I tried a more traditional approach to brewing my Gyokuro this time – 60ºC water, warmed mug, double the amount normally used, less steeping time, etc. And the funny thing is that I think I liked it better last time. Of course that might be because I went for 1:30 min instead of the 1:00 I maybe should have.
The flavour is distinctly grassier with less sweetness – more matcha tea than gyokuro I’d say. There’s also the faintest touch of a bitter edge to it. The aftertaste is the same, I think I’ve identified as similar (but not quite) to a light genmaicha.
Tsk, you’re a finicky tea, Miss Jade Dew!
The re-steep is a bit better, less grassy, but I think I might have scalded the leaves a tiny bit so I’ll chuck the leaves out and try this again another day.
“Finicky” – yeah, that sounds like Gyokuro. g Try no more than 1 minute next time, or even a little less. I usually steep Gyokuro for around 45 seconds.