Deep steamed Shizuoka Sencha, which has been lightly baked to bring out a remarkable, bright sweetness in the taste and aftertaste.
I am always on the lookout for pinnacle tea which punches well above its price point and this Sencha is a total winner! In a blind tasting, I was wowed by its pronounced character and remarkable sweetness and when I saw the price I was really happy - finally a high-quality Japanese tea with an affordable daily-drinker price tag.
This Fukamushi Sencha may not have the most photo-worthy looking leaves and cup colour when compared with other pinnacle Japanese Greens but don't let that put you off! There are good reasons for its looks.
First, it is a Fukamushi tea which means that it is steamed for a long time during the kill-green process. This makes the tea thicker in texture and smoother in taste. The longer steaming means the leaf becomes more fragile and breaks up during the rolling phase. While this may not look so great in the dry leaf, it produces a smooth green tea that will wow your senses.
Secondly, the leaves have been carefully heated at the end of production. This makes the cup colour a little more yellow but has amped up the sweetness of the brew in a beautiful way.
The cultivar used to make this Sencha is the Yabukita which is the most widely used variety in Japan, well known for producing high-quality tea at a great price point. However, the Yabukita cultivar can have a bit of a one-dimensional taste and, historically, we have not purchased pure Yabukita tea. But, in blind tasting, I was taken aback by this batches cordial sweetness and buzzy mouthfeel and I was really surprised to find out that it was a straight Yabukita.
Clearly, the producer's careful fukamushi processing and extra heating have done the trick, elevating this tea variety to new levels. Just have a read of the tasting notes to see the complexity of this Sencha.
Learn more about Japanese Green tea and skip to 20:04 for an explanation about Fukamushi style tea: