Uji Shincha 2013

Tea in Uji has a long history dating back several centuries ago.  Uji is located south of the city of Kyoto and is reputed to produce the best green teas in Japan.   2013 Uji Shincha contains beautiful leaves, dry or wet.   It has a harmonized flavor of mellowness and freshness (astringency).

Shincha or 'new tea' is in essence Sencha (the most widespread type of tea in Japan) but is the first harvest of the year.  It is equivalent to a first flush Darjeeling tea in India.  Tea plants hibernate or vegetate during cold winter months.   When spring has sprung, tea trees put out their buds with all the nutrients accumulated and stored.   Teas from the first harvest tend to have a bit more flavors and nutrients.

Like Beaujolais Nouveau wine, Shincha is eagerly anticipated and celebrated annually.

Uji Shincha

Type:  Green Tea    Producing Country: Japan     Preparation:  80°C 2 Minutes

Dry Leaf:  These thin needle-like leaves are deep green and beautiful.  They give out a nice smell of cooked spinach and roasted seaweeds.
Wet Leaf:  The wet leaves are green, tender and soft.  They release an aroma of freshly steamed young vegetables.
Liquor:      The lime green tea is cloudy with sediments.  It is clean, refreshing and with vegetal flavors of arugula.  Its astringency is medium and it is long in the mouth.

Tee Score: 4 out of 5

East Frisian Tea

Bordering North Sea & Netherlands, and situated in the northwest region of Germany is East Frisia (Ostfriesland).  East Frisians prefer tea over coffee and consume a copious amount of black tea.  Their tradition is four breaks a day and three cups per break.

East Frisian Tea refers to black tea blends as well as its serving protocol.  The special tea culture in East Frisia comprises a locally blended black tea, soft water, kluntjes (rock sugar), cream, a tea set and tea serving.        

East Frisian blends are predominately Assam black.  This blend from US contains Assam, Darjeeling and Ceylon teas.   It is a strong Assam, rounded out by Darjeeling and Ceylon. An East Frisian blend is also great as a breakfast tea.

Following are the 'rituals' to enjoy or serve East Frisian Tea:

1.  Use tiny shallow cups if possible and place kluntjes in each cup.  Kluntjes are pieces of rock sugar and they look like crystals.  Asian brown or white rock sugar is a good substitute.  

Asian rock sugar in cup

2. Brew an East Frisian blend or any strong Assam teas for 5 minutes.  Pour the hot tea into the cup and hear the crackling of sugar.   Do not stir.    

Tea in cup

3.  Carefully add cream (not milk) to the tea.  Do not Stir.  

Add cream

4.  Savor the layers of the tea (ideally) in three gulps:  the first is creamy tea; the second is strong tea; and the third is sweet tea.   The sugar lumps remain in the cup and immediately repeat step 2 - 4 for at least two more times.

Kenya Purple Tea

Purple tea is a new camellia sinensis variety that Kenya's Tea Research Foundation has been developing for the last 25 years.  This variety is more drought-resistant and has purple leaves due to its high levels of anthocyanins (e.g., malvidin) or antioxidant pigments.

This purple tea is handcrafted in Kenya and marketed by a relatively new tea merchant, Royal Tea of Kenya.  Whether their fresh leaves are purple, pink, yellow polka-dotted or not, teas are categorized by their manufacturing processes.  This is a fully oxidized tea; i.e., a black tea.  Its dry leaves are richly aromatic and the color of its wet leaves does reveal eggplant purple.  The brew is sweet and smooth but not purple.

Kenya Purple

Type:  Black    Producing Country: Kenya     Preparation:  95°C 4 Min

Dry Leaf:  Their dark wiry leaves are richly fruity - figs and raisins with hints of cocoa and licorice.
Wet Leaf:  Some of the whole leaves are dark brown and some purple.  They are sweet and fruity.
Liquor:      The tea is rusty brown.  Some may say its purple hue fades.  With a medium body and light astringency,  the molasses and fruitiness shine through.

Tee Score: 4 out of 5

Sakuma Oolong

Teas are generally associated with countries in Asia and Africa.   For those teas that are grown outside of these established regions, they should be considered 'exotic'.   The local food movement and the popularity of tea drinking in recent years likely fueled interest in cultivating tea plants in USA and other places.

This 'exotic' oolong from Sakuma Brothers Farms is grown and processed in the Skagit Valley in the northwestern part of USA, where apples, berries, vegetables and wine grapes are abundant.   Sakuma started growing tea plants in 1997.   Its tea varieties that survived over the years probably have adapted to the non-tropical terroir.

Sakuma oolong is a medium-bodied tea with spicy notes.  It almost 'feels' like Taiwan Gold White tea.  This tea may be evident of some Taiwan influence as Sakuma grower acquired equipment from as well as toured tea gardens in Taiwan several years ago.

Sakuma Oolong

Type:  Oolong     Producing Country: USA     Preparation:  90°C 4 Min

Dry Leaf:  They are mixed brown and black leaves, medium sized and twisted.   They are richly aromatic: cinnamon, prunes and clove.
Wet Leaf:  The wet leaves are beautiful olive green with red edges.  Their notes are savory similar to Chinese culinary spices.
Liquor:      The golden amber tea is spicy (cinnamon), woodsy and perhaps citrusy.  It is medium-bodied and lengthy in the mouth.  However, it is mildly astringent.

Tee Score: 3 out of 5

Sakuma Green

Sakuma Brothers Farms, Inc. in the Skagit Valley in Washington State has been growing berries for a century.  Sakuma began experimenting with tea cultivation on 5 acres of land in 1997 and with tea production by 2006-2007.   These days, Sakuma makes limited amounts of white, green and oolong teas each season.  Its artisan teas are hand picked and crafted.    

Unlike the traditional Chinese and Japanese green teas, Sakuma's green has unusually large twisted dry leaves that are aromatic.   Surprisingly, the brewed tea is very light, nothing like its dry leaves.  Sakuma green could be a nice base for creating wonderful tea blends.

Sakuma Green

Type:  Green Tea     Producing Country: USA    Preparation:  85°C 4 Min

Dry Leaf:  These large greenish brown twisted leaves have that special warm aromas of raisins, cinnamon and dark berries.
Wet Leaf:  The unfurled large olive green leaves smell like cooked spinach.
Liquor:      The tea is yellow in color,  is slightly spicy and barely has any astringency.   Even with a higher water temperature and a longer brewing time, it is still a bit flat.

Tee Score: 3 out of 5