The other day, some tea friends and I tasted Sencha produced from a very rare cultivar. It had very distinctive flavor. I really didn’t know how to express it, but at the deep in the tea, I felt the aroma of “fish bone”. Fish bone!?? I know it doesn’t sound appetizing At All. Rather than that, you would say that you don’t want to try it. But don’t get me wrong. It was Good. I didn't mean it was no good.
My friends were surprised to hear what I said, but one said “Now you mention it, I feel that too.” Another said, “ I can feel that too, but more like 'tai-chazuke' dish (green tea poured over the of sea bream and rice). Well, let me put it this way. It's like umami coming from the 'tai-chazuke'”.That’s it! That’s what I tasted. It sounds much better than fish bone, doesn’t it? I know that my expression is often weird, but not only me (Phew...:-) . For other teas, some said “This is like tatami straw mat.” or “I feel as if grass is coming out from my mouth” or so. I have never put tatami mat in my mouth and I don’t want some grass to be came out from my mouth, but understand how they meant.
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BTW, I don’t want you to get a wrong image from my comment, but the tea I had was sencha produced from "Yamato-midori" cultivar. It has a good body and distinctive flavor with umami, which is "deep in the tea". Again this is my way of expression. Whatever I say, believe me, it was good.
