So I have broke free of the (admittedly nice) tea rut finally and begun to crave some greens outside of BLC now that it is Spring. I just posted a bit on Upton's superior grade Sencha on teasphere, so I figured I toss it up here as well for anyone interested:
OK, so finally back on the horse again and out of the rut I?ve been in. The Sencha Yamato is Upton?s superior grade Sencha, which they claim to have a ?brighter flavor and smoother aftertaste.? So how did it stack up? I?d have to say somewhere near the middle, but to be fair the top of the middle range.
I wasn?t overly impressed with the leaf quality as there were a lot of fannings and broken bits. It was however a very verdant green and did posses a bright scent. The flavor fell a bit shy of the dry smell though. It brewed to a pond-water green cup with little in the way of nose. A bit roasty, vegetal, a bit astringent, barely a hint of fishy/ kelpy flavor, a touch thick and smooth, and as promised a smooth aftertaste. It was less what I would consider ?bright? though as they state in their description. Nothing stands out as being in any way bad or wrong, just nothing really stands out as being amazing.
I do admit that Japanese greens are a special area of interest for me, so I do tend to be a bit tougher to please. It is only because I have tasted so many truly spectacular greens that I don?t relegate Sencha automatically to some lower, pedestrian, tea as it can sometimes be thought of. Will I enjoy the rest of it? Sure. Will I be clamoring for more? Probably not.
- Dominic