Description
What is Sencha?
Sencha (煎茶) is the most popular tea in Japan and is unique in its distinctive emerald colour and grassy, vegetal taste. Directly translated as `brewing tea´, 80% of all green tea produced in Japan is considered Sencha. After being picked, the tealeaves are immediately steamed for about 40 to 50 seconds to stop them from oxidising. The tea is then rolled in several processes: rough rolling, strong rolling, middle rolling and finally fine rolling. This transforms the leaves into the beautiful needle shapes that are typical of Japanese tea.
Farmer Profile
Akihiro “Akky” Kita is our president and lead farmer here at Obubu. His desire to make this tea available to the general public is the foundation of Kyoto Obubu Tea Farms. In college, Akky took up a part-time job as a farmhand in Wazuka, and fell in love with the tea of this region. He made the decision then to leave college and devote his time to mastering the art of tea farming. Recognizing the need for independent farmers like himself to spread the joy of drinking Japanese tea, he travels each year during the winter off-season to bring Japanese tea to people all over the world.
Sencha of the Wind – Production and Brewing guide
English (UK) 
Français
Wes –
This is a really nice tasting sencha. I am actually surprised at how strong the umami flavor notes are. The aroma has quite a strong grassiness, so I expected something a bit sharper and more astringent, but the flavor is quite the opposite – rich and sweet, with just the right potency. Overall, an excellent sencha that I would definitely consider reordering.
Footnote: I brewed at 170F for around 50 seconds, and this produced a brew quite to my liking.
Obubu Tea –
Reviews by tea professionals and enthusiasts:
“he flavor of this tea was very sweet and grassy. The tea had a thickness to it, but it didn’t feel heavy if that makes any sense. The leaves also just kept on giving. I got five steeps and feel like I could’ve gotten at least one more decent one if I wanted to. At the third steep, the grassiness died off a bit, replaced by a sweet green floral flavor. This is what kept it going for me, that flavor was awesome and didn’t feel like it was about to give out at any point”, – Matu, 2016
“Multiple infusions provided a milder yet pleasantly refreshing flavor and aroma. Extending the steeping time slightly brought out more character without a noticeable increase in astringency. The finish after each infusion was refreshing and clean”- Heather Porter, 2016
“The leaf are long thin delicate emerald shards. They carry a sweet and inviting scent of warm grass, seaweed, and a creamy undertone, I dusted off my kyusu and prepared for brewing. I made mine thick, so I can pull more sweetness out. The brew was slightly clouded, but I bright pale jade. The taste is sweet with a lemon finish. The aftertaste presents thick umami which wipes away the citrus tone. I can catch some bitterness and harsh veggies within the body”- Haveteawilltravel, 2016
“I love this sencha, the leaves are big and not much broken, of an intense green, the smell is grassy and fresh. I start with a 50-60 degrees infusion (1 min, 1 heaped teaspoon, 100 ml)to fully enjoy the sweetness and freshness and then increase time and warmth going on, holds a 4th infusion at 80 degrees where you can enjoy the complex umami. should be steeped with purpose until someone finds what works best for them, it’s a really great sencha, but still easy to drink” – Claudia, 2016
“The tea liquor is light and definitely on the sweeter side, with notes of spinach and peas. There is only a very slight palate cleansing finish in the astringency. There’s something about the flavor in this that’s really nice and delicate, but not too light on impact” – TeaBrat, 2014
“The taste had notes of sweet hay, fresh cut grass, and a moderate astringency. The aftertaste was sweet hay, with a lingering flowery essence left on the breath.” – by Tea Journey Man, 2013
“THIS is what I picture when I think of green tea. It was perfect. It was all there, the grassy flavor, the faint fruit aroma, tinge of bitterness, followed by a hint of sweetness. Sencha of the Wind was unlike a lot of green teas that I have had, with full body but still clean and refreshing.” – by Elonwy, 2013
“Another fantastic Sencha from Obubu. So smooth, sweet and with a lovely fruit note that hits the palate toward the end of the sip. Beautiful.”- by LiberTEAS, 2012
“This is one of the softest Sencha teas I think I’ve ever encountered. It is like a bit of fresh air – which seems right considering the name of the tea. The flavor of this tea is very delicate yet refreshing. There is so very little vegetal/grassy taste to this Sencha. It has no bitterness to speak of. It is sweet and possesses a very interesting fruit-like note that hits the palate towards the end of the sip. It tastes smooth and clean, with a pleasant crispness to it. It tastes like the early days of spring to me.” – by Sorori Tea Sisters, 2011
“Sencha of the Wind had a gyokuro-like softness. I can recommend it to anyone who is looking for quality.”- by Teateka, 2011 (translated from Hungarian)
“I don’t know how the name of the tea initially came from but all in all the drinking experience was exactly like breeze of the wind in the spring, sweet, gentle, smooth and pleasant.”- by Tea Emperor, 2010
“The tea brews to a pale yellow color and is remarkably sweet and smooth. I detected no bitterness and not much of an overly spinachy flavor. The tea has a savory/broth-like quality to it, but avoids being aggressively vegetal. This is a calmer, milder Sencha than I am used to, and one that I really appreciated. On several occasions as I was drinking this tea, I caught myself saying “yum” alound.”- by Vanessa, 2009
adamvanscooter (verified owner) –
This tea is one of the best I’ve ever tried; smooth with a surprising sweetness.
indigo.ewok –
A delicious rich yet mellow sencha – somewhere in between a classic sencha and a gyokuro. Intense but smooth vegetal flavor with notes of spinach and fresh green grass, with a lovely umami undertone that reminds me of kabocha, and also a delicate sweetness. Supremely smooth and wonderfully restorative with a luxuriously silky texture.