Japan Obubu Kabuse Sencha Green Tea

Tea type
Green Tea
Ingredients
Green Tea Leaves
Flavors
Asparagus, Bamboo, Bread, Broth, Butter, Chestnut, Coriander, Cream, Grass, Green Apple, Hazelnut, Honey, Kale, Lemon Zest, Lettuce, Marshmallow, Mineral, Moss, Orange Zest, Pear, Salt, Seaweed, Snow Peas, Spearmint, Straw, Sugarcane, Sweet, Zucchini, Citrus, Floral, Marine, Umami, Smooth, Earth
Sold in
Loose Leaf
Caffeine
Not available
Certification
Not available
Edit tea info Last updated by eastkyteaguy
Average preparation
165 °F / 73 °C 0 min, 45 sec 3 g 9 oz / 266 ml

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4 Tasting Notes View all

  • “Okay, time to get another oldie out of the way. This was one of my sipdowns from the summer of 2020. To this day, it remains one of the best senchas I have ever had. I made use of a multi-step...” Read full tasting note
    98
  • “1,000 Tea Note!!!!! Yay! Of, course it’s during Interesting Times. lol (Edit: “‘And all those exclamation marks, you notice? Five? A sure sign of someone who wears his underpants on his head.’” –...” Read full tasting note
    90
  • “Spectacular! Worth every cent. Luscious, creamy, cloudy liquor resembles and tastes similar to miso soup with ample seaweed. Delicate floral notes and a grounding hint of earthy bitterness round...” Read full tasting note
    100

From What-Cha

A very smooth sencha with a creamy texture and umami taste coupled with a gentle sweetness.

One of Obubu’s higest grades of sencha produced by shading the tea plants for two weeks prior to picking the tea leaves.

Tasting Notes:
- Smooth creamy texture
- Thick umami taste with a gentle sweetness

Harvest: Spring, May 2019

Steamed: Light (Asamushi)

Origin: Kyoto Obubu Tea Farm, Wazuka, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan
Altitude: 0-500m
Cultivar: Yabukita
Farmer: Akihiro “Akky” Kita
Sourced: Direct from the farmer
Percentage of price going back to the farmer: 20%+

Brewing Advice:
- Heat water to roughly 65°C/149°F
- Use 2 teaspoons per cup/small teapot
- Brew for 30-45 seconds

Packaging: Resealable ziplock bag

About What-Cha View company

Company description not available.

4 Tasting Notes

98
1048 tasting notes

Okay, time to get another oldie out of the way. This was one of my sipdowns from the summer of 2020. To this day, it remains one of the best senchas I have ever had.

I made use of a multi-step Western preparation method for this tea. I started off by steeping approximately 3 grams of loose tea leaves in 8 fluid ounces of 149 F water for 1 minute. Four additional infusions followed. I varied the steep time for each infusion, cutting back to 30 seconds for the second infusion, then 45 seconds for the third infusion, 1 minute 30 seconds for the fourth infusion, and then a full 3 minutes for the fifth and final infusion. I also increased the water temperature by 5 degrees for each of the subsequent infusions, so I went from 154 F on the second infusion to 169 F on the final infusion.

Prior to the first infusion, the dry tea leaves produced lovely aromas of spinach, grass, baked bread, honey, zucchini, and asparagus. After infusion, the tea liquor offered up novel aromas of lettuce, kale, chestnut, and seaweed. In the mouth, the tea liquor presented notes of snow pea, honey, lettuce, grass, cream, butter, chestnut, zucchini, and light vegetable broth balanced by subtler impressions of pear, green apple, lemon zest, asparagus, seaweed, baked bread, and orange zest. The second infusion introduced aromas of cream, butter, and toasted sweet corn in addition to subtler aromas of snow peas and hazelnut. A fine minerality emerged in the mouth while stronger and somewhat more immediately evident notes of lemon zest, orange zest, and asparagus appeared. I also detected subtle impressions of toasted sweet corn, straw, hazelnut, kale, and bamboo. The third infusion saw the nose turn very fine and light, with a ghostly mineral presence appearing. Even stronger and more dominant lemon zest, orange zest, and asparagus notes were evident in the mouth, though this time they were balanced by amplified bamboo and toasted sweet corn flavors. A slightly stronger baked bread note also appeared along with hints of spearmint, sugarcane, coriander, and marshmallow. The fourth infusion saw the mineral presence on the nose strengthen and take on something of a marine quality reminiscent of sea salt or sea spray. More of a vegetable broth presence emerged on the palate with pronounced mineral, sugarcane, lemon zest, orange zest, and asparagus notes. Slightly stronger impressions of spearmint, coriander, and marshmallow were also present, and fresh hints of sea salt and moss appeared as well. The fifth and final infusion did not offer much in terms of aroma. The tea’s bouquet was mild and heavy on mineral character with traces of toasted sweet corn and grass remaining. The tea liquor had washed out greatly at this point, though very subtle citrus zest, asparagus, chestnut, lettuce, grass, spinach, kale, spearmint, coriander, moss, sea salt, cream, and butter hints could still be detected under a bed of soft minerality.

