Tea from the Ureshino region (Saga and Nagasaki prefectures) is well known in Japan, especially kamairicha.
The most interesting about this type of green tea is that it’s made in the Chinese way, pan fried instead of steamed.
This sample was given to me by Ian Chun of Yunomi.
Will it taste like a Japanese tea?
Let’s find out.
The first interesting thing is that the aroma is very sweet, similar to a biscuit. It doesn’t feel so vegetal.
As all kamairicha, its leaves are curly.
Some of them are broken down, but overall it has an acceptable appearance.
Well, I haven’t tried many teas of this type so I’m not really an expert at judging it 🙂
I’ll prepare it just like a sencha. 60 ml (2 oz) of water at 80ºC (176ºF) with an infusion time of one minute.
I can feel a light roasted aroma from the wet leaves.
There are marines notes, perhaps boiled greens and also some sweetness.
This tea’s liquor is clear and pale.
It feels very fresh, and it has a good umami taste.
I can also feel a slight sweet flavor which reminds me of corn for some reason.
As I have discovered in several occasions, as long as the cultivar and terroir are Japanese, the green tea will taste similar to sencha even if it wasn’t steamed.
There is a difference, but it is subtle.
Anyway, let’s try the second infusion. I lowered the time to 40 seconds.
I notice more of a roasted quality.
Slightly astringent, but it has body and the flavor remains intense. It’s enjoyable.
Then I made a third infusion for 20 seconds.
The flavor is now lighter, but it feels less astringent.
I made a fourth and final infusion with boiling water for just 10 seconds.
It’s still tasty, but not so intense.
I liked this tea. The sweet aroma is very enticing.
Here’s the product link in Yunomi.
