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