from, and to Civic Force.
Again…if you would like to donate please CLICK HERE for the Kumamoto Earthquake Tea Fund.
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!
