This one surprised me; Upton threw it in as a free sample. I probably would have not bought it on my own because of the price, but now that I've tried it I think it offers pretty good value, although it is still expensive.

When brewed, this tea is opaque, less so than matcha but more so than most other sencha that I've tried...it's a cloud, bright green.

Very bold aroma...vegetal and seaweedy, with a grassy quality as well. Bitter and crisp, but not smoother than a typical sencha. Compared to other sencha, this one has more complexity to the grassy notes in the aroma.

I recommend deviating from Upton's brewing instructions considerably. I use significantly less leaf than normal...this is a very strong tea, and using even a single teaspoon per cup is too much for me if brewed as instructed. Also I recommend 2 minutes or less for the first infusion. I also had good luck with a very brief infusion which is discarded--this takes some of bitterness out and leaves an even smoother tea, and in my opinion, emphasizes the subtleness of the aroma, which can be missed because this tea is rather strong.

This is so far the best sencha I've tried. Is it worth the price? I'm not sure...but when considering the cost, consider that (a) very little leaf goes very far (b) this tea holds up much better to multiple infusions than most inexpensive alternatives.

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