This is another tea from
Mr. Katahira's farm in Nunosawa, Shizuoka imported by Teamountain that I purchased on my recent visit to Brno's Probuzeny Slon
teahouse. A classic tea found in their offering for years, this is a
very high-grade Kabusecha made of Yabukita breed that, according to
its description, competes in various tea competitions every year.
Its leaves are beautiful –
long, uniform dark-green needles that really make this tea attractive
on the first sight. Their smell is deep, milky and fruity, quite
typical for good half-shaded teas – ripe fruit combined with fresh
greenness.
Kabuse teas are ideal for
experimenting – they are, after all, on a half way between Sencha
and Gyokuro and using different leaf to water ratio and different
water temperatures can lead to very different and very interesting
results. However, I most commonly prepare them similarly to the way
they're made – something between Sencha and Gyokuro, both in the
amount of leaves, brewing time and temperature (slightly cooler water
than Sencha and slightly smaller amount of leaves than in Gyokuro).
The first infusion
prepared this way is light yellow in color, very clear and has a
soft, complex taste made of various tones – plums, grapes, milk,
nutty sweetness and nuttiness. Vivid umami note mixes with fresh
greenness and creates an interesting combination – while the tea
itself seems warmer in character thanks to the sweet, 'shaded'
nuances, it has a cooling, fresh finish and long, similarly
diversified yet complex aftertaste.
The second infusion is
greener in color, stronger in taste and still very sweet in character
– I was originally expecting this brew to be more Sencha-like, but
instead got another refined, creamy infusion with vivid umami and
nutty sweetness. It also feels very heavy on tongue, reminding me of
some lighter Gyokuros. The aftertaste may be a bit shorter than
before, but still is a strong one with sweet tones of milk, caramel
and just a hint of ripe fruit.
The following brew is
light-green in color, sharper in taste and now dominated by spicy,
fruity notes, though still strong on the sweet side without any trace
of bitterness. In a way, it almost reminded me of apple in caramel
and cinnamon. These notes are followed by a shorter, simpler
aftertaste which is sweet, slightly spicy and nutty.
One more infusion is
prepared - a simple, refreshing Sencha-like brew with green, fresh
tones, spiciness and slightly drier, woody finish.
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