Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Aiya
Tea Description:
Nothing is wasted as the stems are thoroughly removed from organically grown Gyokuro and Sencha. Not only will you enjoy the sweet aroma and crisp flavor with refreshing aftertaste, you will also be drinking the most environmentally friendly tea.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Having previously tried and reviewed Aiya’s conventionally grown Kukicha – and loving that – I was pretty sure I’d like this Organic Kukicha Green Tea from Aiya as well. I have enough confidence in this company to know that whatever I try from them, I’m probably going to like. All the teas I’ve tried from them thus far have been stellar.
And this is a REALLY good Kukicha. It might very well be the best Kukicha that I’ve tried to date. It has a really fresh, lush taste to it. It tastes to me like it was just picked! Not that I’ve had experience with “just picked” tea, so when I say this, I mean to say that the flavor tastes extraordinarily fresh.
The aroma of the dry leaf reminds me of the first grass cutting in spring. After a long, cold winter, the new buds of grass offer such a fresh, sweet fragrance, and after that first mowing … the air is so exhilarating! That’s what I experienced when I opened my package of this tea. The bouquet does taper after brewing, but I can still smell some of that fresh, grassy scent.
I love the flavor of this. It tastes so vibrant and yet it casts a calming effect over me as I sip it. It is a very relaxing tea to drink. It tastes light, sweet, and grassy, and it has a slightly astringent tail. Similarly to the previously reviewed Kukicha from Aiya, I find this to be more savory than sweet.
However, unlike the previously reviewed Kukicha, I notice fewer nutty tones here and more floral and even some fruity tones to this. The fruit and flower notes are somewhat distant and do not intrude upon the sweet yet savory grassy tones, instead, they peek through the grass and hint at their flavors, teasing the palate.
It is very refreshing as it washes over the palate. I can feel my palate feeling renewed as I sip this. It’s an excellent kukicha – and I love that its organic!
Yunomi Monthly Mystery Tea Sampler’s Club: 2013 Kurihara Heritage Gyokuro from the Kurihara Family
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Yunomi
Tea Description:
Gyokuro tea is grown beneath shading, cutting out some 85% of the sunlight. This allows the leaves to mature without obtaining bitterness. The results is an ultra delicate green tea with an extremely sweet taste profile.
Our Heritage Gyokuro is grown beneath traditional, handmade bamboo and/or straw shading. The moisture that drips from this natural shading flavors the tea — a return to the past with this gourmet tea.
Learn more about this tea here.
Learn more about Yunomi’s Monthly Mystery Tea Sampler’s Club here.
Taster’s Review:
This is the second tea that I’m trying from this month’s Yunomi Monthly Mystery Tea Sampler’s Club package – 2013 Kurihara Heritage Gyokuro from the Kurihara family.
It is SO good.
I guess it goes without saying that I drink a lot of tea. I taste a lot of different teas from a lot of different sources. And, the plain and simple truth of the matter is, I enjoy much of what I taste. But, while I do enjoy much of what I drink, there are different levels of enjoyment. I enjoy a delicious, well-conceived flavored blend of tea – these teas are fun and sweet and tasty. They’re kind of like candy in tea form.
And then, every once in a while, I get something like this: a pure, unadulterated Gyokuro. And with the very first sip, I think: “now this is TEA!” This is tea on a whole other level. And while the flavored blends are like candy in tea form, an exceptional Gyokuro like this one is more like going out to a five star restaurant and being served at the Chef’s table in tea form.
This truly is an extraordinary Gyokuro. It is sweet with a complex vegetative taste that is like lightly buttered, steamed fresh vegetables with hints of new, spring grass and just a hint of kelp in there. But because Gyokuro tends to be a delicate brothy taste, these notes are soft.
It is such a wonderful, contemplative cup. It is very smooth with very little astringency. There is absolutely no bitterness … it’s just sweet and delicate and fresh tasting. Such a lovely, lovely cuppa!
A remarkable Gyokuro, this Kurihara Heritage Gyokuro.
Organic Gyokuro from Aiya
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Aiya America
Tea Description:
Organic Gyokuro is one of the rarest teas in the world. Aiya has exclusive experience working with Japanese farmers to achieve this high-level of Gyokuro which meets international organic standards. Fresh shade grown leaves are carefully handpicked to maximize Gyokuro’s natural sweetness.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Having previously tried their Premium Gyokuro and loving that experience, I thoroughly looked forward to trying the Organic Gyokuro offering from Aiya. The teas from Aiya have become synonymous with the absolute highest quality Japanese teas for me … and this Organic Gyokuro is no exception. This is amazing!