This was an absolutely fantastic sencha. The tea liquor it produced was vibrant, gorgeously textured, incredibly complex, and almost unbelievably refined. I loved the way the tea evolved over the course of my review session. Each infusion offered something unique and different on the nose and in the mouth. Fortunately, What-Cha still stocks this tea. Make a point of trying it if you have yet to get around to it.

Flavors: Asparagus, Bamboo, Bread, Broth, Butter, Chestnut, Coriander, Cream, Grass, Green Apple, Hazelnut, Honey, Kale, Lemon Zest, Lettuce, Marshmallow, Mineral, Moss, Orange Zest, Pear, Salt, Seaweed, Snow Peas, Spearmint, Straw, Sugarcane, Sweet, Zucchini

Preparation
1 min, 0 sec 3 g 8 OZ / 236 ML

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90
1429 tasting notes

1,000 Tea Note!!!!! Yay! Of, course it’s during Interesting Times. lol (Edit: “‘And all those exclamation marks, you notice? Five? A sure sign of someone who wears his underpants on his head.’” – Terry Pratchett in “Maskerade”)

Spring 2020 Harvest

This is currently one of my favourite teas of all time. I don’t know a lot about this type of tea or Japanese teas in general, and have only had a couple Kabuse Senchas in the past (I’ve loved them all). If anyone has recommendations of their favourites give me a shout!

I have yet to get anyone I know to hop on my Kabuse Sencha hype train; most people I’ve shared this with don’t find the appeal in the marine seaweed, sweet grass, and moss notes. There is a buttery umami quality as well, that when coupled with the former grassy marine aspects, taste of and also compliment most Japanese cuisine and seasonings (primarily miso and furikake).

There is a hint of citrus on third steep, after the marine has become diluted and the citric and sweet qualities of the green peaks through (comes across as mostly yuzu or kumquat, or citrus leaves). Its profile also often overlaps with matcha, which is how this tea variety hooked me in the first place. I had a cup with Chinese food the other day and it sure cut the grease.

I love how clean and savoury this tea is. While the beach isn’t really advisable right now, these verdant leaves provide similar sensory input and make me feel relaxed and at peace. It may be sappy, but it’s true and a reliable effect!

Rating: 95 Love, love, love. Essential repurchase with same or similar tea.

Steep Count: 3, at aprox. 30s each

Flavors: Citrus, Floral, Grass, Marine, Seaweed, Umami

Preparation
170 °F / 76 °C 0 min, 30 sec 2 tsp 12 OZ / 354 ML
Roswell Strange

Congrats on 1000! :)

mrmopar

Big number! Congrats!

Martin Bednář

Congratulations!

Courtney

1000! Congratulations!

ashmanra

Congratulations!

White Antlers

Wow! Congratulations!

Leafhopper

Congratulations on 1,000 tasting notes!

Crowkettle

Thanks everyone! :)

tea-sipper

ah, a beach, any beach. Happy 1,000!

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100
38 tasting notes

Spectacular! Worth every cent. Luscious, creamy, cloudy liquor resembles and tastes similar to miso soup with ample seaweed. Delicate floral notes and a grounding hint of earthy bitterness round out the flavor. The nose is something special: it smells precisely like BeauFort London’s Fathom V with the florals boosted. For those unfamiliar, Fathom V calls to mind moss and musk, ozone and the sea, whipped-up white florals and velvety spices. It’s a merger of chypre and aquatic that I find reminiscent of a greenhouse, the section under the misters. I’d just applied some when I opened this bag and was briefly horribly confused.
A note: it is possible I brewed this hotter even than I recorded, as temperatures that low are difficult to eyeball. I think I may have as it resteeped acceptably, but not superbly. I also left my leaves in the pot, which could also have sapped them, but greens usually stand up admirably well to that treatment so I suspect I subjected it to a bit much heat. Will go lower next time and see how it affects longevity.

Flavors: Butter, Earth, Floral, Marine, Seaweed

Preparation
155 °F / 68 °C 0 min, 30 sec 4 tsp 16 OZ / 473 ML

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