Never again will I be able to even look at a ‘premium’ or ‘culinary’ grade without a bit of disdain. Without even tasting it I get a perfect sense of how amazing this experience will be simply from the color. Then we bring in the aroma and suddenly I have been transported away. An ethereal encounter. It’s sweet. The sweetest vegetation possible, mixed with soft vegetal notes. Even the sensation of touch is exquisite. Unequivocally soft. The dry matcha flavor is mind-blowing. I honestly thought I had tried good matcha before. And I haven’t even begun to make it. The liquid froths up nicely. Though I admit my frothing skills are less than stellar. A gorgeous emerald color. There is a very interesting yin-yang situation going on in my mouth every time I sip. Calming yet activating. Smooth yet moderately bitter but not in a bad way. Grassy and vegetal. I might just have to lick the bowl when I’m through. . . .
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: kettl
Description: A single cultivar 100% Gokou matcha from Shirakawa, Uji. This is a wonderful chance to try unblended Gokou Matcha – made from one of Uji’s most celebrated local culitvars. Gokou has an intoxicating aroma with a balanced, full bodied finish. Made by a true living legend.
What is so special about this tea? This matcha hails from unarguably the most revered tencha garden in all of Uji – The gardens of Mr. Kiyoharu Tsuji. Gokou is one of the more uniquely fragranced Matcha from Tsuji san with a notable Gyokuro like “shaded aroma” quality. Tsuji san has mastered the production of a handful of cultivars – Gokou among them. With more #1 showings at Japan’s all national tea fair, it is safe to say his name is etched in the history of Uji tea production. His teas exude a notable power from intensive garden management and fertilization as well as the deep red clay soil of Shirakawa. The L-Theanine and amino acid levels of his teas are some of the highest recorded – and this comes through on the palate. We recommend using slightly cooler water to bring out that umami.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Gokuzyo – First Crop Japanese Green Tea – Limited/Japanese Green Tea Company
After losing track of this tea in my stash for a while I finally found a bit of it again and it was due to an honest mistake on my part! I mislabeled it! Shame on me! I forgot to write down the full name of this tea company! I had it as “Tea In” but in fact that is only part of the website URL. This tea, Gokuzyo – First Crop Japanese Green Tea – Limited is from Japanese Green Tea Company, LLC!
This exact tea is no longer listed on their website but they do currently have a High Grade Crude Japanese Green – Gokuzyo Aracha.
As for this specific – Gokuzyo – First Crop Japanese Green Tea – here were my thoughts, feelings, and findings…
This loose leaf is very coarse, broken tea leaves with very fine powder. So fine, that I didn’t even know it was there until I infused it. The tea water infused to a grey-green liquor and offered a semi-mild aroma and flavor. The flavor was a tad grassy and I was careful to not over infuse because once I saw the color I knew it had the potential to turn a bit bitter if I wasn’t careful.
I have to admit that Gokuzyo is not one one the green teas I have had LOTS of.
Gokyuzyo translates literally to “The Highest Grade” in Japanese. Among all the green tea harvested, Gokuzyo is the section of the best tea leaves based on taste, water level, aroma and the quality of the leaf itself. Trained masters (called chya-shi in Japanese) pick the best tea leaves by hand, one leaf at a time.
As I sip, I give thanks and positive vibes to all of the tea masters who made this lovely cuppa possible!
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Japanese Green Tea Company
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Bi Luo Chun/Beantown Tea. . . .
Beantown Tea describes this green tea as “resembling snail meat,” but don’t let that deter you. Put the snail thing aside and give this a try.
This green tea is on the very airy end of green, practically a white. In fact, some of the balls’ coloring is white, and fuzzy, which means it was plucked early in the season.
The flavor’s balances green and white: a mix of earth, leaves, pollen, and electricity.
This tea tastes like a moon setting and dawn’s birds chirping. It tastes like waking up very, very early for an event and walking toward your car in the meandering morning breeze, everyone asleep around you. It’s being the only person at the intersection at 5 a.m.