The dry leaf has a delicate vegetative smell that is reminiscent of the air in the morning in early spring … just after a full night’s rainfall. Imagine waking up, the sun is shining after a rainy night, and the air smells so fresh and clean and the smell of new spring grass surrounds you. This aroma is amplified after I brewed the tea and poured it into my teacup. It smells so sweet, so crisp, so GREEN!
And it tastes amazing. Seriously, if you like Gyokuro, you’ve GOT to try this. It has such a pure, sweet taste that is unrivaled in any other green tea. It is delicate … but not so delicate that the flavor is lost. Instead, the delicateness of this tea just enhances the overall experience … the flavors seem to float across the palate. The vegetative notes are prominent, and it tastes like something between steamed spinach and a mild kelp-y taste … but without the brine-y overtones. It has a smooth, brothy mouthfeel … this tea feels and tastes as though it is nourishing and nurturing me from the inside out.
And don’t overlook the multiple infusion possibilities with this tea … the initial price of this tea may seem high but when you account for the fact that you can get several infusions out of one measurement of leaves, this tea becomes a good value and merits that investment … especially if you’re one who values good taste!
Yame Gyokuro Tea B from Chado Tea House
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Chado Tea House
Tea Description:
Nice Gyokuro from Fukuoka, Kyushu island. Yame area in Fukuoka is known for Gyokuro producing center (take about 45 percent of share). Tea farms are located on slope of mountain and the area’s warm and foggy condition provides ideal climate for Gyokuro cultivation. This Yame Gyokuro is bit like supreme Sencha. Aromatic and sweet and smooth mouth feel.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
There is something magical about Gyokuro.
I recently injured my ankle (rolled it, fortunately did not break it, but, still badly sprained) and the evening of my injury, after returning from the hospital and still in quite a bit of pain, I brewed a pot of this Yame Gyokuro, and for a few moments while sipping, my mind was able to escape the pain, escape the reality of what was going on, and just allow me to enjoy the pure beauty of the tea without a thought (or even a feeling) of the pain.
That’s what I mean about the magical quality of Gyokuro.
This Gyokuro from Chado Tea House is sweet and vegetative. It is a very vibrant and crisp flavor. In the background, I notice subtle notes of chestnut and the vaguest hints of flower. And every once in a while, I swear I can taste that freshness of spring … you know that beautiful freshness that you can smell and even taste in the air when spring arrives? Yes, that is what I notice here. It isn’t a strong flavor, but every once in a while, I just get that exhilarating sensation of spring as I sip.
A wonderful tea – one of the nicest Gyokuro teas I’ve tasted in a while. And Chado Tea House has such a lovely selection of other Japanese green teas too – I highly recommend them!
Gyokuro from Tea Licious
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Tea Licious
Tea Description:
“Precious Dew” Japan’s pampered child of green tea.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Do you like green tea? Have you ever tried Gyokuro?
Gyokuro – which translates to “jewel dew” – is the gem in the Japanese green tea crown. It’s so sweet and delicious! It has a vegetative note, but, it is unlike a typical green tea “vegetative” taste. It doesn’t taste grassy, exactly, nor does it taste like vegetables – steamed or otherwise – but, it has hints that lean toward a sweet grassy taste and a vegetable broth without tasting quite like either one.
I know that I’ve probably said this before about another Gyokuro that I’ve tried (or maybe more than one other), but this is one of the nicest Gyokuro teas that I’ve tasted. I say that often, I think, because Gyokuro tea is one of those outstanding teas that taste so remarkable every time you try it, it is almost like nothing you’ve ever tried … even though you’ve tasted Gyokuro before … if that makes sense! (And by “you” … I mean me.)
The flavor is sweet with a lovely fruit note to it that is almost plum-like, but without the tartness of a plum. Instead, this is just juicy and sweet. The texture of the tea is broth-like (thick, smooth and almost even creamy!), which kind of gives it that vegetable broth essence that I mentioned earlier.
I do think it’s important to brew a Gyokuro correctly. The tea leaves are extremely delicate, and they should be brewed at a low temperature. The suggested parameters on the Tea Licious website are 185°F but I think that may be too hot. I prefer to steep Gyokuro at 160°F for just 1 minute and 30 seconds. This produces a clear, light jade colored liquid that is a pure delight to sip.
If you’ve not tried Gyokuro before (or even if you have), I highly recommend trying this one from Tea Licious! I think you might fall in love with it just like I have!