Home › Forums › coffee? Tea? › loose-leaf tea stuff › 2025 vs 2026: same producer, not the same tea
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Bean-Paste.
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August 11, 2026 at 4:41 pm #5338Question or objective: see whether the new year justifies replacing remaining 2025 stock
Tea category: sencha harvest comparison
Exact product: River Bank sencha 2025 and 2026
Vendor: Cedar Cup Tea
Origin: Kagoshima, Japan
Cultivar, if known: Saemidori
Harvest season/year: spring 2025 vs spring 2026
Processing or roast: medium-steamed sencha
Cake/batch number, if relevant: cake/lot noted above where applicable; otherwise N/A
Purchase/opening date: purchased 2026-07-08; opened 2026-08-06
Storage since purchase: refrigerated sealed pouch; portion warmed before opening
Style: Japanese side-by-side
Vessel: two identical porcelain kyusu
Vessel material: porcelain
Nominal and actual filled capacity: 150 ml filled each
Filter or strainer: ceramic
Kettle: stovetop kettle + thermometer
Vessel preheated: yes
Dry leaf weight: 5.0 g each
Water volume: 150 ml
Water temperature: 70°C
Water source or mineral profile: soft bottled water, 35 ppm
Rinse: 5-10 s where noted by the recipe; otherwise none
Infusion schedule: 60 s then 20 s
Agitation: none
Was each infusion completely decanted?: yes
Aroma: 2026 brighter; 2025 nuttier
Sweetness: high both
Bitterness: low
Astringency: low-medium
Body/texture: 2025 fuller
Flavour: pea/grass vs nut/seaweed
Aftertaste: 2026 cleaner
Number of satisfying infusions: 3
Exact problem: harvest-year comparison from same producer
Desired result: see whether the new year justifies replacing remaining 2025 stock
Variable changed: harvest year
Previous value: 2025
New value: 2026
Result: 2026 is brighter but 2025 still has better body
Dry-leaf photograph: available in the author’s notes; not embedded in this archive
Liquor photograph: available in the author’s notes; not embedded in this archive
Wet-leaf photograph: not attached yet
Video if pouring or drainage is relevant: not relevantThis is not a first-impression post. I have enough sessions with this tea now to know which notes survived the excitement of opening the bag. The most useful controlled change was harvest year: 2025 versus 2026. 2026 is brighter but 2025 still has better body.
I am mostly interested in comparable reports: same harvest or style, similar water, and more than one session. If your experience is from a very different setup, please say so.
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August 11, 2026 at 5:40 pm #5339
Long-term report
Direct recommendation: repeat the session with 2026.
Applies to: River Bank sencha 2025 and 2026 / sencha harvest comparison in a setup close to two identical porcelain kyusu.
Evidence: repeated sessions over time.
Change: repeat the session with 2026.
Expected effect: the cup should move toward see whether the new year justifies replacing remaining 2025 stock if that variable is causal.
Observed result: 2026 is brighter but 2025 still has better body.
Limitations: My result is from a small number of sessions, so treat it as evidence rather than law.
Commercial relationship: none.-
August 11, 2026 at 6:32 pm #5340
Same tea/batch
Direct recommendation: repeat the same recipe on a second day.
Applies to: River Bank sencha 2025 and 2026 / sencha harvest comparison in a setup close to two identical porcelain kyusu.
Evidence: firsthand use of the same River Bank sencha 2025 and 2026 in a closely matched setup.
Change: repeat the same recipe on a second day.
Expected effect: a repeated result should be easier to trust.
Observed result: not tested on this exact setup yet.
Limitations: This may not transfer to a heavier roast or a very different vessel size.
Commercial relationship: none.-
August 11, 2026 at 8:55 pm #5342
Vendor/order report
Direct recommendation: repeat the session with 2026.
Applies to: River Bank sencha 2025 and 2026 / sencha harvest comparison in a setup close to two identical porcelain kyusu.
