Last week, I received a set of samples from The Japanese Tea Hub in Sweden. As you can tell from the name, this shop specialises in Japanese green teas and wants to make these teas easily available outside their country of origin. Today was one of those days I really wanted to drink a Japanese green tea so I just went with it. The first sample I tasted was the Miuori Kirishima Sencha.
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Miuori Kirishima Sencha
The Miuori Kirishima Sencha is a Japanese green tea from Kirishima City (霧島市) in the Kagoshima Prefecture and is produced by the Hayashi family. The tea itself is a blend of leaves that went through different steaming intervals. A part of these leaves has been steamed for a longer time (deep-steaming or fukamushi), which gives a round and sweeter taste. Curious to see how this ‘blend’ will perform.
The dry leaves have a uniform dark green colour. I see needle-shaped leaves and some smaller pieces in there as well. The aroma is sweet in combination with roasted nuts.
The aroma of the wet leaves is not as sweet anymore, but I’m still getting a nuttiness and light grassy notes. The colour is a uniform green and once the leaves have opened, I see smaller pieces and needle-shaped leaves.
Tea Tasting
- 3g for 150ml Tokoname Kyusu
- 70°C water
- 4 infusions
Infusions
Infusion 1 (45 sec): this one has no harshness at all! I’m getting a subtle sweetness and some light grassy notes that have an umami finish. The aftertaste has a fantastic umami sweetness that is very long-lasting.
Infusion (30 sec): the same sweetness is noticeable, but now I’m also getting some grassy and spinach notes. It’s subtle and nothing is too overpowering. The sweetness guides me through the infusion and really shines in the finish and aftertaste. The aftertaste has a bit umami as well, but not as much as infusion 1. The sweetness in the aftertaste is quite impressive as it’s almost like candy!
Infusion 3 (60 sec): it doesn’t really show in the picture, but the colour is a bit darker. The sweetness is also a bit less and there is more umami in combination with a light grassiness. However, the aftertaste is still really sweet.
Infusion 4 (long): no big changes during this one. Light umami with notes of grass. It starts to get a bit astringent as well, but it’s still delicious.
Don’t know where to buy tea online? I made a page on the website with over 200 online shops and I keep updating it regularly. You can check it over here.
Conclusion
Pleasantly surprised by this tea. I have to admit that I wasn’t sure what to expect after reading the description online. In the end, it certainly did not disappoint! I experienced delicious sweet flavours in combination with umami. The aspect that stood out for me was the aftertaste. It was noticeable long after swallowing and even for a while after the session had finished. The grassiness also added a light punch to the session. Overall, great tea with pleasant flavours.
If you want to buy this tea, you can do so over here.
