Tezumi was founded by David, Michael, and Ryan, Japanese Tea enthusiasts who are passionate to share the world of tea with consumers. Tezumi (手摘み) means “hand-picked” which relates to how they put care and love behind selecting their tea and teaware similar to hand-picking tea. They work with small, artisanal Japanese tea producers, and focus on three key values: Quality, Variety, and Transparency. Tezumi also works hard to share Japanese tea culture and information, and have a blog that is full of amazing articles. They sent me many, many teas to try. Today, I am sharing one with you: Matsuba Sencha. Enjoy!

Matsuba Sencha

Overall, my impression of this tea in a few words or less is “grassy mountain broth”, and I will go into why in a second. The leaves were fine like pine needles, a lovely dark green in color with little splashes of brighter green color. They looked perfectly pressed down flat and turned into a really beautiful bright green when hot water was added to the teapot. The leaves were then revealed to be fragmented which was as expected from the sencha. The brewed tea was a very, very pale green – which to me signified its freshness. I measured out 3 grams and brewed the tea at 165 degrees Fahrenheit for one minute. I used my cast iron teapot that has a basket infuser in it to give the leaves enough room.

The aroma of this tea reminded me of steamed vegetables, and more specifically the combination of steamed brussel sprouts and spinach. It did not give me an immediate grassy vibe but that came after being with this tea a bit more. The taste was overall very light and mellow. It gave an immediately fresh feeling and taste in the mouth, and overall reminded me a bit again of spinach. I felt like in some ways, I could taste the production process for this tea. I really do not know how to describe that other than, I felt like each note had a light steaming element to it which could really only have been from the production of this sencha. While sipping on the tea, I could tell it was quite fresh even though I do not know the exact production date of this tea. The color of the brew and overall crispness of the tea gave me that impression. Near the end of my exploration, I noticed a very very faint note that reminded me a bit of kiwi, but I think my mind might have been playing tricks on me. But there was just a natural sweetness to this sencha that really did not show any fruit or other notes, just kind of grassy sweetness.

As I gathered up my notes and teaware, I noticed some lingering notes on my palate. Specifically, I noticed some heavier grass-forward notes. As well as some mineral-like notes that just lingered for at least a minute after my last sip. This is what personally tied together with the taste of the mountain that I was expecting from this tea, and buttoned up the entire tasting.

Type: Yabukita Sencha
Origin: Uchimachi sector of Honyama, Shizuoka – Japan

Price: This tea is priced at $20 for 100 grams of loose leaf tea or $4 for a 10-gram sample. You know that I love when companies offer samples, as it just allows for more people to try their tea without a big financial commitment.

Packaging: The tea sample came in a normal white tea pouch, and no aroma was detected at the top of the bag. If I keep this is the cool, dark storage of my tea shelf, I think this will be fine for keeping the tea fresh.

Sourcing: Tezumi provides a map outlining where in Japan the tea came from as well as the mountain range. I think this is great and could only be enhanced by adding additional tea farm information.

What are your thoughts on Sencha or Japanese Green teas? I feel like while tempermental, they are a great tool in teaching patience and love through thoughtful motions. Or maybe I am just feeling poetic today. Either way, Happy Brewing!

-Danielle