Teabag - Mecha

Tea: Mecha
Vendor: Zencha

About This Tea: This was a teabag that was a sample included with my latest Zencha order. I did my best to translate the packaging, and the title of it was Mecha, so I'm assuming that this is mecha.

Teabag: This teabag consisted of a satchel style teabag that had a very loose drawstring / tag line at the top and was sewn shut at the top. Unlike pyramidals this was not designed for expansion, just knowing that it had space in the bag to puff out though. The leaf is very small bits of stem and leaf, which correlated with my previous Mecha assumption. There is a like sweet Yutakamidori aroma to it.

1st Infusion Parameters: 185F, 5oz, 45s

1st Infusion: The infusion was lightly murky with a yellow green hue. There wasn't much aroma to the leaf, the aroma that was present with the dry leaf appears to be gone. The flavor is light and sweet. There is a bitterness at the tip of the tongue. The flavor is quite bold and strong and exhibits traces of a gyokuro like grassiness.

2nd Infusion Parameters: 185F, 1:15, 5oz

2nd Infusion: This infusion was much murkier in color. It however didn't have much aroma and not much flavor. It really seems like this tea was only good for one infusion:

Rating: 6/10

Conlcusion: While it's hard to give this tea a rating because I don't know the pricing for this tea. It's not particularly interesting as a tea, but it's not bad. It's a rather good teabag, and at around $6/10 this would be a good teabag to get. Good flavor, just not much of it after the first.

Phoenix Oolong

Tea: Phoenix Oolong
Vendor: Swan Sisters
Price: $25/oz
Source: Guangdong, China

About This Tea: This is a Phoenix / Dan Cong oolong in limited offering from Swan Sisters. Their supply is only for the local market (SLO). It is not available on their website.

Leaf: The leaf for this tea is very dark in color, almost black. It is very light and fluffy with very light density.

1st Infusion Parameters: 3g, 5 oz, 208F, 5s rinse, 45s

1st Infusion: This tea is very light and unique aroma. It is hard to describe, but is the most alluring aspect of this tea. The aroma is sweet and malty at the same time, yet more than just that. The tea itself is a golden brown color. The flavor is light and crisp, and it moves quickly through the mouth to flush with a full bodied flavor. It is rich and smooth at the same time.

2nd Infusion Parameters: 45s, 208F

2nd Infusion: This infusion was darker, with still a clear brown hue to it. There is a tangy sharpness to the flavor of this infusion. It starts at the tip of the tongue and slides down the tongue. It is sweet, but not sugary similar to the way that a yutakamidori shows it's sweetness. It finishes with a medium astringency.

3rd Infusion Parameters: 1 min, 208F

3rd Infusion: This infusion starts to show a bit more color, with a red/gold hue. The aroma switched over to an almost nutty aroma. The flavor is stronger than the initial flavor. It is rich and flavorful, and significantly thicker. It is not quite as thick as a gyokuro though.

4th Infusion Parameters: 3 min, 208F

4th Infusion: This infusion has a richer brown hue to it. The aroma changed once again. This time it was thicker and more subdued. The flavor was moderate in strength, but started showing signs of easing up. It felt sweeter yet again and left with a medium sense of astringency.

Rating: 8/10

Conclusion: I'm really unable to describe the aroma of the different infusions very well for this tea, but they are quite different from infusion to infusion. I don't have much experience with Dan Cong Oolongs, so I don't have that much to compare them to. I somewhat expected a bit more for the price though. I'll need to compare it against production grade Dan Cong to see how they fare in comparison. On its own though, the flavor was very interesting and refreshing.

Mt. Tayu Taiwan Oolong Winter Tea Super Grade

Tea: Mt. Tayu Taiwan Oolong Winter Tea Super Grade - 6340
Vendor: Lupicia USA
Source: Taizhong, Taiwan
Vendor Description: Rare winter-pluck oolong tea from Mt. Tayu, the highest tea plantation in the world. Clear scent with extremely clean flavor.

Leaf: The leaf for this tea is tightly rolled leaf balls. They exhibit hues of light to dark green in color, and have noticeable stem bits protruding as well.

