Shizuoka, plains and mountains, and Yame Ureshino in Kyushu, and even early Sayama, the front of the new Japanese tea has finally come to move forward actively in all the country, with delay and suffering.
Obviously, this 2010 season, marked by damage and above all a historical backwardness because of cold and ice on the tea plantations, has not yet finished hurting professionals struggling at tea on the market to stock up for the year. There is less tea and this tea is more expensive. For example, the Asatsuyu "permanent" in Maruyama-in, ie one that is sold all year, every year. One of our most popular products. Historically, it is a blend of a cultivar Asatusyu Minami-Kyushu (Kagoshima) and a cultivar of Asatsuyu Kakegawa (Shizuoka). Many of our clients who do not want to drink and drink this product for years. But 2010 is far from an ordinary year. The production of adequate quality to Asatsuyu Kakegawa this year equals 30% of that last year. Result, impossible to get the amount needed to keep a year. In the end, this year we will be 100% Asatsuyu Kagoshima, a single-tea. What I complain? Me? I do not complain about anything ..... However, I feel that clients, themselves, will not fail to complain. Their Asatsuyu either better or worse, there is not a concern for most .... the concern is that it is not the same as always! Some will probably see red, saying "it's been 20 years since I buy this tea here, I want the same !!!!!! I'll come over !!!!!". Well, knock on wood.
After talked a lot about teas Kagoshima, southern department spared the vagaries of weather, as promised, here is a little Shizuoka. Here are two sencha from Shizuoka, especially geographically closest they both come from the region 磐田 Iwata, shared between the plains and gentle hills, south-west of the county.
be found in this district many famous names corresponding to various cities, municipalities or former municipalities. Among them, Kakegawa 挂 川 teas, Kikugawa 菊 川 course Iwata, or Tenryu 天 竜 and Fukuroi 袋 井.
It is these last two areas that concern us today with two shincha (new teas).
Tenryu with Kawane Honyama and is one of the most famous tea growing region of Shizuoka mountainous, and therefore Japan. This sencha , as is the case of most mountain teas, is a sencha- futsumushi , a green tea steamed for a short period, 30-40 seconds. He pushed to an altitude of 600 meters.
A peculiarity of sencha mountain, thick leaves. Thus, we have a tea blended with strength. The leaves are rolled very straight, rather uniform in size but not too in their color. However, all is very nice, some leaves showing a particularly enticing luster.
In true futsumushi-sencha , no trace of powder.
More importantly, as a notable feature of mountain tea, the scent much more pronounced than in the plains of teas, especially when it comes to fukamushi-sencha (steaming along). This Tenryu fails to its reputation. On opening the bag, the scent is remarkably subtle and complex. A floral and fruity bouquet is superimposed a small slightly peaty scent marks of a hi-ire (final drying phase) if high, at least not light. A hi-ire not too low shows the desire to highlight the power and personality of the flavor and fragrance of tea, to the detriment of "green" side that sticks to the image of the new tea, shincha (see preceding note ).
After infusion, 65-70 ° C, 1min20 for the liquor gives off a rich aroma that fills my expectations. As stated above, this is a bit floral, a bit fruity. But mostly, the little peat (which is not a defect in either, just that I personally am not a fan) of dry leaves not reflected in the brewed tea.
Moreover, this liquor is to a beautiful golden yellow with glints of green, a perfect clarity.
In good mountain tea, the flavor of what is fundamentally Tenryu astringent. It is an astringent that round and velvety let up after a softness that can only hook to the appearance of fruity fragrance. Ultimately, remains in the mouth for long freshness that can only be provided sencha mountain. It is a great sencha, which does not present itself as a tea scoop with the stupid key plant that the average consumer expects from a shincha . No, the choice is made to work as a great sencha, which may be sold throughout the year (even if it's a tea in very limited quantities, available only when new tea), with ; enough hi-ire to make clear all the punch.
few tens of kilometers southeast of Tenryu, undulating plain, closer to the ocean, is Fukuroi. Here's another shincha , also on reservation (not in Maruyama-in one), in quantities even more limited than the Tenryu. Here we have to do with tea steamed lightly, but still too much to be called futsumushi-sencha seems to me there, say it is a small- chûmushi sencha (time stoving medium). Despite the presence of small leaves and a little powder, we still a set of leaves very long, very finely rolled. In plain, with leaves as thick as my Tenryu above, we get easier very fine "needles". A beautiful deep green, glossy, with high uniformity.
Fukuroi This tea also shows a distinct flavor. But here, what emerges is the first place is the "green" freshness "vegetable" usually expected of a Japanese tea sencha again. It was this time a hi-ire very low. If the Tenryu transported us sometimes and sometimes in an orchard in a greenhouse full of tropical flowers, this brings us sencha in a green meadow studded with small flowers. After a delicate collection (which gives us the beautiful appearance of the leaves), the producer of this tea makes it stand very slight wilting, which gives a touch floral. (It remains far from wilting practiced by Mr. Hiruma , which tends to approach certain wulong )
70 ° C, 50s, enough to bring out the flavor of this shincha .
The liquor is green, classic, it's Yabukita (cultivar). By cons, given the relatively short steaming, we could expect a little more clarity. It is possible that wilting, however light it is not as beneficial influence on the color of the fragrance ...
The flavor of this tea here is also primarily astringent, even astonished more astringent than the Tenryu. It is a very green flavor, fresh, a very pleasant astringency, but beware of the infusion time! Without hi-ire important, we do not find here the roundness that appears behind the astringency of Tenryu. Here we stay throughout the tasting the area of freshness.
We finished in the mouth yet with a sweet aftertaste, which is delayed, subtly, but very refreshing.
Two teas geographically very close, two sencha for steaming short futsumushi (or almost). They both strongly flavored, astringent at first. However, in the details, they are radically different. Much more than the difference of plain tea / tea mountain, it seems to me the difference between a hi-ire marked and a hi-ire almost nonexistent that makes all the difference between these two vintages 2010.
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