Japanese vs. Chinese greens

I'm a fan of Chinese myself; I've found Japanese teas a bit too vegetal for my taste.

china, mos' def. i love good japan sencha and gyokuro, but the thing about japan is that there's just not the variety there is in china greens. they steam most, if not all, of their teas, which gives them a certain similarity. they don't make an oolong or a black - i wonder why not. anyway, china has so many varieties of green tea, i don't think you could try them all in one lifetime......p*

I'm on the Japanese side of the fence. While I really enjoy the Chinese greens, there is something that really connects with me in the Japanese greens. The bad ones are some of the worst teas I've ever had, but the good ones....Aaah!

Blues

Just Japanese for me. Occasionally I flirt with a Chinese green, and while sometimes a pleasant diversion, they never match the bright, live flavor I admire in Japanese greens.

--crymad

Yes, I tend towards the China greens myself and want a sencha on rare occasion, but I recently compared a China sencha with a Japanese sencha and the Japanese won beyond a shadow of a doubt. Couldn't finish the bancha that I tried - way too intense for me.

I'm sure they exist, but I have yet to try a Chinese Sencha that I cared to have a second cup of. I even got a couple of ounces of an organic Chinese Sencha for free. It hasn't seen much use. I didn't care for the Bancha's I've tried either. Though I haven't tried many.

Blues

It's odd that you mention that, because recently my tea tastes have been changing. While I used to prefer Chinese green tea (not much for Chinese black though), I find myself drinking more and more Japanese tea. I never disliked Japanese tea, but it seems that the same characteristics that I used to not be impressed with are the reason I drink more of it now; very pure, bright green flavors.

I do feel that there is a wide variety of Japanese greens around. However, the name of Japanese tea usually only refers to the way in which it has been cultivated and processed (sencha /kabuse-cha /gyokuro/ hojicha), and not to the unique characteristics of the tea itself. Whereas all senchas have the same name, they have a significant diversity in flavour.

I do not have a preference for either Japanese or Chinese greens, but I tend to drink Japanese greens during working hours (100g a week, I am addicted) and Chinese greens/oolongs (mostly oolongs) outside those hours. Indeed, Japanese greens have this vegetal freshness, whereas Chinese greens tend to be more complex.

Cheers, Erwin

Whatever you do, don't ever try to "fix" a cherry-flavored bancha and try to make it cherry-vanilla by adding vanilla extract.

Hi Melinda--

I tend to gravitate towards Chinese greens too. There seems to be a broader range of flavors available in Chinese teas, and in my limited experience they usually are more forgiving. I usually find they're less expensive, too...bad sencha is cheap, but I can get a nice Chinese tea for a low price. There's very expensive Chinese teas out there too, but you know what I mean.

I do like keeping a nice sencha on hand. I find myself especially drawn to it right now, when my instincts are waiting impatiently for Spring to come. Right now I'm also craving salads and other fresh foods that I haven't wanted all winter, and I'm guessing that's related to my sencha cravings.

Jennifer

Perhaps they exist, but my position is a resounding "why bother?

-- Japanese Sencha adequately succeeds on that count, so no need to look further.

--crymad

Hey Crymad,

I finally found a sweet floral delicate Fuji yabukita sencha $8/100g in a pop top tin can. A green tea anyone should enjoy. Absolutely no grassy stringent taste. Comparing the teas from both countries is apples and oranges. For those new to green tea you still can't go wrong with a Chinese Pi Lo Chun or Lung Ching which is more easily available.

Jim

crymad wrote:

I prefer not to choose between Chinese and Japanese greens - I love the good ones from both sides of the water - but I do agree that Chinese greens are far more varied.

/Lew

Hi Joanne--I've been curious about Korean greens but somewhat intimidated by price (caveat: I've only encountered expensive ones, so maybe there's a whole price-range I'm unaware of). Do Korean teas differ significantly in taste from, say, Chinese teas?

Thanks,

Jennifer

i've tried china sencha as well - my enthusiasm was well under control. of course, the japanese have been producing steam tea for a looong time. bancha is late season roughage - generally not a great tea.......p*

I found Temple of Heaven gunpowder to be very unforgiving. Altering the time, temperature, or amount by even a little meant it was condemned to be poured down the drain, it was so bad.

My 2¢.

Lol, is that from personal experience?? Heeheehee......

Melinda

I'm not a big fan of gunpowder, really. I know a lot of folks enjoy it--the entire country of Morocco, for instance--but to me it is far from the best tea China has to offer.

A friend recommended some gunpowder from a vendor I like and trust. I also like and trust the friend, so I picked some up. Haven't tried it yet. Supposedly it's good; at the price, it won't break my heart if it isn't!

Jennifer