Kaboku

Tea: Kaboku
Vendor: Ippodo
Price: 1,250 Yen/ 50g
Source: Japan
Vendor Description: A harmonious blend of sweetness, bitterness, richness, astringency and fragrance this is sencha. It's easy to understand why sencha is such a favorite beverage in Japan, not only for those seeking to quench a thirst, but also for those wanting to sip on something extra special.

Leaf: The leaf for this tea consists of some dark green needles. They are very uniform in color and a dark green hue. It has a fresh crisp aroma. The size of the needles suggest this is an asamushi.

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

1st Infusion: This infusion has a clear yellow green hue to it. The aroma is light and crisp. The flavor pairs well with the aroma, feeling crisp and light. It is a very clear flavor with no bitterness or astringency. It is simple and refined.

2nd Infusion Parameters: 15s, 185F

2nd Infusion: This infusion was a brighter clear yellow green hue. The flavor was richer and stronger than the first infusion, but it is sharp and clear. There is a little bit of bitterness as well as a light marine flavor.

3rd Infusion Parameters: 45s, 185F

3rd Infusion: This was a richer, more brilliant yellow hue. The flavor was a little bit lighter, it felt light and clear with a strong feeling of snappiness. It finishes with a light sense of astringency.

Rating: 10/10

Conclusion: This sencha was quite outstanding. It was a light flavor that was clear and well defined. Even though the flavor was on the lighter side, it still was quite well defined and gentle. This is a fantastic asamushi sencha and while a bit on the pricier side, is still reasonably priced for the grade of the tea.

Wakamatsu No Mukashi

Tea: Wakamatsu no Mukashi
Vendor: Ippodo
Price: 1500 Yen / 20 g
Vendor Description: For the matcha connoisseur with a discerning taste, Wakamatsu-no-mukashi is an excellent choice. Rich in umami, it has a distinct fragrance and aftertaste that linger pleasantly in the throat. Wakamatsu-no-mukashi is also an excellent choice as a koicha.

Powder: The matcha powder has a nice light green color to it. It is a very bright color with a rich and sweet aroma.

Infused: The foam took on a brilliant green hue. The flavor is rich an bold. As I was drinking this matcha it had a very calming effect on me. The flavor was smooth with nothing unpleasant about the experience at all.

Rating: 10/10

Conclusion: Quite easily this is the best matcha I have had to date. Unfortunately I have not had that much experience with matcha still. Given the plethora of different grades and suppliers my repertroire of matcha experience is still developing. That said though the flavor of this match was superb, it was rich and thick with no bitterness or astringency. The color was radiant and beautiful and the experience overall was just very pleasant. Also the price of this matcha is very reasonable (although as with all Ippodo tea the shipping is brutal).

Hosen

Tea: Hosen
Vendor: Ippodo
Price: 1,500 Yen / 100g
Source: Japan
Vendor Description: A harmonious blend of sweetness, bitterness, richness, astringency and fragrance - this is sencha. It's easy to understand why sencha is such a favorite beverage in Japan, not only for those seeking to quench a thirst, but also for those wanting to sip on something extra special.

In the morning or afternoon, before or after a meal, sencha is the perfect drink to revitalize your mind and refresh your spirit.

For the sencha drinker who appreciates a refined, well-balanced tea, Hosen is an excellent choice. Its subtle sweetness, elegant fragrance and fresh aftertaste are characteristic of Ippodo's premium sencha blends. Though recommended primarily for seasoned tea drinkers, Hosen is also a good choice for newcomers and those seeking a slightly richer and sweeter version of Sho-ikeno-o.

Leaf: The leaf for this is lightly polished. It is a thin dark leaf with a light and uplifting aroma to it. The leaves swirl with an almost fluid motion. There is a little bit of fleck to the leaf, but it consists primarily of larger longer leaves. The aroma feels smooth, almost reminding me of a gyokuro aroma.

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

1st Infusion: The tea has a bright yellow hue. It has a light and crisp sencha aroma. The flavor is smooth and light with a light sense of bitterness. There is no astringency, and the flavor feels very clean. There is a bit of a tang on the sides of the mouth, and it is a very uplifting lightness.

