The tea, named “Sayama”, is a sencha tea with a beautiful golden liquor, an elegant taste with less astringency or bitterness and a mild aftertaste. The fruity scent that spreads as soon as you open the package is also very appealing!
If you look for
- Fragrant tea
- Less astringent tea
- High graded tea
This “Sayama” is highly recommend.
Place of origin and harvest time
- Place: Tokorozawa, Saitama
- May 2020
Characteristics of Green Tea “Sayama”
Appearance
The tea leaves are thin rolled evenly and dark green. There are few broken tea leaves.
Dry Nose
The first notes are of tropical fruits such as passion fruit, pineapple and papaya. Later, a sweet caramel note and a hint of young grass linger.
Liquor
First of all, it has a beautiful clear light green liquor color. The color of the tea changes between the first elegant cup and the second richer cup. The first cup has a pale green color, like a clear green amethyst. In the second brew, the tea is well dissolved and has a strong yellow color. The more tea is brewed, the less transparent the liquor color becomes, but the more intense the flavor becomes. When brewed at a lower temperature, it often develops a thick, textured character.
Flavor and Taste
Before pouring hot water, the aroma of tropical fruits was impressive, but after pouring hot water, it changes to a fresh green scent on the top nose. It tastes like spinach, kelp, other vegetables with a strong taste and sweetness. The flavor is sweet, with a hint of burnt sugar and sweet chestnuts. The “spinach” is used to describe the freshness and bittersweetness of the flavor. The mention of kelp means it is rich in glutamic acid, which gives it its strong umami taste! The lingering aftertaste that you feel when the tea passes down your throat is well preserved.
The sweetness of this tea is moderate, but the richness, umami and sharpness are strong.
Taste Differences Depending on the Temperature of the Water
It is delicious at a water temperature similar to that used to brew gyokuro, but for a sencha flavor, we can brew it at 70 degrees Celsius and 80 degrees Celsius to compare.
- 2g “Sayama” leaves
- 150ml hot water
- 80 seconds steeping
At both water temperatures, the second cup s have more robust green colors.
At 70 Degrees Celsius
A slightly lower water temperature gives a clearer color and a more pronounced aroma. The lower the temperature, the richer the texture, the sweeter and tastier the taste.
80 Degrees Celsius
The higher the temperature, the darker the color and the stronger the taste. The bitterness is more pronounced, but the astringency is not so pronounced.
Cold Brew Sayama
This sencha is also delicious in cold brew.
- 10g “Sayama” leaves
- 1000ml hot water
- 8 hours steeping
The astringency of sencha does not come out when it is brewed with cold water, so it has a much lighter taste.The aroma is much more subdued than in hot water, but the taste is very versatile and goes well with any meal or sweet treat.
