Senchaism Love at First Sip

Country of Origin: Japan
Leaf Appearance: deep green, needle-shaped
Water Temperature: 165 degrees
Steep Time: 1 minute
Preparation Method:  Tokoname kyusu
Liquor: pale yellow-green

If you’re a fan of Japanese tea, you’ll likely be familiar with Senchaism’s founder, Oscar Brekell. I purchased a bag of Love at First Sip when I attended his book signing in New York City in March. It caught my attention both because it was made using the Kōshun cultivar and because it has the most perfect name for a tea I’ve ever seen. I completely forgot that I had already reviewed this tea back in 2020, but I thought it would be interesting to revisit it.

Leaf

Love at First Sip hails from Honyama in Shizuoka Prefecture. The dry leaves were a beautiful dark green color with a needle-like shape. They had a fresh, noticeably floral aroma. I prepared this tea in a Tokoname kyusu using 165℉ water and an infusion time of 1 minute. Subsequent infusions were just a few seconds long to avoid overextraction. The leaves opened up beautifully in my teapot after steeping.

Liquor

Love at First Sip brewed up a pale yellow-green liquor. I was able to see trichomes floating on the surface of my teacup. The taste was herbaceous with a sweet lingering finish. There were notes of honeysuckle alongside a pleasant umami. The astringency was bright and balanced. While there was some vegetal character, it reminded me more of peppery arugula. It did not come across as grassy at all. My second infusion was fuller-bodied, while the second was softer but sweeter.

I would definitely recommend this tea, especially for anyone looking to dive deeper into single-origin and single-cultivar sencha. You might also want to check out Oscar’s book, A Beginner’s Guide to Japanese Tea. It is truly the ultimate handbook. Have you ever tried Love at First Sip? Tell me your tasting notes in the comments below!

Love at First Sip was purchased from Senchaism.

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