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!
Fukamushi-Sencha Yame from Den’s Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Den’s Tea
Product Description:
It is our best quality Fukamushi-Sencha and is also unique in that it is from a special species, Yutakamidori. Den’s favorite Fukamushi-Sencha.
Taster’s Review:
The aroma of the dry leaf is quite grassy, and when you look at the dry leaf, you might think that you’ve a bunch of blades of green grass rather than tea leaves. The leaves have a very slender cut to them, and they look like blades of bright green – and I mean vividly green! – grass. And that’s almost the color liquor it produces too. A very bright, jade green. Beautiful!
And although I’ve never actually brewed blades of grass before, I don’t think that it would taste like this. Yes, there are some grassy tones to this tea, but it is so much more complex than that. It has a wonderful texture to it, and the flavor is a savory, broth-like taste. It isn’t as sweet as some Sencha teas tend to be, this one has more of a savory note to it. And while it does have a creamy texture to it, it doesn’t taste creamy or buttery. It tastes nutty and toasty, like freshly roasted chestnuts.
There are hints of sweetness along with a distinct sour tone that leans to the aforementioned savory side. It has a very comforting effect that reminds me of the feeling I would get if I were eating chicken soup. This doesn’t taste like chicken soup, of course, but you know that feeling? That warm, home-y, comforting sense of well-being that you get when you have a cup of homemade chicken soup? That’s what I feel right now as I sip this. It is very soothing, very relaxing, and quite delicious.
This is a tea that I’d like to keep on hand for when I might be feeling under the weather, or any time that I want to experience that satisfying feeling of something so comforting and delicious.