 | "Strongly vegetal, and it stood up to multiple infusions... a solid green tea, but not particularly exceptional."
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The Japanese have a problem, a problem which gets worse with time. The Japanese are a heartily populous people with a love for fine agricultural products. This would not normally be a problem, excepting for the fact that the Japanese live on a relatively small island that cannot support a particularly robust agricultural industry. Most Japanese Teas exploit some gimmick to stretch out their limited Tea harvest, or to make lesser quality harvests more appetizing. Sencha is the cheap bulk tea of Japan, Gen Mai Cha stretches out and enhances Sencha with the flavor of popped roasted rice. Hojicha takes otherwise bland late harvest Tea and adds a robust roasted flavor by firing the leaves. Gyokuro, on the other hand, was a higher grade treat that the average Japanese middle class could splurge on from time to time.
Being that I have never had the pleasure of Gyokuro before I did a little study. According to most the sources I could find it should be prepared in water around 120 Deg. F. and should only be steeped for a couple of minutes each steeping. So this is how I tried it, and it was excellent. It was everything a green tea should be, strongly vegetal, able to take multiple steepings (It only started to really lose flavor at around 6), and leaving a slight, pleasant, bitterness after you’ve finished. This is a solid, dependable green tea. Although I have to admit, it wasn’t particularly exceptional. It was a great green tea, but it doesn’t exactly stand out among great green teas.
— 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.
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