Kabusecha sencha

Finally, the kabusecha sencha has arrived!!!
The package is quite cool, as you can see from the picture.
As I promised, I will do a brief review of this great tea.



















Tea: Kabusecha
Vendor: O-Cha
Price: $18.95/ 100g
Source: Shizuoka, Japan
Vendor description: From the 2008 harvest. Kabusecha is grown in the shade for 14~20 days before harvest under 45% shade, giving it characteristics of both sencha and gyokuro. A sweeter, less astringent taste than regular sencha, it is a lovely green color with a clear, not-so-cloudy liquid. Brew as you would for sencha, not gyokuro.

The leaf are not that broken, if compared with, e.g., a Fukamushi. A light and delicate smell arises when opening the tea-canister.











1st Infusion Parameters: 5g, ~80°C, 60s

1st Infusion: The first infusion had a pale and delicate green color to it. It had a light flavored aroma to it, with slight notes of grassyness. It reminds of both the typical flavours of gyokuro and sencha. The taste is absolutely similar to gyokuro; it remains in your mouth for several minutes.
















2nd Infusion Parameters: 145F, 15s
2nd Infusion:The second steep is definitely more satisfying, with a brighter green color and a more intense flavor. It becomes easyer to distinguish its mellow sweetness, and the complexity of flavors characterizing this wonderful tea.

3rd Infusion: The flavour is less intense than before, but it is worth do steep this tea three times.




Rating: 9/10

Conclusion and overall impressions:
This is a very unusual tea. It is a well-balanced mix of gyokuro and sencha. The aroma is light, sweet, and not astringent. It was a great novelty for me, and I am enthusiast of it. Its price is not too high considered the quality, so that it can be considered as an everyday green tea; you will not feel guilty every time you'll drink it (as it may happen dealing with more expensive teas).
Worth to try it!