White Crane Tea Co.

The White Crane Tea Co. is a rather small tea vendor in Japantown, San Francisco. The store itself is tucked away in a corner of the center so if you don't know that it is there it may be quite easy to overlook. Once you have managed to find the store itself you'll be shocked at the actual size of it. The whole of the store is probably no larger than 5' x 10'. The proprietor though is a very pleasant individual and will be happy to help you decide on any particular tea. Their selection is surprisingly vast considering the size of the store, but yet small by comparison to many other tea vendors. They are very much specialized in Japanese green tea. Their inventory is surprisingly evenly distributed between gyokuro, sencha, and matcha. One individual I heard remarked and seemed surprised that they stored their matcha in a refrigerator. Pricing is not for the faint of heart, most of their teas being on the pricier side of things, the Midori Sencha I picked up being one of the cheapest teas they offered, but not in terms of price per gram(ppg). Other less expensive teas are sold in larger packages. Purchases are very nicely packaged, wrapped carefully, and then decorated and bundled up. To finish it off he decorates the paper with some calligraphy as well, putting thought into what to write for each package. I expect that many of the teas he offers may be quite exceptional, but I think that I will take my time selecting teas to try.

Midori Sencha

Tea: Midori Sencha
Vendor: White Crane Tea Co.
Price: $15.00 / 100g
Source: Kawane, Shizuoka, Japan
Vendor Description: "Midori no Shizuku Green of Jade" The fine simple pleasures of Sencha.

Vendor Producer Description: Takada No En - Kawane Cha, Shizuoka

Takada No En is a superlative Tea Estate founded from Japan's Edo Period. It has been handed down from generation to generation reaching to the current Takada Family, Takada Meguro San. The Estate maintains the Norin Daijin Sho Award for producing the Highest Achievements in growing Fine Tea for the twenty third consecutive Year in a row. The expansive grounds of this high mountain style tea estate, the largest in Kawane, is blessed with the finest temperate climate and purest airs and waters and continues to be a completely Japanese Organic Grower from the past three hundred years to current times. We are especially proud and honored to be able to bring these fine Teas to you and your home.

Leaf: The leaf for this tea is very darkly colored leaf. The color is very uniform thoughout and has a matte colored appearance. The shape of the leaf itself though is slightly flat and yet long and slender. The dry leaf has a very clear deep aroma to it, it is a very clean aroma that is sweet and inviting. There is only a small amount of powder in this tea.

1st Infusion: The tea has a very normal yellow color to it. It offers a rich and sweet aroma. When the tea first touches the tongue it has a very crisp feeling to it that is paired with the sweetness like a yutaka midori. The middle of the taste has a quick bite of bitterness along with a definite thickness of flavor. It reminds me of the thickness that is found with a cold brew tea, almost hinting at a gyokuro's thickness. The end ha s alight sense of astringency to finish it off.

2nd Infusion: This infusion has the same yellow color as before, yet slightly murkier. The flavor feels a bit emptier than the first infusion. There is a medium to high sense of astringency and a medium sense of bitterness. The flavor is concentrated in the middle, yet light. The beginning crisp sweetness is gone at this point.

Rating: 6/10

Conclusion: This is a very nicely balanced tea for the first infusion. It is sweet and thick, and then finishes with a light bite and a clean astringent feeling. This however does not carry over well into the second infusion. If these characteristics carried further into the tea it would be a wonderful tea, but even still at it's price it makes for a rather solid tea.