Uji Karigane "Otsūsan" from o-cha.com

Karigane tea from Tsuen sourced by o-cha. 2020 first flush
Contains blend of sencha leaves and gyokuro stems from Uji. Medium to deep steam

Brewed as follows (6 grams / 300 mL or 6 grams / 250 mL):
1. 70 C 60 s : thick brothy taste. Aroma of fresh hay
2. 80 C 30 s : lighter broth with stronger hay aroma. At times, hints of orchid flowers and mint
3. 80 C 1 min 45 s: very light broth with light grassy aroma. May benefit from longer infusion depending on taste as it develops astringency but also floweriness.
4. (Optional): up to 6 minutes 90 C. The result is a more astringent brew and less complexity.

The tartness is very temperature dependent, and rises as temperature goes down. When the tea is cold, the tartness is not pleasant. The complex changes in tartness, brothiness (umami) and hay aroma as the tea cools is very interesting. Theanine and caffeine levels must be high as mood and energy are greatly elevated after second infusion.

Experimentation:
23 min 5th steeping in 95 C: liquid becomes yellow and there is a bit more astringency but still getting umami and still very drinkable! There was no metallic taste common to spent leaves. Clear indication to me of high quality.

Cold brewed 7 grams / 425 mL with cold water and stored 3 hours in fridge. Surprisingly bitter and concentrated. Still drinkable to me and very refreshing. Second steep in fridge for 1 hour. Comparable to the 23 min fifth steeping at high temperature described above. Would recommend much shorter cold brew time, maybe 1 hour.

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