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“Drinking my first cup of this at a friend’s house during our big 50-hour Trivia contest. Not being able to bring all my tea accoutrements, I basically used a Rishi fillable tea bag, large teaspoon...” Read full tasting note
“Threw this entire sampler into a teapot to try it out and compare to some tea I had from the Uji district. This gyokuro is okay but it is nothing special. The quality isn’t horrendous but it also...” Read full tasting note
This is the best Japanese style green tea (made from single buds that are picked only in April/May. In an effort to develop increased chlorophyll (making them dark green) and reduced the tannin (giving a sweeter flavor with no bitterness), the tea is covered with black curtains or bamboo and straw shades for 3 weeks in early spring. The leaves are small – about 3/4’s on an inch long and extremely fragrant and tender. Immediately after plucking the leaves are taken to the factory and steamed for about 30 minutes to seal in the flavor and arrest fermentation. Next they are fluffed with hot air and pressed and dried to 30% moisture content. Repeated rolling takes place until the tea develops long thin dark green needles at which time it is finally dried to a 4-6% moisture content. Gyokuro has been referred to as “history, philosophy and art in a single cup.” Gyokuro is the best green tea of Japan. The Japanese take the tea drinking very seriously, the better it is the more they is willing to pay for it. It is not uncommon the some Gyokuro’s sell for more than $1000.00 per pound – arguably the most expensive tea in the world. Why is Gyokuro so expensive?? ……… Old Tea trees are shaded to reduce the effect of photosynthesis and there is almost an insane cachet that seems to be unique to Japan about drinking rare green teas.
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Drinking my first cup of this at a friend’s house during our big 50-hour Trivia contest. Not being able to bring all my tea accoutrements, I basically used a Rishi fillable tea bag, large teaspoon of tea, and white John Deere mug + tap water which I warmed in the microwave. So I’m refraining from judging this until I can try it under conditions closer to ideal.
I will say it has a yellow color in the mug, vaguely brothy brewed smell/taste, and does not really partake in the characteristics I associate with gyokuro: vegetal taste, green liquor. Basically it tastes like bright-ish green tea and not much else, though this does mean there isn’t any bitterness.
For the moment, when I just needed some liquid that wasn’t tap water (someone stole my bottle of water out of my bag out in the garage…grrr) and had some caffeine (18 hours left to go in the contest), it goes down pretty easy. But I’d like to revisit this with better circumstances.
Threw this entire sampler into a teapot to try it out and compare to some tea I had from the Uji district. This gyokuro is okay but it is nothing special. The quality isn’t horrendous but it also isn’t something I would recommend someone trying on their own if they had a choice.
