Hi, tea friends! To get back into my blogging schedule, I decided to take a look at two single cultivar Japanese green teas side by side. The comparison is by no means a scientific exercise, but rather a tasting exercise. First and foremost, there are too many variables involved. Two different vintages, two different terroirs. One is shincha, the first harvest of the year, the other is not.

Machiko is known to have the distinctive aroma of sakura, cherry blossoms, and fukumidori was described to me as bitter but in a good way, which is not a priority for me when choosing green tea from Japan (umami is at the top of the list usually). Apparently, Japanese tea drinkers seem to enjoy bitterness in their green tea and I was curious to see what that was like.

Rishi Sugiyama-San’s single cultivar machiko shincha

Origin: Shimizu, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan
Ingredients: organic green tea
Harvest: May 13, 2019
Preparation method: kyusu teapot
Leaves to water ratio: 12 gr / 300 ml (10 fl oz). I ended up doing 4 gr / 100 ml
Water temperature: 165 F (74 C) 
Steep time: 1st infusion, 60 seconds. 2nd infusion, 30 seconds 

Green Brewing single cultivar fukumidori sencha

Origin: Yoshio mano garden, Iruma, Saitama Prefecture, Japan
Ingredients: green tea (medium steam)
Harvest: 2018
Preparation method: kyusu teapot
Leaves to water ratio: 12 gr / 300 ml (10 fl oz). I ended up doing 4 gr / 100 ml
Water temperature: 170 F / 176 F (77 C / 80 C)
Steep time: 1st infusion, 60 seconds. 2nd infusion, 30 seconds 

EYE

Machiko: the dry leaves are lighter green than fukumidori, some needles are very long, some are very light in color, there are some stems. The liquor is pale yellow with green hues. 

Fukumidori: the dry leaves are dark green, long, medium and small leaves plus some leaf flakes. The liquor is yellow with green hues, very similar to machiko.

NOSE

Machiko: the dry leaves smell like hay, have a sweet aroma to them and are slightly floral. The wet leaves smell almost like seaweed.

Fukumidori: the dry leaves smell intensely grassy and savory. The wet leaves smell savory with some roasted brown rice notes.

PALATE

Machiko: 1st steep: very sweet on the palate with sweet hay aftertaste, persistent on the palate. 2nd steep: astringent, more floral with a sweet aftertaste. 

Fukumidori: 1st steep: savory, mineral-y, mouthwatering. 2nd steep: vegetal, grassy, peppery, astringent and full bodied. 

THE TAKEAWAY

Machiko. There are definitely some floral notes but I couldn’t tell if it’s sakura or something else. Fukumidori definitely didn’t have those.

Fukumidori. Described by the company as sweet ★★ bitter ★★★ umami ★.
To me it is sweet ★, bitter ★★, umami ★★.

Machiko was a nice surprise, even though at first the hay notes put me off. I think it needs slightly warmer water than recommended because the floral notes didn’t really develop right away. Fukumidori is more familiar in terms of flavor profile. After brewing both teas hot, I combined and cold steeped the leftover leaves overnight and the resulting brew was still super flavorful. It makes sense though, which is why Japanese green tea is rarely single cultivar and usually a blend of different cultivars.

Do you have any favorite Japanese cultivars? Let me know in the comments!