Sascha Uncia
Februar 2024
[EN] I have been experimenting with the gyokuro and reading brewing instructions online to learn how to brew it. I found some steps that are working well.
- You need to use a fair amount of leaves compared to other tea or the first infusion will be weak.
- The first steeping should be done at a lower temperature, around 60°C. If needed you could go up to 70°C as the temperature will drop when you add the water to the pot.
- Use filtered water, otherwise fully boil the water and let it cool down. I found that heating tap water to ~60°C without letting it boil really made the chlorinated taste stand out. The tea is delicate so it is easy to detect any off flavours.
- The first infusion will be light jade green, mildly umami, grassy, and have some sweetness. This is my favourite one.
- The tea can then be infused a couple more times, It will be more astringent and have a less green appearance. It's interesting how it changes so much between steeps. Subsequent infusions can be done at a higher temperature and should be shorter, around 40 sec to a minute.
- One site recommended making a salad from the spent leaves once they had been steeped a few times. You prepare it like spinach gomae, and it looks very similar. I tried this and it was pretty decent. Worth trying at least once and gives you some extra use from the leaves.
Sascha Uncia
Februar 2024
[EN] I don't have a lot of experience with Gyokuro but this is pretty good.
[EN] Love this one, it has a very gentle taste :)
[EN] I love this tea. Just as described slightly grassy with a wonderful finish each sup
[EN] I am quite taken with its delicate grassy fragrance the pretty color of the infusion
[EN] With a dense green color and intense and sweet fresh grass to the taste WITHOUT theine aftertaste. Wonderful tea. Smell it when you open the bag...
[EN] Tastes identical to Sencha Tea, I am almost certain I have been given Sencha instead of this, there is zero grassy notes.