Shizuoka Green Tea from Yamashiro Bussan

    I found this green tea from Shizuoka at the grocery store nearest my home in the average range of price per gram for loose leaf green teas. The company that makes it, 山城物産 (Yamashiro Bussan), is based in Kyoto and Osaka, and usually promotes teas from those areas but in this case chose leaves from Shizuoka, as indicated on the packaging. 

See those instructions? Yeah. I didn't read those. I also didn't use a teapot.

    Opening the package, I decided to smell the dry leaves before the water was added to give me a taste of what was to come and I was surprised. Some teas at this point can smell a little like fresh cut grass, but this one already had some subtle umami scent coming through.

There it steeps for just a little too long, or like five times as long as intended. Who's counting? Obviously not me.

    I realized after I had steeped it that I had not exactly followed the directions on the label, which called for 3 grams of tea steeping for only 30 seconds at a time. My 5 grams sat tin their juices for over two minutes, which means the flavor should be a bit stronger, but if it is a little too strong to be pleasant, I'll know the blame falls on my faulty techniques and not the tea itself.

The color might be a tad murky from the over-steeping, but it was still delicious.

    Having just taken the first sip, I have to confirm that the flavor is stronger than I would naturally have expected but still quite delicious and actually preferable for a morning cup in my opinion. The softer flavors are great throughout the day, but an stronger cup is significantly better for waking up my taste buds and getting me ready for the day.

    Even with a stronger flavor and a longer time left brewing, this cup is lighter than a western cup would be in its place with no bitterness creeping in to spoil the flavors. The umami I smelled is present but very much a background flavor. The taste is refreshing and much lighter than my usual morning cup of coffee or Irish breakfast tea.

    Whether due to my inept brewing process or the tea itself, there was a large amount of leaf sediment in the bottom of the cup, but nothing too heavy to avoid being easily swirled back into the drink and consumed without further note.

    As the tea cooled, the more admirable aspects of the flavor subsided, leaving behind something far more bland and less enjoyable. This is a good tea, and reasonably priced, but best consumed piping hot, even if it steeps too long.

This post is supported by Shizuoka Green Tea Guide, one of City-Cost's Supporters helping City-Cost bloggers to enjoy life in Japan and engage in new experiences.