Golden Sencha Yabukita Kasugaen

To evaluate the flavor of the Golden Sencha Yabukita Kasugaen we look for a combination of the aroma and also how the tea interacts with the palate. Does it produce a dryness, acidity, minerality, sweetness or umami? We’ll also evaluate the texture of the tea, otherwise known as mouthfeel. Finally, for sencha tea, we’ll evaluate it based on how vegetal the taste profile is as this is a common characteristic throughout most sencha teas. 

The leaves of the yabukita sencha are in between the light yellowish green you would find in an unshaded sencha and the dark green you would find with a gyokuro. The leaves are smaller for the most part, but you can clearly see them formed into thin needle shapes.

The aroma coming off of the wet tea leaves is slightly sweet and starchy, with notes of sweet corn, dough and a slight hint of these floral and citrusy aromas.

This yabukita sencha draws you in with a sweet grassy flavor before diving into a deep rich savory taste on the mid palate. The finish is slightly drier, with notes of sweet corn and straw. The tea leaves the palate with a clean and fresh feeling with quite a bit of minerality. 

The mouthfeel of this premium sencha yabukita is on the thinner side, with a slight tingling minerality and a healthy balance of dryness and acidity. It doesn’t fully quench the palate, but it doesn’t dry it out either. 

The tea has a surprising amount of sweetness, but this sweetness is mostly overshadowed by the strong steamed vegetable flavor profile. There is a hint of savory flavor in this tea but not compared to a gyokuro.