I opened a new package of sencha.

We are probably in the end of the rainy season. I hope the rainy season is over soon.

The other day I received new packages of tea that I ordered. They are the sample teas that the Nihoncha (or Japanese tea) instructor association provides to tea instructors or advisers. The five types of sample tea, sencha, deep-steamed sencha, tamaryokucha, kabusecha and gyokuro, are carefully selected at a meeting earlier. It’s very very humid these days, so I’ve hesitated to open the packages. But, I'm out of sencha at home now. I could no longer wait opening a new package. I opened one sencha package from the sample teas in this humidity. The sencha is from Ise, Mie prefecture. When I opened the package, I sensed the full-bodied aroma of sencha. It was a profound and rounded aroma, and reminiscent of good umami, not strong bitterness. It smelled good so far. I prepared cold sencha with the leaves. The tea was excellent as I expected. I can’t wait to open other teas!