After the podcast episode with Sugimoto America, I was sent this tea for a review!
It’s a deep-steamed sencha, a type of green tea that’s very popular in the Shizuoka region.
As you can see in the close-up picture, there are many broken leaves, but that’s normal because the leaves of a fukamushicha are very brittle. Nonetheless, you can still appreciate some tightly rolled, high quality leaves.
The leaves have an attractive green color, and the aroma is very fresh and a little sweet.
What does it taste like?
Using 3 grams of leaves, and 70 ml of water at 80°C (176°F), I brewed the tea for 40 seconds.
It’s a dark green liquid, and the best part is that the aroma is stronger than that of the loose leaf.
The taste is intense, not like your usual sencha, it has more body and a richer taste. I felt some sweetness, it’s very faint.
Finally, bitterness and astringency are minimal.
I re-infused the tea leaves a second and third time, with good results.
If you find that normal sencha is too weak for your taste, try Sugimoto America’s Sencha Fukamushi. I’m sure you’ll enjoy it.
January 13, 2022
I have purchased Fukamushi Sencha back in September.
Your tea certainly has more flavor than tea from Japanese groceries but I have some problem.
The Nitrogen flush is causing me itchy skin breakouts.
First, I thought it was poison ivy rush but since I have switched to complete vegan diet I am free from poison ivy which I used to get from mowing lawn every summer.
Do you sell Fukamushi Sencha without Nitrogen flush treatment?
I really wish you do.
Online search about Nitrogen flush could not yield much information, rather than the gas protects foods from oxidizing.
Nitrogen evaporates after opening the seal, thus no significant health effects should be concerned. Really?
In modern days for the sake of stabilizing merchandises, food industries are start using many chemicals to protect their product’s freshness, which causing us end users to suffer cancer, diabetes to all other illnesses from long term ingestion of minute amount of chemicals damaging our gut flora.
I have learned the ways to avoid a few major chemicals to enter our system so far.
First and the most common chemical on foods is chlorine, regardless of Organic labels many foods we eat are all disinfected to avoid pathogens which is absolute necessity.
I can avoid chlorine residue on vegetables, nuts, and fruits to enter my system by rinsing with vitamin C or lemon juice.
In fact, Your Fukamushi become very tasty by this treatment, without chlorine residue the tea become more flavorful like the one we used to enjoy in Japan long long time ago.
Unfortunately, I do not know the way to avoid Nitrogen residue so the skin rush gets bad.
Another common chemical to avoid is sulfites on dried fruits, mushrooms and mini cucumbers by counter acting with chlorinated water followed by lemon juice rinse.
These daunting tasks are almost ridiculous to prepare foods and beverages.
Simply, I am slaving myself to kitchen-work daily.
Why the craziness? It began to fight against my husband’s prostate cancer.
Then I found myself was getting great benefit from this food preparation as well–avoiding all unnatural chemicals to protect our gut flora.
No more migraine, insomnia, arthritis, skin rush, stubborn constipation, rapid tooth decay and many more minor problems were all gone.
In spite of the age (soon to be 82) I am in great health.
To avoid Nitrogen flush, do I have to purchase the tea in huge bulk?
If so, how much and how can I keep them fresh?
Seal the tea tight and refrigerated?
Our precious Itoen Gyokuro from Japan is running out shortly. Please let me hear from you soon.
My best regards.
Kurumi T. Nathuka
PS: Itoen Gyokuro also gives Nitrogen itch but lighter and the tea flavor is not great as it used to be. They all taste like soap, though I have never tasted actual soap. Faint chemical smell possibly is the cause.
My granddaughter and I are called human bloodhound by the family.
January 14, 2022
Hi Kurumi
I’m not the manufacturer of that tea, it is best if you contact Sugimoto Tea directly.
And since I’m just a tea blogger, I can’t give you medical advise.
I hope that you can find a green tea that works for you.