Best Gyokuro I’ve had yet. I did steeps of 2m at 140F, 10s, 20s at 175F, 25 at 185F, and 30s at 200F. The dry leaf is a beautiful dark green color, and once steeped, become a bright and vibrant green. Gorgeous to look at.
First steep was extremely sweet and umami (is umami an adjective – like should I say the tea was umami, like I would say it’s sweet? Or should I say it has umami?), with beany and grassy flavors and a buttery thickness. Soo good. Feels very deep.
Next steep was buttery, grassy and sweet. I would even describe it as milky in texture and flavor. There was a very slight astringency in the finish of this one now.
Third steep was slightly more astringent, and the grassy taste was a bit more prominent and nasal in quality. There is a bit less depth and thickness to this steep.
Steep number four was a little weaker, with astringency developing into a slight bitterness, complimenting a slight grassy sweet taste remaining as well.
The last steep was just a light grassy sweetness. I probably could have gotten one more alright steep, or this last one could have been better if I’d done it for a minute or so instead of 30s. The steeped out leaves also taste pretty good, with a bit of bitterness followed by grassy sweet-ish taste.
Flavors: Beany, Butter, Creamy, Grass, Milk, Sweet, Umami
