Fukamushicha

TL;DR: It's really good tea, it ships faster and cheaper than anything from Yunomi, and often ships faster than Amazon estimates (I credit Ocha & Co. with being quick on the draw when it comes to mailing orders). I've tried many of the price-per-gram comparable sencha on Amazon, but this has been my primary tea for the last year. The following contains detailed descriptions as well as my brewing methodology. In terms of flavor, you can tell when a manufacturer has actual concern for the quality of their tea. You can buy bulk "sencha" for dirt cheap and en-masse, sure, but it will taste like garbage. No matter how you brew it, bad tea tastes bad. Paradoxically, the wrong brewing can also make good tea taste bad, and fukamushicha is a highly temperamental type of tea. This is problematic for many making their first forays into the world of drinks like matcha, sencha, and its many derivatives. In decent swaths of the west, particularly the United States, the most complex your average tea gets is dropping some boiling water on a tea bag, waiting a couple minutes, and calling it a day. I would caution anyone reading this and considering buying this tea that if you treat it like black tea, you will ruin it. I shudder to think how many people have tried teas like this one only to brew them wrong and be turned away from it forever. This tea is, for lack of better words, amazing. The care that goes into its production is apparent in the flavor, a rich brew with minimal to nonexistent bitterness and fantastic umami when brewed correctly. Speaking of how to brew this tea... After a lot of experimentation, I've discovered that my favorite brewing method is 2.5-3g of tea per 100mL of water. This is because I opt for a water temperature on the lower end between 61 and 63 degrees centigrade, and steeping time of 45 seconds for the first two brews. If "two brews" sounds strange, and it may to those unfamiliar with the particulars of teas like this one, it can be brewed repeatedly to produce as many as 5 pots of tea from one pot worth of leaves. In my experience, after the first two, an additional 1-2 degrees and 5 seconds will help to maintain strength and flavor. The third brew, with these specifications, is a little more complex in flavor, but a bit milder than the first two. Subsequent brews will be noticeably milder. Overall, this is a remarkable tea for the price. For anyone looking to make a first venture into the wonderful world of sencha, this is an excellent starting point. If you feel a little under-equipped, I highly recommend a look at Hario's teaware, which can also be found here on Amazon, as well as an accurate thermometer and a scale capable of measuring at .1g increments. This is also an excellent tea for those like me who might be willing to splurge on a more expensive brew for special occasions, but have to make some considerations about the cost of our daily drink.

So I admit, this is my first Gyokuro. I drink a ton of green teas and matcha. I always try to get higher end brands. I used to drink a lot of store bought teas, which could be $3 a bottle (and also loaded with sugar usually, which I don't want. But, unsweetened bottled tea tastes horrible). Since I am saving money not buying bottled, I figured I mine as well get high quality teas to make myself. There was some Gyokuro that was double this price. But, this brand has great reviews, is organic, and the price was acceptable to me. So, overall, this tea compared to 'normal' green tea, has a much better flavor to me. Almost no bitterness, nice earthy flavor, with a good mouth feel. Gives me a nice boost throughout morning and afternoon as well. I brew the leaves two times (usually for 2 cups in the morning). You may be able to brew even more than twice, but, because part of the reason I drink this is for the caffeine, I want to make sure I am getting the most of that I can. I can see this becoming one of my favorites for daily drinking. The vacuum sealed bag I got is dated for a year past when I received it. Came in fresh. Inside the bag is all perfectly rolled tea leaves. No overly dry 'dusty' pieces. Very good quality. The smell is amazing! If you want to setup up your green tea game, this Gyokuro may be great for you!

Pretty good. Has a strong roasted flavor, with hints of dark chocolate. Not too much natural sweetness. It is very fine and sifts very nicely, but also has a very noticeable astringency that leaves your mouth feeling very dry. It is nice that it comes in a large size, however.

I've enjoyed tea and coffee my whole life. I drift back and forth for seasons between them. Recently, I've been on a new tea kick: rediscovering some, giving some a second try, and trying some for the first time. I'm new to reviewing teas, but I know what I like and do not. If you like the earthiness of green tea, this is an exceptional drink. It sounds like it would be bold, but it remains delicate with a fresh floral grass flavor. It's very approachable to borrow wine lingo. The color is brilliant, and the steeped tea reveals the fresh nature of this product. I've heard that better Gyokuro teas are available at higher prices, but this is a sublime tea for me, and I'm not sure I'd know the difference (yet, anyway). The tea was in a nice tight, vacuum-sealed foil bag with a beautiful aroma out of the gate. The expiration is clearly printed on the package, and I have almost 12 months to open and enjoy it, but I'm sure the tea will be gone long before then. This tea seems the very definition of umami. Well done. If I'm formulating a Top 10 of Teas, this is in it.

