Today's tea: Ippodo's Matsu no Midori Sencha

5g/100ml @ 175 F, provider suggests 60 second steep, go shorter if you don't want to get stabbed in the face and have your head taken to the shogun by a cup of tea. 

Ippodo's U.S. website: "Matsu is our sencha blend with the most astringency and the lightest body. Sharp, green, and eye-opening."

They are not kidding. This is sharp, all right. Kind of wishing I had a piece of mochi, or some chocolate to pair with it, because it's bitter and proud of it. I know I oversteeped the first time though - I was going for Ippodo's recommended 60 seconds when I realized my usual tasting cup was dirty and had to retrieve my little Bizenyaki cup from the shelf in the living room. It was probably more like 90-100 seconds. 

The leaf is a gorgeous pine needle green (like the name says) with classic sencha "spinach" aroma and some very nice umami bringing up the rear behind the sharply armed vanguard.

I sent some of this to Mary, so I tagged her in my Facebook post and suggested she start with a 30-40 second steep. I knew from Ippodo's product notes that this is not a beginner sencha, but it was hella bitter on an oversteep. 

I did a second steep at 30 seconds and it made a difference. There was still plenty of umami and astringency, but it was much less ferocious. It would still be good with a cookie or other sweet, and I could see it being nice with a meal as part of a spectrum of flavors. 

I do believe I shall go back for a third cup!

https://ippodotea.com/collections/sencha/products/matsu-no-midori

If you visit Ippodo's website, you are greeted by the legend "Not sure where to start?" If you click on that, it will offer you a brief questionnaire and suggest a tea to try. If you bypass the quiz and go straight to the shop menu, each tea has a brief description, e.g., "Rich and lush," "Medium and round," and so forth, and some of them will have little red "Try First" labels. If you click on a specific tea, you will get more descriptive information about the tea, including taste notes and brewing instructions. Pricing is fair, shipping in the US is reasonable and expeditious - I had my order in 5 business days - and it's quality tea from a reputable Japanese company.