15 Tasting Notes
Just what I needed last night. It wasn’t cold, but the wind was strong, the rain was hard, and I was working on my novel. The smokiness is less pronounced than I remember, but I like it that way. It adds dimension to the tea without overpowering anything. I should probably buy more of this, since I have one teaspoon left! I brewed the leaves a second time, for longer, and it was still delicious! Mmm…
Preparation
Normally I love this tea. I ordered this as a hot cup to go at Teavana as a special treat. The water they used was too hot and it was way oversteeped. It also tasted and smelled strongly of cinnamon, I think they had done a tea with cinnamon previously in their steeper. I couldn’t even drink more than a few sips. I was truly disappointed. I will never order this in-store again, and I can’t afford to buy it to make at home, so… no more yummy gyokuro for me.
I always order this as a hot cup to-go when I am near a Teavana. I seriously dream about this tea. The smell, the taste… It’s bliss. I enjoy that there are no “popcorn” pieces and that they use gyokuro instead of sencha. That is what makes this tea magic, I think. I dislike the cost, but honestly, it’s worth it.
A fantastic way to make individual mugs of any full-leaf tea and most tisanes, this steeper is not so good with rooibos, mint, the yellow flower petals in “pretty” teas, or any other small things. The filter is fine, the problem is cleaning. After use, you pretty much need to be by a sink to get all the little bits out. Not normally an issue, but this will not be in my bag when I go camping in the future.
