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Cameron B. drank TJ80: Gyokuro by Upton Tea Imports

4126 tasting notes

Sipdown! (141)

This sample came from KiwiDelight. I’m sorry I took so long to try it, Kiwi! I didn’t mean to! :P I wasn’t a huge fan of the other gyokuro I tried, so I kind of avoided this one. But now that I’m trying to sip a bunch of teas down, all bets are off! The leaves are very dark green and look similar to sencha, maybe a little thinner. Dry scent is spinach and slightly sweet. I did a 2 minute steep at 175 degrees, just because I said so. Lol.

This is actually quite tasty. Gyokuro kind of seems like a more concentrated version of sencha to me. It’s very intense spinach flavor with some sweetness, but there’s something about it that seems almost savory as well. It’s smooth and buttery, and reminds me of pureed butternut squash. Not something I would keep stocked, because I think I prefer sencha, but I’m glad I tried it!

Flavors: Butter, Butternut Squash, Spinach, Sweet, Vegetal

Preparation

175 °F / 79 °C 2 min, 0 sec 1 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML

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Bio

Hi, I’m Cameron!

I’m a 30-something software engineer currently living in Austin, Texas with my husband and our two pugs, Gobo and Ume. I tend to cycle between my different hobbies, and they include piano, knitting, video games, board games, miniature painting, planners, bento, Korean skincare, and – of course – TEA! But really, what I’m best at is “collecting” hobby-related things… ;)

~ 2024 SIPDOWN CHALLENGE! ~
- October sipdowns: 3
- Total 2024 sipdowns: 132

I prefer my tea lukewarm or at room temperature and without milk or sugar. I steep Western style, and fluctuate between using big mugs or small teapots depending on the season.

I am always up for a swap! Just let me know if you’d like to try something in my cupboard.

Tea Preferences:
I enjoy both flavored and unflavored teas in many forms. These days, I drink mostly flavored teas, and I tend to gravitate most toward black, green, oolong, and herbal varieties. I do have a special fondness for straight Japanese green teas, however.

I do not sweeten my teas, and pre-sweetened teas are usually too sweet for me. I also do not enjoy stevia.

I tend to reach for fruitier flavors rather than desserty ones these days, but I do have favorites from both categories. Willing to try anything once! There are a few ingredients/flavors that aren’t generally my jam, such as coconut, rose, lavender, and chocolate flavoring. But I also have teas that I love with some of those things, too! :)

Favorite Companies:
3 Leaf
Bird & Blend
Dammann Frères
Harney & Sons
Kyoto Obubu Tea Farms
Lupicia
Old Barrel Tea Co
Simpson & Vail
Taiwan Tea Crafts
TeaVivre

Tea Rating Scale:
90-100: Outstanding! Permanent cupboard resident
80-89: Great – a possible staple
70-79: Good, but I wouldn’t buy it
60-69: It’s decent
50-59: Meh… I may or may not have finished the cup
40-49: Ick. Couldn’t finish it.
00-39: Repulsive, I spat it out

I will sometimes refrain from rating a tea if I feel I’m too biased due to my personal dislikes, or if I suspect the sample has been compromised by age or scent contamination.

Cupboard Spreadsheet:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ZEuKf1-ppR-VXajO4vV39zU1N3zjFJteEPAynqD2yl0/edit?usp=sharing