Ujitawara Sencha Premium (煎茶 プレミアム)
While matcha may be most known outside of Japan, within the country it’s Sencha which is the most popular as the daily tea. The needle-shaped, dark-green glossy leaves open up when brewed to reveal tender buds. Compared to the deep-steamed Sencha Fukamushi, this lighter style “Shin-cha” (the first tea of the season after the winter frost) is lighter in body and sweeter in taste. It counters this with a touch of mouth-watering briskness and gentle tannins that keeps the tea lively, which is a sought-after characteristic in sencha as a result of being grown in full sun (compared to matcha, gyokuro, and kabusecha). We hope you enjoy the taste of spring’s arrival in this tea.
Origin: Ujitawara, Uji, Kyoto Prefecture
Tea plant cultivar: Yabukita
Net Weight: 100g (about 12-15 servings)
Brewing Guidance:
All Sanriku teas can be brewed up to 3 infusions with full flavor.
A quick note: When brewing Japanese tea, all of the water is meant to be poured out with each infusion (as opposed to Western-style brewing, where leaves are left in the water). For this reason, “kyusu” teapots (see here) are smaller to allow for full emptying between infusions, and making a fresh infusion each time.
For Hot Tea Brewing:
Tea leaves: 2 Tbsp (about 10 grams, or 2 heaping scoops with a “Chasaji” cherry bark tea scoop)
Water temp: 75C (167F)
Water amount: ~200-300mL (size of one typical “kyusu” style teapot)
Brew time: 1 minute for first and second infusions. Increase to 1.5 minutes for third infusion.
For Cold Brewing (mizudashi): I recommend about 4-5 heaping Tbsp (20-25g) of tea per 1000mL cold brew filter pitcher, but adjust to your taste. Leave for 3-6 hours in the fridge (or simply overnight), and swirl to mix before serving. I recommend this Hario glass cold brew pitcher with built-in filter for loose leaf brewing.
With cold brewing, the tea will never be bitter due to cooler water temperatures extracting less caffeine and tannins which taste bitter. Instead, the rich flavor of the tea through extraction of the L-theanine amino acid is accentuated, and the tea has a natural grassy sweetness.
Feel free to experiment with water temperature and brewing time to your taste. If desiring a stronger flavor, we recommend using more leaf or slightly less water rather than pushing the temperature higher or infusion time longer (as this will bring out more astringency in the tea but not necessarily more flavor).
While matcha may be most known outside of Japan, within the country it’s Sencha which is the most popular as the daily tea. The needle-shaped, dark-green glossy leaves open up when brewed to reveal tender buds. Compared to the deep-steamed Sencha Fukamushi, this lighter style “Shin-cha” (the first tea of the season after the winter frost) is lighter in body and sweeter in taste. It counters this with a touch of mouth-watering briskness and gentle tannins that keeps the tea lively, which is a sought-after characteristic in sencha as a result of being grown in full sun (compared to matcha, gyokuro, and kabusecha). We hope you enjoy the taste of spring’s arrival in this tea.
Origin: Ujitawara, Uji, Kyoto Prefecture
Tea plant cultivar: Yabukita
Net Weight: 100g (about 12-15 servings)
Brewing Guidance:
All Sanriku teas can be brewed up to 3 infusions with full flavor.
A quick note: When brewing Japanese tea, all of the water is meant to be poured out with each infusion (as opposed to Western-style brewing, where leaves are left in the water). For this reason, “kyusu” teapots (see here) are smaller to allow for full emptying between infusions, and making a fresh infusion each time.
For Hot Tea Brewing:
Tea leaves: 2 Tbsp (about 10 grams, or 2 heaping scoops with a “Chasaji” cherry bark tea scoop)
Water temp: 75C (167F)
Water amount: ~200-300mL (size of one typical “kyusu” style teapot)
Brew time: 1 minute for first and second infusions. Increase to 1.5 minutes for third infusion.
For Cold Brewing (mizudashi): I recommend about 4-5 heaping Tbsp (20-25g) of tea per 1000mL cold brew filter pitcher, but adjust to your taste. Leave for 3-6 hours in the fridge (or simply overnight), and swirl to mix before serving. I recommend this Hario glass cold brew pitcher with built-in filter for loose leaf brewing.
With cold brewing, the tea will never be bitter due to cooler water temperatures extracting less caffeine and tannins which taste bitter. Instead, the rich flavor of the tea through extraction of the L-theanine amino acid is accentuated, and the tea has a natural grassy sweetness.
Feel free to experiment with water temperature and brewing time to your taste. If desiring a stronger flavor, we recommend using more leaf or slightly less water rather than pushing the temperature higher or infusion time longer (as this will bring out more astringency in the tea but not necessarily more flavor).
While matcha may be most known outside of Japan, within the country it’s Sencha which is the most popular as the daily tea. The needle-shaped, dark-green glossy leaves open up when brewed to reveal tender buds. Compared to the deep-steamed Sencha Fukamushi, this lighter style “Shin-cha” (the first tea of the season after the winter frost) is lighter in body and sweeter in taste. It counters this with a touch of mouth-watering briskness and gentle tannins that keeps the tea lively, which is a sought-after characteristic in sencha as a result of being grown in full sun (compared to matcha, gyokuro, and kabusecha). We hope you enjoy the taste of spring’s arrival in this tea.
Origin: Ujitawara, Uji, Kyoto Prefecture
Tea plant cultivar: Yabukita
Net Weight: 100g (about 12-15 servings)
Brewing Guidance:
All Sanriku teas can be brewed up to 3 infusions with full flavor.
A quick note: When brewing Japanese tea, all of the water is meant to be poured out with each infusion (as opposed to Western-style brewing, where leaves are left in the water). For this reason, “kyusu” teapots (see here) are smaller to allow for full emptying between infusions, and making a fresh infusion each time.
For Hot Tea Brewing:
Tea leaves: 2 Tbsp (about 10 grams, or 2 heaping scoops with a “Chasaji” cherry bark tea scoop)
Water temp: 75C (167F)
Water amount: ~200-300mL (size of one typical “kyusu” style teapot)
Brew time: 1 minute for first and second infusions. Increase to 1.5 minutes for third infusion.
For Cold Brewing (mizudashi): I recommend about 4-5 heaping Tbsp (20-25g) of tea per 1000mL cold brew filter pitcher, but adjust to your taste. Leave for 3-6 hours in the fridge (or simply overnight), and swirl to mix before serving. I recommend this Hario glass cold brew pitcher with built-in filter for loose leaf brewing.
With cold brewing, the tea will never be bitter due to cooler water temperatures extracting less caffeine and tannins which taste bitter. Instead, the rich flavor of the tea through extraction of the L-theanine amino acid is accentuated, and the tea has a natural grassy sweetness.
Feel free to experiment with water temperature and brewing time to your taste. If desiring a stronger flavor, we recommend using more leaf or slightly less water rather than pushing the temperature higher or infusion time longer (as this will bring out more astringency in the tea but not necessarily more flavor).