Feb 01
Jeff’s Teaview Snapshot
 | "I’ve never had a green tea with such a light yet savory sweet taste... a precious blend."
|
8.5/10
When I said Green Teas were finicky, I must have had a premonition about Gyokuro. This fine Japanese tea tastes rather pedestrian when infused at 155 degrees, but when you drop the temperature down to 140 . . . the rich flavor and subtle finish comes brimming to the surface. This is not the rooty, twiggy flavor of Japanese Kukicha tea (which adds in the more pedestrian Sencha tea and that's right, twigs) common in Japanese restaurants. The Gyokuro is both delicate in flavor and preparation.Now, when brewing green tea in my Bodum, I'm used to two common things: quick and powerful infusions (usually only needing 3 mins) and watching the leaves “dance†or tumble down as they unfurl and expand. The Gyokuro infused to a very light green color even after a 7 or 8 minute infusion. Also, after pouring in the water, the finely shaped leaves quickly floated to the top in a thicker film. The aroma was pleasant but a bit weak and I didn't expect too much. When I first tasted the flavor, at a warm 140 degrees, I was surprised at its subtle flavor and pleasant sweet finish.
Now, despite the light aroma and deceptively full flavor, this particular tea is not perfect. The leaves were so finely shaved that I was surprised to see them tumbling in my glass. Luckily, I had another filter to pour the tea through again. Perhaps I'm just smitten with my first experience with Gyokuro tea, because often the lower quality teas have the finer cut tealeaves.
While I'm still loyal to the finer Chinese green tea (usually with Jasmine flowers), I'd never had a green tea with such a light yet savory sweet taste. It's rare for a green tea's flavor to really stand on it's own without a flavorful partner but this wonderful Japanese tea is certainly an exception. Precious is certainly a good way to describe it and my sample stash was gone quickly.
— To purchase Tea Zone Gyokuro, or for more specific information on ingredients or the story behind this particular blend, click here to go directly to the manufacturer's web site.
 |
Jeff Teaviews.com Reviewer » Read more about this reviewer on Jeff's profile page. » Find a list of recent posts by Jeff. |
Recent Comments