1st Infusion Parameters: 5s rinse, 5g, 50z, 208F, 45s steep

1st Infusion: This tea produces a crystal clear light green infusion. It has a very strong yet clean floral aroma to it. It is sweet yet reminds me of a TKY in nature. It is not as strong as a TKY, but lighter and more floral. The flavor is light and clean. It is strongest on the center of the tongue. Although the flavor is quite light it is full bodied. The early half of the flavor matches the light floral taste quite nicely. It has a long lingering aftertaste best defined as a crisp oolong flavor.

2nd Infusion Parameters: 45s, 208F

2nd Infusion: This infusion ha da yellower green hue to it. The aroma was bolder, and less floral than the first. The flavor felt sharper, starting off strong and then tapering down the tongue. The flavor was stong, prominent, and very bold. This all happens rather quickly though as the flavor is veyr short lived. This infusion has a thick almost gummy aftertaste to it though.

3rd Infusion Parameters: 1 min, 208F

3rd Infusion: The floral aroma is gone in this infusion. What remains is a woody and leafy aroma. The flavor is lighter now, but the tea produces a very warming feeling. The flavor is focused on the edges of the tongue, with the feeling in the center of the tongue gone. There is still a certain richness to the flavor, and the floral taste tries to show itself, but only after slowly building up.

4th Infusion Parameters: 2min, 208F

4th Infusion: There is almost no aroma in the tea at all at this point. The tea tastes more akin to lightly colored water that is hinting at a flavor rather than showing one.

Used Leaf: The used leaf for this tea is very large, many of the leaves are still in bunches. The leaves themselves though are very soft and pliable.

Rating: 9/10

Conclusion: This tea was quite remarkable. it produced 3 very interesting cups, each different from the previous and tasty in their own right. The fourth was a bit of a letdown though, possibly with more promise with a longer soak. I don't remember the exact pricing of this tea, but I remember that it was on the pricier side of things, ~$1/g. Not an everyday tea, but definitely a good special occasion tea.

Houji Genmaicha

Tea: Houji Genmaicha
Vendor: Den's Tea
Price: $4.00 / 2oz
Source: Shizuoka, Japan
Vendor Description: Houji-Genmaicha consists of the two harmonious yet slightly contrasting taste components. It offers a unique toasty aroma both from roasted leaf and brown rice. The Genmai (roasted brown rice) sweetens the roasted Bancha leaves and stems. It is a perfect alternative to sweetened iced teas or hot ciders and cocoas.

Leaf: The leaf for this tea is a mix of brown hues. The color of the hojicha leaves mixes and matches with the lighter brown of the toasted rice. There is the distinctive aroma of the hoji leaves, mixed with a lighter smell of the rice.

1st Infusion Parameters: 5g, 5 oz, 208F, 2 min

1st: The tea has a sweet caramel aroma to it. In this aroma you can smell the rice and the houji roasted aroma, both independently and mixed as one. The tea itself has a rich rice flavor. It's more bodied than most hojicha. There is a stronger genmaicha flavor than a hojicha flavor in this tea surprisingly. Based on the color one would imagine that it was more akin to a hoji. The flavor is very crispy with a light astringency to it.

Rating: 7/10

Conclusion: This tea really surprised me. I was expecting a hoji that was drowning out the genmai flavor, but it was actually the opposite. There is not a strong swing to one side or the other though, the flavors are well in balance with each other. This is a very inexepensive tea, but it was unfortunately light in flavor. This is compensatable with more leaf, but it raises the per cup price of the tea. All in all though it is an interesting mix of two types of Japanese green tea.

Silver Needle

Tea: Silver Needle
Vendor: Swan Sisters
Price: $6.00 / oz.
Source: Fujian, China
Harvest: 3/08
Vendor Description: This delicately pleasant tea is from the home of white teas, Fujian's Fu Ding county. Bai Hao Yin Zhen is hand plucked in the first two weeks of March and made using century old techniques. The flavor of this tea is earthy and sweet with a velvety, smooth texture that is characteristic of a Silver Needle white tea. SwanSisters' Silver Needle is a higher grade so the flavor and the texture of the tea will be more apparent than in the more common grades. Enjoy Bai Hao Yin Zhen on a quiet afternoon

Leaf: The leaf for this Silver Needle was a bit dryer looking than normal. There are a few small flecks in the mix as well.

