YANA: TEA TASTING BY MÉLINA DA ROCHA

Name of the Product: YANA (shop here)

Type of Tea: Sencha

Producer: Koga Kumiko of Kogachagyo, 4th generation of tea masters

Location: Yame City, Fukuoka Prefecture, northern Kyushu, Japan

Harvest: May 2022 
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Read About The Kogachagyo Family Business Below.

Kogachagyo, established in 1938, is a family business operated by Koga Kumiko and her mother and father. Koga-san represents the fourth generation of tea masters from Yame City, Fukuoka prefecture. The family business produces competition and national prize-winning gyokuro, vibrant and aromatic sencha, and organic, ceremonial-grade matcha that all best represent the unique depth and complexity of Yame teas. 

YANA tea leaves that went to a longer steaming process without being a Fukamushi (deep steam process).

Taste This Tea Like Koga-San!  

YANA sencha is made from premium tea from Yame, in the north of Kyushu island. This sencha is a blend of the Yabukita and Saemidori cultivars, the latter also being suitable for the production of gyokuro tea.

This new sencha from Kogachagyo is a demonstration of all the company's know-how, with an original, surprising and deliciously gourmet proposal. Looking at the tea leaves, one can notice that they are slightly broken. This is due to a longer steaming time of the leaves than for a classic sencha, without it being a fukamushi sencha.

The sweetness of this tea needed to be paired with even more delicacies. Houjicha and green tea flavored chocolates were a perfect match.

This sencha offers a range of aromas that is not fully revealed at first tasting. At first sight, prepared like a more classical sencha (80°C/30-60 seconds of infusion), it gives a strong umamitaste, assertive and long in the mouth, which will please most people.
As the delicacy of this tea was perceptible to me, I brewed it at a lower temperature (60°C/60 seconds) to let the palette of its aromas and its freshness express themselves more freely.

By being curious, and by taming it, this tea delivers an unequalled roundness, without any trace ofbitterness, with fresh and slightly fruity notes. The palette of flavors is quite unique compared to the many other sencha teas available on the market.But it is when brewed cold with ice cubes using the kōridashi (氷出し) method that one can appreciate the convergence of this tea's sweetness and strong umami in a single cup.

A truly enjoyable tasting, especially during the summer. Its silky texture perfectly completes this sensory journey all in softness and subtlety.

Choose your preference: express the umami or the sweetness of the tea.

How To Prepare YANA?

Thanks to the versatility of this tea, it is possible to brew it in several ways to bring out a particular aspect of this sencha. The method indicated by the Kogacha company emphasizes umami taste.

Producer's Recommended Preparation (for one person):

Pour 3 grams of tea leaves into a teapot, or preferably a kyusu. Boil 80ml of water, let it cool preferably to 80C (176F), then pour into the teapot. Let steep for 30 seconds. Pour into a cup and enjoy.

This tea can also offer an incomparable sweetness for a sencha, if prepared with a shorter infusion time or at a lower temperature, with slightly fruity notes.

Alternative Preparation (for one person):

Pour 3 grams of tea leaves into a teapot, or preferably a kyusu. Boil 80ml of water, let cool to 60C (140F), then pour into the teapot. Let steep for 60 seconds. Pour into a cup and enjoy.

Finally, the kōridashi method is ideal during the summer heat and provides an intense roundness in the mouth, which is probably one of the best ways to enjoy this tea.

Kōridashi Method (for one person):

Pour 6 grams of tea leaves into a teapot, or preferably a kyusu. Fill the teapot with ice cubes and allow to melt. Pour into a cup and enjoy.

YANA sencha can be brewed 2 to 3 times.

A real treat to enjoy in a 100g bag.