Maruse

Tea: Maruse
Vendor: Tao of Tea
Price: $12.00 / 1 oz. tin
Source: Japan
Vendor Description:Japan produces almost exclusively green tea, the majority of which is sencha. However, the range and breadth of sencha grades and styles is enormous ranging from coarse, everyday green tea to exquisite masterpieces of the Japanese tea-making art. Our Maruse is a premium grade, first flush sencha produced with the utmost artisanal skill in early spring.

Leaf: Like the Midori, the Maruse was packaged in a small double lidded tin with the tea vacuum sealed in a mylar bag inside of the tin. The leaves themselves are finely polished and there are a few very long needles in the mix. The appearance was not very unusual for a sencha.

1st Infusion: This tea has a very sharp and strong aroma. It has a certain crisp feeling to the aroma. The flavor is very rich and smooth. The flavor hints at the rich thick flavor of a gyokuro. There is a medium bitterness and a light astringency which pair to create a very ideal clean feeling on the tongue. There are also hints of seaweed flavor to this tea.

2nd Infusion: The tea has the same thick flavor which reminds me of a gyokuro as the first infusion, but it has a higher astringency and a medium sense of bitterness now.

Rating: 7/10

Conclusion: Like the Midori this was also a very good sencha, between the two of them they cover a lot of the qualities found in a good sencha. The packaging is very good, but the price again detracts heavily from the rating. At that price the teas should hold up better for multiple infusions and even still they seem a bit pricey.