Outstanding Sencha from multi-award-winning Sencha makers Otsuka
The young fresh leaves of Sencha Tokujo impart a fruity flavour like blackcurrants. The tea grows in the mountains and is picked early in the season, so the leaves have not yet seen much sunlight. This makes this sencha extra light and delicate.
After picking, Sencha is steamed for longer (fukamushi), causing the leaf to break up slightly, which makes the flavour softer. The fukamushi process breaks the cells of the leaves and further activates the flavour and aromas from the leaf. The leaf softens and partly dissolves in the cup. As a result, you literally drink more tea per cup.
This Sencha Tokujo was produced by Otsuka in Shizuoka, Japan. The Otsuka family has won the award for best tea in Japan several times.
Sencha is a familiar sight in many Japanese restaurants. However, the tea oxidises quickly (recognisable by its dark colour, and thus less flavourful due to exposure to oxygen). Therefore, this Sencha is harvested by machine and vacuum-packed at the plantation, to avoid oxidation as much as possible.
Sencha has been drunk in Japan for centuries, but is increasingly – badly – copied. So make sure you buy real Japanese Sencha!
- Flavour: blackcurrant, light and sweet
- Origin: Otsuka, Kakegawa, Shizuoka, Japan
- Weight: 50 grams, vacuum-packed at Otsuka’s factory.
steep time: 30-60 sec. – water temperature: 70ºC – 1 full teaspoon per cup.
Multiple steepings possible.
