Miyabi has long been one of my perennial favourites. Offered by O-Cha.com, Miyabi was one of the first tea products I had ordered from the internet. All these years later, this sencha still remains a classy Japanese green tea.
Background on Miyabi
Grown in Uji (near Kyoto), Miyabi is composed of several different types of sencha. As a medium steamed tea, it is grassy and aromatic.
Miyabi is made up of some longer leaves, as well as some crumbly bits. The leaves are deep green in colour, with a few discrete splashes of a yellowish hue.
The scent is a fresh, grassy fragrance. Also containing a certain sweetness, the aroma of Miyabi is one of the greatest I have come across.
Brewing
Over the years, I have brewed Miyabi in different ways, but in general, I’ve had my best results with a fairly high temperature, and using a cautious amount of leaf.
The recommended ratio is .6 grams per ounce, but I like to use a little more leaf. For me, this equates to one and a quarter tablespoons per 125 ml.
The temperature is a relatively hot 77C (170F), but I have also had success in brewing at a lower temperature, for a longer period of time.
Although Miyabi will yield a decent brew in many situations, it does have a sweet spot. Once you find the sweet spot, you will understand why I am so passionate about this tea.
Thoughts & Observations
Wonderfully grassy, this tea is what (in my books, anyway) defines a good mid/deep steamed sencha. The aroma is very present, along with a full flavour. There is some astringency to Miyabi, but it almost goes unnoticed.
Some tea connoisseurs consider Miyabi to be getting on the expensive side for sencha. However, it is worth every penny. I would recommend this tea to anyone who enjoys Japanese green tea.
How would you compare Miyabi with YM & SM?
Thanks.
Best wishes,
sherubtse
Great question! Miyabi, YM, and SM are three big heavy weights, all exquisite in their own right.
YM is straight out fukamushi. Bold, vibrant, grassy. SM is also a fukamushi, but it is softer, sweeter, and potentially easier to brew. Miyabi seems to fall somewhere in the middle.
When it comes to which is best, I would say that Miyabi was probably the winner for 2013. SM also had a really good year. YM was also up to it’s usual top notch standard, but I didn’t find it as appealing as Miyabi was this year.
But as we know, these three jockey for position each year, so 2014 may be a different story 🙂
(To those who don’t know, YM and SM stand for Yutaka Midori, and Sae Midori. These are also products of O-Cha.com.)
Miyabi is, perhaps, my favorite Japanese sencha of all time. That grassy taste is unreal.
I will NEED to get me some this year.
After that scare in 2011, when the original Miyabi disappeared for a year, I always make sure to get a few bags…you never know which one will be your last o.o
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Glad you got a scale man. Hard to follow someone’s parameters when they don’t give you the grammage!
How many grams do you use per 125 ml for Miyabi? Do you know off hand?
I’ve been graced with a package of this piece of Japan.
Unfortunately, I’ve yet to weigh Miyabi. However, I would say in the ball park of 4.5g/125ml.
Yeah, I think tablespoon measurements are kind of limited in how much information they can offer. As I revisit the various tea I’ve posted about, I’ll be updating the parameters to include grams. 🙂
Awesome. Ever since I adopted your Miyazki asamushi parameters, I realized that you have a gift for finding the best parameters for tea.
I appreciate the praise 🙂 Although I would consider my ability to find good parameters the result of constant experimenting rather than a gift. 😛
I have this tea but I’m not impressed. I brew it like this: 3g leaf, 100ml filtered water, brewing temp around 70°
I tried to brew it at 77° but it was very very bitter. I ordered another tea from o-cha too, Sencha Oku Yutaka. Also not good for my taste. Am I doing something wrong? I’m a big fan of a fukamushi Sencha from a farmer called Watanabe. There was a documentary about him in german tv. Do you know this tea?
Hi Stéphane,
What do you think is lacking in these teas? Perhaps shorter a infusion time (~45s), more leaf (3.8 – 4.0g), and a mid temperature like 74C would be more suited to your taste?
I haven’t heard of that farmer, I’ll be sure to look Watanabe up. 🙂
Thank you for your fast reply. The Miyabi is ok in taste just not impressive to me. Maybe I expected too much because of all the 5 star ratings. When you say 74C you mean the temperature in the kyusu while brewing right? I always pour the water in the kyusu when it’s around 75-80C so it will drop another 10C. So the brew temperature will be around 65-70C.