Tea Information:

Leaf Type:  Green

Where to Buy:  Yunomi

Tea Description:

A very interesting green tea. It looks like Chinese gunpowder tea in that the leaves are rolled up into little balls. This particular one from our supplier Chakoan has a strong savory umami aroma that is similar to gyokuro.

Learn more about this tea here.

Learn more about Yunomi’s Monthly Mystery Tea Sampler’s Club here.

Taster’s Review:

I don’t recall ever trying a Gyokucha tea before tasting this Ureshino Gyokucha Ochatama from my monthly mystery Tea Sampler’s Club from Yunomi.

That’s one of the reasons that I love tea sampler clubs like this … I get the opportunity to try teas that I might not have tried otherwise.  In fact, when I first saw this package, I thought it was Gyokuro, and it wasn’t until I opened the pouch and saw the tiny pellets that resemble Chinese Gunpowder green tea that I realized that this is NOT a Gyokuro!

But even though this looks a lot like a Chinese Gunpowder (in shape, but the color of the leaves here are a much more vivid green) … it doesn’t taste like a Chinese Gunpowder.  It tastes more like a Gyokuro … although it is a bit lighter and crisper on the palate.

The first thing I noticed when I tasted it was a distinct nutty tone.  It starts out sweet, and then transcends to a strong savory note.  The finish is clean and there is a dry astringency.

There is relatively little aftertaste here, just faint notes of a grassy taste that rests upon the tongue.  The taste is very clean … and it’s a very “cleansing” sort of feeling that I get from this tea.

I’m really enjoying this Japanese green tea.  A very interesting tea, indeed!