2nd Infusion Parameters: 0s, 185F

2nd Infusion: This infusion has a light and crisp aroma. There are hints of a grassy flavor to it, but the flavor is upflifting and clear still. There is a light sense of astringency paired with a medium bold flavor. It is stronger than the first infusion even with the instantaneous infusion.

3rd Infusion Parameters: 30s, 185F

3rd Infusion: This infusion was a murky yellow hue. The flavor is lighter and sharper. The astringency has developed into a medium strength, and the flavor is much richer. It hints at grassiness, but is much richer still uplifting.

Rating: 9/10

Conclusion: This is quite an impressive asamushi sencha. The flavor is light and clean feeling without being to harsh and strong. It's priced rather cheaply, but like all Ippodo tea you have to pay a high shipping cost. Even with the high shipping costs this tea is still a good bargain. The flavor is comparable to some of the much more expensive senchas that I have tried. This is probably going to be in quite a few of my Ippodo orders in the future.

Hojicha

Tea: Hojicha
Vendor: Ippodo
Price: 500 Yen / 100g
Vendor Description: When you drink hojicha for the first time, you might be surprised that it is one of the Japanese green teas. Dark amber in color, this roasted bancha releases an amazingly rich aroma that completely permeates the room. The savory flavor is very distinct; it is rich but light-bodied, without much astringency.

Leaf: The leaf for this tea is lightly twisted and rolled. The color is somewhat uneven, there is a spectrum of lighter to almost black shades of brown. The aroma is rich and smooth with the characteristic roasted sweetness.

1st Infusion Parameters: 5g, 5oz, 208F, 90s

1st Infusion: The tea produced a rich caramel color. It has a strong smoky aroma to it. It is stronger of an aroma than most hojicha that I have tried, the roasted is pushed toward being a smokiness. There is a little bit of sediment in the bottom of the cup creating a small black dot in the center of the caramel. The flavor almost feels burnt. There is a long lasting aftertaste. The flavor starts with a sharp bitterness on the tip of the tongue, and this leads into a thick flavor of the hojicha which leans into a different bitterness. There are hints of astringency that pair with heavier roasted sensation that fades away.

2nd Infusion Parameters: 2 min, 208F

2nd Infusion: This infusion was very solidly brown. The aroma is not the characteristic roasted aroma of tea, but a lightly stingy aroma. The flavor feels much lighter in this infusion and has a much cleaner feeling. The flavor feels a bit empty though, where the central strength of the flavor is gone, but the more delicate aspects remain. There is a medium sense of astringency in this infusion.

Rating: 7/10

Conclusion: This is a very bold hojicha. It produces an enjoyable cup, but it is a bit too heavily roasted for my taste. The flavor borders the roasting on burnt. Because of this though there is a different and unique flavor to the tea. At it's price though, it's a very good price, but again the shipping. Always the shipping when it comes to Ippodo.

Uji Shimizu

Tea: Uji Shimizu
Vendor: Ippodo
Price: 300 Yen / 150g
Vendor Description: An original Ippodo creation, Uji-Shimizu is a matcha-based beverage developed in 1924. It combines matcha powder and sugar to provide an easy to prepare, easy to drink tea for those who prefer their matcha a bit sweeter.

Leaf: This is a very lightly colored powder. It is very light and fluffy with a pale shade of green. There is a light sweet aroma to it. The color is light enough that it was very difficult to photograph well. (Hence the lack of photo for this tea)

Infusion Parameters: 3 Tbs (37g), 12oz water, Refrigerator temp

Infusion: Despite the very light color of the powder the infused tea is actually very dark in color. It is a deep shade of green (which happens to blend quite well with my tablecloth, again no good picture). It is very sweet, although it is in a good combination with the matcha powder creating a good mix for a matcha latte type beverage. The flavor is very smooth, which is not unexpected considering no steeping involved.

Rating: 6/10

Conclusion: This is a pretty good tea beverage mix. It doesn't feign to be anything grander or anything less. The price is appropriate for what it is, although the price of shipping from Ippodo is a bit steep. If you like things like matcha lattes order a lot in one shipment, it'll be cheaper. This won't be replacing a nice warm bowl of matcha, but it's a nice quick drink to have when you're in a hurry.