Evidence: completed order/report with dates and destination disclosed.
Change: repeat the session with 2026.
Expected effect: the cup should move toward see whether the new year justifies replacing remaining 2025 stock if that variable is causal.
Observed result: not tested on this exact setup yet.
Limitations: I would stop if the change removes the aroma you are trying to preserve.
Commercial relationship: none. -
August 12, 2026 at 12:39 am #5345
Same tea/batch
Direct recommendation: repeat the session with 2026.
Applies to: River Bank sencha 2025 and 2026 / sencha harvest comparison in a setup close to two identical porcelain kyusu.
Evidence: firsthand use of the same River Bank sencha 2025 and 2026 in a closely matched setup.
Change: repeat the session with 2026.
Expected effect: the cup should move toward see whether the new year justifies replacing remaining 2025 stock if that variable is causal.
Observed result: not tested on this exact setup yet.
Limitations: My result is from a small number of sessions, so treat it as evidence rather than law.
Commercial relationship: none.
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August 11, 2026 at 7:08 pm #5341
Controlled test
Direct recommendation: weigh the actual filled water once.
Applies to: River Bank sencha 2025 and 2026 / sencha harvest comparison in a setup close to two identical porcelain kyusu.
Evidence: side-by-side or repeated one-variable test.
Change: weigh the actual filled water once.
Expected effect: your ratio will become comparable with other reports.
Observed result: not tested on this exact setup yet.
Limitations: I would stop if the change removes the aroma you are trying to preserve.
Commercial relationship: none.-
August 11, 2026 at 11:32 pm #5344
Original-poster update
Direct recommendation: weigh the actual filled water once.
Applies to: River Bank sencha 2025 and 2026 / sencha harvest comparison in a setup close to two identical porcelain kyusu.
Evidence: follow-up on the author’s own River Bank sencha 2025 and 2026.
Change: weigh the actual filled water once.
Expected effect: your ratio will become comparable with other reports.
Observed result: 2026 is brighter but 2025 still has better body.
Limitations: My result is from a small number of sessions, so treat it as evidence rather than law.
Commercial relationship: none.
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August 11, 2026 at 9:54 pm #5343
Comparable tea
Direct recommendation: repeat the same recipe on a second day.
Applies to: River Bank sencha 2025 and 2026 / sencha harvest comparison in a setup close to two identical porcelain kyusu.
Evidence: firsthand use of a comparable sencha harvest comparison with similar parameters.
Change: repeat the same recipe on a second day.
Expected effect: a repeated result should be easier to trust.
Observed result: not tested on this exact setup yet.
Limitations: This may not transfer to a heavier roast or a very different vessel size.
Commercial relationship: none. -
August 12, 2026 at 1:50 am #5346
Long-term report
Direct recommendation: repeat the same recipe on a second day.
Applies to: River Bank sencha 2025 and 2026 / sencha harvest comparison in a setup close to two identical porcelain kyusu.
Evidence: repeated sessions over time.
Change: repeat the same recipe on a second day.
Expected effect: a repeated result should be easier to trust.
Observed result: 2026 is brighter but 2025 still has better body.
Limitations: I would stop if the change removes the aroma you are trying to preserve.
Commercial relationship: none. -
August 12, 2026 at 2:37 am #5347
I have no useful data, only solidarity with the part where one change creates three new questions.
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August 12, 2026 at 4:21 am #5348
Vendor/order report
Direct recommendation: repeat the session with 2026.
Applies to: River Bank sencha 2025 and 2026 / sencha harvest comparison in a setup close to two identical porcelain kyusu.
Evidence: completed order/report with dates and destination disclosed.
Change: repeat the session with 2026.
Expected effect: the cup should move toward see whether the new year justifies replacing remaining 2025 stock if that variable is causal.
Observed result: not tested on this exact setup yet.
Limitations: Water chemistry may change the result, so I would not generalize this to every city.
Commercial relationship: none.
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