I got this tea from Etsy, and there was a mix-up with my address (my fault, not theirs). The customer service, I have to let you know, was TOP-NOTCH. They followed up and offered to send me a follow-up package right away — even though the mistake was NOT their fault. GREAT CUSTOMER SERVICE. (The second package wasn’t necessary; the post office on my end figured out what to do. It arrived safely.)
Thumbs-up on this one. I have another one I’m going to try in the next week or so!
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Beantown Tea and Spices
Description
Bi Luo Chun is regarded as one of the best green tea China offers. It brews a refreshing cup that is floral, slightly earthy with nutty notes. Bi Luo Chun literally means “green snail spring”. It is called “green snail spring” because it is a green tea that is hand rolled into a tight spiral, resembling snail meat, and is plucked and produced early spring. The annual productions span of the Bi Luo Chun is very short. It is picked between the Spring Equinox (end of March) and Qing Ming (early April). Our ‘Choral Bi Luo Chun’ tea is made from the finest tender buds, gathered and processed exclusively by hand.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
China Snow Dragon Green/Simpson and Vail. . . .
Not too long ago…I knew what I wanted…I wanted a green tea. I wanted a green tea from China…I wanted something mystical like a Dragon and soft like snow…lucky me…I had a pouch of China Snow Dragon Green Tea from Simpson and Vail that I had waiting for me.
I have found my own personal ‘sweet spot’ for infusing green teas and that is just shy of 2 minutes. This one stood up to the test.
These leaves were a FUN mix of green leaf and white downy (snow) buds. The aroma is fresh yet vegetal. It brews to a pale green cup with a light, delicate floral taste, too!
I was happy to learn that this special green tea comes from gardens in Fuding county which is a Fujian province in China. This county is known for its steep mountains and vast seacoast and I have to say you can really taste the difference in the tea!
This was another winner from Simpson & Vail! Can’t wait to see and TASTE what is next!
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Simpson and Vail
Description
This special green tea comes from gardens in Fuding county, Fujian province in China. This county is known for its steep mountains and vast seacoast.
These leaves are a mix of green leaf and white downy (snow) buds. The aroma is fresh and vegetal. It brews to a pale green cup with a light, delicate floral taste. Truly exquisite!
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Jasmint from Chash Tea . . . . .
When the weather gets warmer, I feel a resurgence of my love for all things minty and cool. Iced mint tea on a hot day helps me cool down and refresh like nothing else. After getting a taste of Jasmint from Chash Tea, I’ll have to add this blend to the rotation.
This tea came to me in well-designed little package, and when I looked it up online, the Chash website is equally enticing. The stylish package makes me feel extra classy when I brew up my tea.
The dry leaf of this tea is everything you want in a minty tea, fragrant and cool and crisp, as popping and fresh as mint right from the herb garden. When brewed, this tea shows off its other ingredients, with a dominant bloom of jasmine, and a nutty, barky undertone from the tea leaves. The spearmint is at the back of each sip: minty and slightly creamy, with a touch of vanilla. I always find that peppermint is a little too harsh on its own, and it needs the softer creaminess of spearmint to help balance it out. The sweet-mint taste of spearmint in this blend is no exception.
My go-to summer mint tea has always been some variety of Moroccan Mint with peppermint and black or Darjeeling tea blended together. Jasmint is a lovely departure from this usual mix. The flowery jasmine and creamy mint are a great combination of both floral and cool. This tea feels like the ideal summer night, with open windows blowing in cool air with the fragrance of garden blossoms.
Stay cool and classy this summer with a cup of Jasmint from Chash Tea.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Chash Tea
Description:
When blending we occasionally find one so obvious we can’t quite believe we didn’t think to blend it earlier! One afternoon it occurred to the team that Jasmine might support Spearmint and Peppermint. Counter-intuitive? Very much s0! The rest is history!
