Generally use 一茶杓 for 一柄杓, 88 whisks for comparative tastings.
🔥 There are two 小山園! 山政小山園 （やままさ）and 丸久（まるきゅ）; below the latter are just called 小山園.
小山園：ゆげん
17 VII 22: Drank while practising at home, I find it a really nice
薄茶. A little bit of mint, moderate but pleasant umami, slight bitterness. Very nice!
小山園：青嵐 (old sample)
21 III 20: slightly metallic nose, faint tomato dashi; taste again slightly metallic, fresh; hints of lemon peel bitterness; a bit thin, a slightly vinegared finish.
25 III 19: Grassy and fresh; lightest of them all, a bit maritime too. Very direct, bodenständig, spring like.
Western (17 VIII 20): powdery nose, a bit of balsa wood. Lighter still, inconspicuous. Brilliant, not too simple actually. Long echo, but staying light and clear. Light and quite long.
小山園：ガバロン
25 III 19: A lot of umami, thick texture, tomato sourness. Long echo.
23 IX 19: indeed, very nice umaminess, and nuttiness too in smell (not in taste).
23 III 20: Nose of fresh grass and thin hay, ever so slightly metallic. Mouth decent, again, slightly sanguine and hollow, dried tomato broth. Quite nice, if a bit light and possibly metallic from oxidation / being an old sample.
1 VII 20: grassy nose, powdered sugar; lime blossom? Cup extremely light. Powdered sugar and hardly anything else. Canola oil finish. It's not unpleasant, but a bit simple and light.
Western (11 VIII 20): nose aquatic, morsches Holz. Taste quite decent, a bit tomato paste and powdered sugar. Not a hint of bitterness, aquatic mint carries through.
小山園：和光
21 III 20: quite full, fresh moist hay; taste very full and rich, pleasant, no sharpness, roast bell peppers; deep pleasantness and roundness. Banana cake?
23 III 20: deeper nose, almost dough-like, some umami and again, very ripe bananas. Mouth quite full, some juicy kelp, also. Almost a bit too full for spring?
24 III 20: the lack of metallic-ness in the nose is fascinating. Cup so round, very good balance of grass and umami dashi.
28 III 20: some wet cut grass, quite deep; this time sweet and maritime, sea urchin? cup very full, pleasant dashi and sweetness.
1 VII 20: deeper nose, tomato skins and brown sugar. Cup still very full and satisfying, tomato broth; brown sugar again.
小山園：初縁（はつ えにし）
3 VII 21: It's a new tea harvested in May. It tried it during Christine's Brissago seminar and in the subsequent weeks, and always thought it was a bit lacking, it didn't manage to wow me ever. It's full, and I actually prefer that fullness over 長安.
小山園：長安（ちょう あん）
3 VII 21: fresh out of the pack, very decent nose, generic umami-grassiness. It's very fine and subtle, but hell ain't it worth the price!
小山園：慶知の昔（けいち の むかし）
17 VIII 21: Favorite of someone. Very powdery, but very nice, very light, thinking rock violet and vanilla powdered sugar.
小山園：Low Caffeine
山政小山園：式部の昔（しきぶ の むかし）
8 VI 22: Used this in Hurtebise 22, it's sweet, simple and has slightly smoky undertones, not unpleasant, but sucks water like a big bitch.
一保堂：明の昔（さやか の むかし）
24 III 20: Quite similar to 和光, deep and umami nose, chicken broth. The taste is very thick, even thicker than 和光, it is very umami and round. Sunflower and pumpkin seeds!
Western (17 VIII 20): both very powdery nose, light; but this one slightly more depth. Light, pleasant. A bit simple, ever so slightly sea grass notes, but mostly indifferentiated greenery. Pretty much equivalent to 青嵐.
一保堂：若き白（わかき しろ）
At 800 ¥ a tin, what would I expect?
25 IX 19 (with Simon): Very bitter, demanding presence. Strohfeuer, leaves faster than (5).
28 III 20: nose full, almost spicy, cinnamon and vinegared fruits. medium body, cup quite bitter, actually. clay-like, almost.
Western (11 VIII 20): nose decent a bit hay like, a bit apricots. Taste flat, metallic; bitter; in the finish a tame fruitiness. A very basic tea, better as it chills.
Western (25 VIII 20): Nose very light, a bit of powdered sugar, and drying apples. Cup bitterness, in the finish a lemony sweetness on the tip of the tongue. It's the bitterness that gives it away.
有機栽培 抹茶 (ST)
Uji Special (Länggass) (2020 / 2021)
Goko and Samidori variety, from Kyotanabe in Kyōto
CNY (3 VIII 21): Full and a big bulky, not terribly elegant, but full of dried mango and rose stalk and rose wood. Quite interesting, actually; even though I suspect it to be a bit of a lower quality.