Genmaicha

Tea: Genmaicha
Vendor: Ippodo
Price: 400 Yen / 100g
Vendor Description: One of the more popular banchas, genmaicha is a mixture of yanagi and roasted genmai (a variety of brown rice). The genmai is roasted at two different levels: lightly roasted and deeply roasted until the rice grains puff. The result is a unique savory flavor and a strong popcorn-like aroma. The quantity of genmai is purposely kept to a minimum while there is an ample amount of leaves with a light bitterness. This provides a perfect balance between the roasted aroma of the genmai and the refreshing aftertaste of the yanagi.

Leaf: The leaf consists of large uneven leaves. The rice is very lightly toasted and in a relatively low concentration. Most genmaicha that I have seen recently have been much more rice:tea.

1st Infusion Parameters: 5g, 5oz, 185F, 90s

1st Infusion: There is a heavy bancha aroma to this tea, it is a very distinctive bancha sharpness. The infusion has a light murkiness with a light yellow color. The flavor is best described as empty upfront with a certain sense of smoothness. There is a bit of bitterness on the backend. Due to the low concentration of rice, the rice flavor isn't very prominent. There is a smoothness ot the flavor of the tea, it seems like that's about all that the rice component could add. The elaves are mostly expanded on the first infusion, having opened rather rapidly for this tea. Considering the 1g:1oz ratio, this is a rather light / weak flavor.

2nd Infusion Parameters: 185F, 2 min

2nd Infusion: This infusion had a mucher darker yellow color. The aroma was more distinctively bancha in nature. The flavor had a much more rounded front end, but there wasn't a very disticntive flavor in it. There was a light sense of bitterness, but it feels like the tea only added color and texture to the tea rather than a disticntive flavor.

Rating: 2/10

Conclusion: This is definitely not one of the better genmaicha that I have had, but there is one thing that is going for it, at its price it is a very price conscious tea. Unfortunately ordering from Ippodo involves expensive shipping from Japan. The tea itself is ok, you would probably enjoy it if you like bancha.

O-buku-cha

Tea: O-buku-cha
Vendor: Ippodo
Price: 500 Yen / 100g
Source: Japan
Vendor Description: Bringing good luck for the New Year

The O-buku-cha tradition began over 10 centuries ago, during the Heian period.

In 951, a serious epidemic swept through Kyoto. In an effort to relieve the suffering, Buddhist priest Kuya distributed tea to those in need. It has been said that to share in these virtues, Emperor Murakami ushered in the New Year with a special cup of tea.

Since then, it has become a Japanese tradition to drink O-buku-cha (literally, great happiness tea ) during the New Years season. The O-buku-cha offered by each tea shop differs depending on the shop. At IPPODO, we are pleased to offer a special time-limited, high-grade genmaicha as our O-buku-cha. Packaged in the traditional festive colors of red and white, we hope that our O-buku-cha will bring renewed health and happiness to you and your loved ones.

Leaf: This tea consists of mostly larger thin pieces. There is a light amount of rice, some stems and some flatter leaf mixed in as well.

1st Infusion Parameters: 5g, 185F, 5 oz, 90s

1st Infusion: This infusion had a yellow green hue to it. The aroma was very crisp with hints of the rice aroma. The aroma reminded me very much of a pure bancha with a crisp almost stinging aroma to it. There are hints of a sencha like sweetness in the aroma as well. The flavor has a definite bancha bitterness and tang to it. This is paired with a light rice flavor and a noticeable starchiness. The tea finishes with a light sense of astringency and a clean and refreshing feeling.

2nd Infusion Parameters: 185F, No steeping time, immediate pour.

2nd Infusion: This time the infusion was a lighter green color with a yellow brightness to it. The aroma was sweeter and had a more mellow starchiness to it. The flavor was definitive bancha flavoring, with a light almost metallic taste to it. It seemed to have an astringency which was primarily on the sides of the mouth.

Rating: 3/10

Conclusion: This tea isn't bad for the price. The problem is that the price to ship this over from Japan is quite significant. I'm curious to see how this tea stacks up against their regular genmaicha. I don't consider this to be a particularly great genmaicha, but it is acceptable at it's price. I was somewhat hoping for a genmai based with sencha rather than bancha when I read the description of this tea.