1st Infusion Parameters: 5g, 50z, 180F, 2 min

1st Infusion: This Silver Needle has a heavier and thicker aroma than most silver needles. The leaves, once wet, have a very nice green color to them. The tea itself has a nice light light yellow hue to it. It is a very typical looking cup of Silver Needle. The flavor is much bolder than a normal Silver Needle, it is very full bodied with a light sense of bitterness. The flavor on the tongue is much thicker than normal.

2nd Infusion Parameters: 180F, 3 min

2nd Infusion: The flavor in this infusion was still quite rich for a silver needle. There was a light sense of bitterness to it, and for the most part tasted the same as the first infusion.

Rating: 9/10

Conclusion: This Silver Needle has a stronger, bolder taste that the others I have tried. It is thick and creamy almost, while retaining that Silver Needle light flavor. The only thing about this tea is that it is a little on the pricey side, even for a Silver Needle. For a unique SN experience though, this is a tea to try.

Hong Mu Dan

Tea: Hong Mu Dan - 4703
Vendor: Lupicia USA
Source: Anhui, China

Leaf: This tea is a flowering black tea. It is tied in the center like a star. It is not like the more commonly found bud shaped teas where there is a flower released from the center.

1st Infusion Parameters: 1 Flower, 200mL, 208F, 3 min

1st Infusion: Unfortunately I wasn't able to get a good picture of the infused flower. When infused a white particulate matter was settling on the bottom of the cup. I haven't seen this before and wonder if it is something from the actual leaf/flower itself. The tea was a light clear brown color. The aroma was thick and malty. The flavor was a light black flavor, and it reminds me of a Yunnan tea in flavor. It is medium bodied and has a mild smooth flavor. There is a nice clean bitterness and a light sense of astringency.

2nd Infusion Parameters: 208F, 3 min

2nd Infusion: This infusion was also clear and brown in color. The flavor was weaker but smoother in flavor. There is no astringency or bitterness, and the flavor reminds me of a light Yunnan flavor yet again.

3rd Infusion Parameters: 208F, 5 min

3rd Infusion: This infusion had a rich flavor to it. It was still good, but the flavor was quite light at this point. There wasn't that much left to it.

Rating: 6/10

Conclusion: I've never been a big fan of flowering teas. They are rather interesting looking, but tend to be more expensive for the amount of tea they make. That said, this probably made the best cup of tea that a flowering tea has ever made for me. It is also much more delicate than any other flowering tea I've had. Unfortunately I'm unable to find much more information about this tea as it is not listed on Lupicia's website.

Sencha Harebare

Tea: Sencha Harebare
Vendor: Lupicia USA
Price: $7.00 / 50g
Vendor Description: Blend of aromatic Sayama tea and processed with a strong fire. The refreshing mint-like flavor, a characteristic of this variety called "Sayama Kaori" is very appealing.

Leaf: The leaf for this tea has a very fukamushi like appearance. It has a fairly rich aroma to the leaf, and a hint of yellowness in the color.

1st Infusion Parameters: 5g, 50z, 185F, 60s

1st Infusion: The first infusion had a yellow murky color to it. Not surprising considering the fukamushi appearance to the leaf. The aroma was sharp and crisp. The flavor was very bold. Early on it felt very sweet and forward like a fukamushi normally is. The middle is dominated by a light bitterness and finishes with a light astringency. Overall this has a very clean feeling and a long lasting lingering aftertaste.

2nd Infusion Parameters: 185F, 15s

2nd Infusion: The second infusion was a murky yellow. There was not much different about the flavor, it was simply a distinctively fukamushi flavor.

Rating: 6/10

Conclusion: There was nothing terribly outstanding about this tea, nor did it have any major faults. It was a normal fukamushi and is not that pricey. All in all not a very interesting tea.

