Kurihara Heritage Gyokuro

Another tea from the Here’s Hoping TTB.
It’s been awhile since I had a Gyokuro. I do enjoy them. It’s a very pale infusion, a very sweet spring green color. The tea is like a thin Matcha, very green & delicious.

Somewhat sweet but still brothy, too! This is very delicious! I’ve noticed it can get grassier tasting if infused for longer than a minute. On the other hand 2nd infusions and possible 3rd infusions are somewhat lemony…which I enjoyed, too! A versatile cuppa. Yum!

Sipdown (120)! I used up the last of this leaf in a cold brew since I don’t really drink too much hot tea these days. I left it in the fridge for about 9-10 hours, which in hindsight was probably too long because there was a bit of bitterness to it that I feel could have been avoided. The tea was grassy and savory, much like the hot version of the tea. I think I actually prefer it hot, but it was nice to try out as a cold brew.

I got some lovely samples from Yunomi yesterday. decided to celebrate by first week of work at new job with a Shiboridashi of gyokuro.
The first infusion I did at 120* F for 30 seconds, It was light flavorless and only slightly green.
The second infusion I did around 140* for 30 seconds to a minute. This one reminded me of the Fuka sae midori from o-cha.
Third infusion was around 140-150* and i think I did 1 minute. Tasted like a kabusecha but grassier, and no strong cucumber peel flavor. Very well rounded. super green in color.
Fourth infusion probably 140-150* very green in color. and very sweet like powdered sugar.
I got 5 and 6th infusions but they were more sweet and weak green flavored.

I still have some left and will try another round of brewing. I probably made some mistakes with this first round, but all in all it is good and the flavor changes were both surprising and lovely.

In general most of the infusions were very sweet, no astringency.
Later note: I took the used tea leaves and tried to eat one. the flavor was over powering. Next time I will use the leftover infused leaves to make fridge green tea. or maybe mix with rice.

AMAZING experience. Brewed according to traditional instructions. Then brewed using the Mei Leaf method. The latter made for a MUCH better tea and drinking experience.

Dry leaf: Sweet.
Wet leaf: Vegetal.
Taste: UMAMI, spinach, sweet, broth.

I really enjoyed this gyokuro. Great umami while having a lingering taste and notes of green beans, brussel sprouts and a hint of saltiness (I know, maybe my brain made that part up).

To start, the dry leaves were a wonderful deep green. They were very fine and spindly and mostly quite uniform. The aroma was a deep deep sweet umami.

I started with 5g tea in 75ml of 120 degree water for 2 minutes. The first infusion produced a pale yellow liquor. It was nothing too special, but it did look nice. The aroma of the the liquor was of deep umami. The taste was very strong umami. Very deep, full, with a lingering in the back of the mouth.

The second infusion with 250ml of 190 degree water for 15 seconds produced a beautiful bright green liquor. The aroma had strong scents of seaweed and a slightly saltiness in the the back of the mouth. Saltwater. The taste was full, rounder, and had a bite throughout the mouth compared to the initial infusion.

The third infusion (steeped as the second) was mellower. Started to lose flavor. Had a slightly astringent bite. Slight sweet green bean taste. Perhaps notes of brussel sprouts.

Rating

8 – Dry Leaf Appearance
8 – Dry Leaf Smell
8 – Wet Leaf Appearance
9 – Wet Leaf Smell
6 – Liquor Appearance
8 – Aroma
8 – Taste
5 – Value (Is this taste, aroma, and overall experience worth the cost.)

Total = 78

Multiplication factors

0.5 – Dry Leaf Appearance
0.5 – Dry Leaf Smell
0.5 – Wet Leaf Appearance
0.5 – Wet Leaf Smell
0.5 – Liquor Appearance
3.5 – Aroma
3.5 – Taste
0.5 – Value (Is this taste, aroma, and overall experience worth the cost.)

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.

This is a very umami-rich gyokuro with deep seaweed and vegetal notes. I first brewed it according to package directions, 5 grams per 6 oz, at 122 F for 5 minutes and then 155 F for 15 seconds. That produced a rich broth with an intense savory flavor. A little too rich for me though.

So I dialed down the leaf quantity and brewed it like sencha: 1 tsp per 4 oz steeped in 160 F for 45 seconds. The resultant cup had the same savory flavor as before, but less intense and balanced with a smooth buttery flavor and a hint of sweetness. No astringency whatsoever. Subsequent infusions for 25 and 60 seconds respectively were good but didn’t have the same fullness of flavor as the first.

Happy Autumn! Yesterday, I went to a Japanese Fall Festival. Most fun. However, nobody had brewed tea. Just a local Asian tea company with wares for sale. Did enjoy checking out their sample jars. The gyokuro smelled nice, and I remembered I had some.

It smells nicely like seaweed and spinach. There is a seaweed flavour as well. Reminds me a little of seaweed salad.Somewhat sweet and vegetal. And I get a hint of nuts. Would have went well with the onigiri I had yesterday afternoon.

First time ever trying Gyokuro; was provided this sample in a tea exchange with the wonderful Oolong Owl. 1st steep, room temp water, just enough to cover the leaves, 7 minutes. Subsequent steeps at 160, starting at 15 seconds, and adding about 5 each subsequent steep.

First steep: Oh lord. Sweet mother in heaven, what is this incredibly gorgeous taste? Oh my my my. UMAMI I would like to go swimming in this tea. Is that weird? Intensely sweet and savory. Buttered beans and greens and seaweed and something indescribable. Jade dew, exactly – it’s a viscous bright green soup, mouthfeel addicts would love this tea. I haven’t been this happy drinking tea since…. since the last time I drank tea. Which was this morning. Anyway!… it would appear that I’m going to have to find a dealer and apologize in advance to my wallet.

EDIT: I am freakin’ tea smashed from this stuff. Now, excuse me while I go kiss the sky…

EDIT2: I just ate the steeped leaves with my lunch, chicken and cabbage seasoned with salt, gyokuro, and kelp seasoning. Delicious!