I’m a hojicha virgin and this one did not disappoint! It has a toasty roasted taste, umami and rounded taste. Almost like herby chocolate milk! I love it! Best with oat milk with maple syrup! I literally drank this before bed and I was able to seep. Whisks easily, creamy and the color is vibrant brown.

Profumazione e gusto delicato. Lo adoro e ne bevo in quantità.

My reviews of Ocha's loose leaves line-up as Amazon's listing doesn't allow separate reviews for different teas in this category. Edit: (18/12/25): Organic Shincha 80g If you are looking to try this, my best advice is to grab it during the summer straight after the fresh harvest. Shincha is fleeting. It really only retains that unique character for the first few months, even with vacuum packaging. I picked this up a bit later in the year and have just finished the packet. My hasty photo here shows the very last bit of leaves from the bottom of the bag, so excuse the broken appearance. In my first cup, it was arguably the most grassy tea I have ever drunk. It has a sharp, dominant grassy umami punch that hits you immediately. However, you need to know that once the bag is open, it quickly mellows out. The longer you let oxygen in, that intense fresh bite settled into a smoother, more standard First Flush Sencha profile with a nice, subtle natural sweetness. This is certainly not for everyone. If you are new to Shincha, be prepared for a serious grassy kick. You also need to be on top of your storage to keep that freshness alive, otherwise you're just better off buying a bigger bag of first flush sencha. 4 stars. _______________________________ Edit (03/09/25): Organic Hojicha 100g For £17, this is definitely a premium Hojicha, and you absolutely get what you pay for. It comes with all the hallmarks of quality you expect from Ocha & Co., like being certified organic and vacuum-sealed for maximum freshness. The tea itself, a mix of leaves and stems, is expertly roasted. I found there was no bitterness at all, even when I tried longer infusions at higher temperatures. The flavour is very well balanced with smoky, roasted notes and a light sweetness that carries through each sip. It's never overwhelming or intense like you might find with lower-quality roasted teas. Because the leaves are so well roasted, you can easily get multiple infusions from them. I noticed the later infusions brought out even more sweetness than the first or second. It's also worth remembering that Hojicha is naturally low in caffeine but still has the health benefits of green tea, so you can enjoy it any time of day without worry. A strong 4 out of 5 stars from me. Certainly the highest quality Hojicha I've tried. ___________________ Edit (02/08/25): Organic Kukicha 100g At £18, it's definitely pricey for what it is. For those who've never tried kukicha before, I would describe it as "sencha-lite" with more sweetness. Like the other teas in Ocha's lineup, it's vacuum-sealed for maximum freshness and quality. Brewing it at the recommended 80C for 30 seconds, in contrast to the fukamushi, the theme here is "light & clean" in both taste and visual. It has a light umami with no bitterness, clear notes of sweetness, and ends with a clean finish. You can brew it for longer to get bitterness, but it's not meant for that. It's also very low in caffeine due to being made from stems/twigs, while still being quite healthy. My only main problem is the pricing. £18 is quite a lot for this tea. It's good, but I don't think it's £18 good. 4 stars. __________ Normal fukamushi: This tea costs £20 for 100g, which places it firmly in the premium range, and it definitely shows. The package arrived vacuum-sealed to preserve maximum freshness, which is always a good sign for high-quality tea from Japan. The leaves themselves are a deep green and finely broken, exactly as fukamushi should be. The dry aroma is a nice, strong grassy roasted smell, quite pleasant that I enjoyed. I followed the brewing recommendation of 80C for about 40 seconds. If you prefer a bit more bitterness, you can steep it a little longer. The result is a hallmark of authentic fukamushi tea: rich, full-bodied, and with a deep umami flavour. You can see the quality in the cloudy appearance of the tea. For those new to this style, yes, you are meant to drink the cloudiness and the fine sediment at the bottom. It contains all the good stuff that makes fukamushi even healthier than regular sencha. The only minor issue is with cleaning your strainer. Because the leaf particles are so fine, some will get stuck in a normal mesh strainer and require a bit of extra effort to clean. There are special teapots (kyusu) for this tea, but they aren't essential. So despite the high price, it's completely justified; you're paying for quality and I can certainly gives it a 5 stars.

Excellent quality!

Schmeckt super als iced latte. Inhalt sollte trotzdem in ein anderes luftdichts Behältnis gefüllt werden um die Qualität beizubehalten.

❤️ The low caffeine content (good bedtime tea) and health benefits. Tastes yummy too.