Liquid Jade: The Story of Tea from East to West

Book: Liquid Jade: The Story of Tea from East to West
Price: $16.47 (From Amazon.com)

This book is quite likely the most well researched and cited book on the subject of Tea that I have read thus far. This book compares in quality to The Story of Tea: A Cultural History and Drinking Guide. The difference between the two is that The Story of Tea is more centered around different tea production regions and different teas, where Liquid Jade is centered around the history of tea production and it's appearance in history. In a broad stroke it starts with the discovery of tea in China and it's migration to Europe. This is a rather unique view on the western aspect of tea, something that is somewhat overlooked nowadays. The book is a little light on the topic of tea in Japan, but that is not really the focus of the book.

Rating: 9/10

Conclusion: If you own one book on tea, read The Story of Tea. If you own two, get Liquid Jade. Liquid Jade is very well researched and cited. It is an excellent source of information regarding historical tidbits about tea. The last section of the book is a bit too political on the topics of Organic, Fair Trade, and Indian labor practices. An excellent read nonetheless.

Chiran Kanayamidori

Tea: Chiran Kanayamidori
Vendor: Wegmans Food Markets / Ito-en
Price: $87.99 /lb /$16.50/ 3 oz
Source: Kagoshima, Japan
Vendor Description: Harvested in Kagoshima prefecture, Chiran Kanayamidori bears a flavorful, verdant liquor with succulent notes of leafy greens. An excellent accompaniment to flavorful dishes.

Leaf: The leaf for this tea was mostly smaller particles and had a few longer needles to it. Based on the appearance I would say that this is most likely a fukamushi sencha. The green color was a bit muddled, almost bordering on shades of brown at times and didn't have much of a shine to it.

1st Infusion Parameters: 5g, 5oz, 180F, 60s

1st Infusion: The tea was yellow green in color and very murky. This was a very characteristic fukamushi tea. The aroma was light and snappy. The flavor led off with a sharp bitter flavor on the tip of the tongue and transitioned to a long lingering smooth aftertaste. It finished with a light sense of astringency. The bitter flavor was very short lived and dropped down quickly into the tapering flavor.

2nd Infusion Parameters: 180F, 30s

2nd Infusion: This infusion had a darker murky green hue. The up front flavor was again very sharp and snappy. This time it felt like the flavor consisted mostly of a bitterness and tapered into a lingering fukamushi flavor, although the dropoff was not as fast as the first infusion. The flavor felt muddled and a bit confused, like a blend of two teas trying to display at the same time. There was a medium sense of astringency to the power in this tea. The flavor of the tea overall felt a bit light.

Rating: 3/10

Conclusion: This tea seemed to be a bit subpar for a Chiran sencha. This flavor was dominated by the fact that it was a fukamushi and little other than that. It produced an appealing looking cup of tea, but the flavor itself was quite snappy and sharp. If looking for a fukamushi from Chiran/Kagoshima, I would suggest sticking to a yutakamidori instead.

Kaiseki Hojicha

Tea: Kaiseki Hojicha
Vendor: Wegmans Food Markets / Ito-en
Price: $43.99 /lb / $8.40 / 3 oz.
Vendor Description: Delicate twigs from the first flush are lightly roasted, rewarding the tea lover with a deep, sweet, well-rounded flavor that is almost chewy. "Kai" means "gathering", making this the perfect tea for dining.

Leaf: This is best described as a Kukicha Hojicha. It consists primarily of teas stems which have been lightly roasted. It has a light roasted aroma that is characteristic of a hojicha. The tea itself has a very light brown color indicating the light roasting.

1st Infusion Parameters: 5g, 5 oz, 208F, 3 mins

1st Infusion: The infusion produced a dark brown colored hojicha that almost reminded me of coffee in color depth and chocolate in hue. The flavor was rich and bold with a medium sense of bitterness in the aftertaste. The flavor was very strong, but only had a light sense of body to it. It felt very subdued. It wasn't strong early on, but the tea built up flavor to have a strong showing in the ending flavor and afteratste. It had a medium sense of astringency to it, and left me with an impression that no matter how bold it felt on the back end it seemend a bit bland.

Rating: 5/10

Conlcusion: This isn't an outstanding hojicha, but it's not bad either. It's priced very reasonably, although a bit on the higher end for a hojicha. For it's price in the hojicha pricing scale there are other more oustanding hojichas available. I do agree with the vendor description for this tea though that it is well suited for dining. It has a very good cleaning flavor to it, and would not dominate over food.