drank Gyokuro by DAVIDsTEA
709 tasting notes

The beau bought some of this the other day without looking at the price. Considering our general dislike of green teas (or at least a lack of enthusiasm for them) I wasn’t very impressed with him. We tried it out last night and I must say that I wasn’t impressed. I won’t give a numerical rating for now as I had only a few sips, but this was little more than hot water to me. I couldn’t pick out any sort of taste, not even vegetal or buttery as expected. It eas extremely mild and way too pricy. So far, I’m not impressed.

Camiah

I’ve been thinking of trying the Gyokuro from Teavana (I can get it in person). Is it not worth it even if you like greens, do you think? The price has been rather offputting…

Brittany

How did you end up brewing it? Gyokuro is one you need to use a lot of leaf.

Uniquity

@Camiah – I DEFINITELY need to give this another go sometime. If you can afford, I always endorse trying a tea for yourself. If you can get it in person, I’d say to just pick up maybe 10 grams or so to give it a shot It’s pretty dense though, so you don’t get much of it. : (

@Brittany – The beau brewed it up according to whatever the bag instructions were. I think it was 1 tsp per cup, though honestly I’m not positive. If it does require more than that (say 2 tsp of their Gyokuro) that would make this tea around $4 per cup. For me, that’s way too pricey.

Brittany

Using 1 gram of leaf per 1 oz is a good start. It sounds very strong (and it is), but that’s usually how I’ve read to brew it via Japanese instructions. Gyokuro is pricey as it is, and having to use so much leaf just makes it an occasional luxury tea for me.

Cole

Temperature is the kicker, here — try brewing it around 145* or 160* for the first infusion, and increase by 15-20* each time. It starts out thick, sweet, and brothy (with that delicious “umami” everyone talks about), and slowly changes into a sharper, sencha-like tea.

If that doesn’t work, you might have some bum Gyo :(

Uniquity

Thanks for the advice, Brittany and Cole. I will try to keep both your comments in mind on the next shot. I should probably also use my gaiwan like a sensible person.

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

People who liked this

Comments

Camiah

I’ve been thinking of trying the Gyokuro from Teavana (I can get it in person). Is it not worth it even if you like greens, do you think? The price has been rather offputting…

Brittany

How did you end up brewing it? Gyokuro is one you need to use a lot of leaf.

Uniquity

@Camiah – I DEFINITELY need to give this another go sometime. If you can afford, I always endorse trying a tea for yourself. If you can get it in person, I’d say to just pick up maybe 10 grams or so to give it a shot It’s pretty dense though, so you don’t get much of it. : (

@Brittany – The beau brewed it up according to whatever the bag instructions were. I think it was 1 tsp per cup, though honestly I’m not positive. If it does require more than that (say 2 tsp of their Gyokuro) that would make this tea around $4 per cup. For me, that’s way too pricey.

Brittany

Using 1 gram of leaf per 1 oz is a good start. It sounds very strong (and it is), but that’s usually how I’ve read to brew it via Japanese instructions. Gyokuro is pricey as it is, and having to use so much leaf just makes it an occasional luxury tea for me.

Cole

Temperature is the kicker, here — try brewing it around 145* or 160* for the first infusion, and increase by 15-20* each time. It starts out thick, sweet, and brothy (with that delicious “umami” everyone talks about), and slowly changes into a sharper, sencha-like tea.

If that doesn’t work, you might have some bum Gyo :(

Uniquity

Thanks for the advice, Brittany and Cole. I will try to keep both your comments in mind on the next shot. I should probably also use my gaiwan like a sensible person.

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

Profile

Bio

I’ve been drinking loose tea since 2010 and my tastes have changed a lot over those years. For the last few, I’ve been a fan of unflavoured Chinese blacks and shu puerh. I still drink other things, but that’s where I am.

I live in a rural area with my husband, cat, and soon to be firstborn. I love tea, reading, doctor who, knitting, crosswords, board games, the marvel universe, and lots of other things.

I’m not often rating teas numerically any more but I want to leave this to explain my past ratings:
I try to only log teas once or twice because I drink a lot of the same ones repeatedly. My rating is based on my perception of the tea at first tasting and is adjusted if anything notable occurs in subsequent cups. I may also factor in the price and customer service but try to note that when I can.

81 – 100: These are great teas, I love them, regularly stock them or savour them as unique treats.
71 – 80: These are solid. I drink them, I like them, I may or may not keep them on hand regularly. This is still good stuff.
61 – 70: Just okay. I can drink it, but it doesn’t stand out to me. Might be lower quality, not to my taste, or outside my comfort zone.
41 – 60: Not likely to keep drinking…hoping hubby will enjoy!
0 – 40: No thank you, please. Take it away and don’t make me finish the cup.

Location

Canada

Following These People

Moderator Tools

Mark as Spammer