Eating Gyokuro Leaves

[AdamMY]

I have at many times heard of people eating gyokuro leaves after they infuse gyokuro. I have even heard in Japan it is considered wasteful to not eat the gyokuro leaves. But I have tried several different things, from mixing them in with rice eggs and vegetables while making a fried rice a few times, and this lastest time I tried it just fresh from the houbin with a bit of soy sauce.

I could see how it could potentially be tasty for some, as to me it tasted almost like seaweed. But perhaps it was because the leaves were still slightly warm, but I did not find this appetizing at all. Before I completely give up hope, I want to know what other people do when/if they eat gyokuro leaves.

I also am taking a poll of how many people eat gyokuro leaves and roughly what percentage of time after they make Gyo do they eat the leaves.

[Chip]

Yes, 80-100% of the time.

as to me it tasted almost like seaweed.

Well, I like seaweed and keep a supply of dried seaweed for eating with foods) and kelp (for flavor) on hand all the time.

The gyokuro reminds me more of spinach I think, certainly not an intensely briny taste anyway. Though maybe I have brewed it more times than you?

I like them almost any way, but usually just pour a touch of soysauce on them or through them in whatever food I happen to be making.

[tortoise]

After Chip gave me a hard time about it ( ), I decided to give it more effort. I voted for 40-60 percent. I rather like the taste, it's more an issue of convenience. I don't always feel like eating it right then, so a couple times I've ended up putting them in a plastic bag in the fridge and then pulled it out later to have with a meal. For me, it works great in any kind of stir-fry. I also had it mixed with rice on the side of baked salmon and it was awesome.

The thing is, I don't like scooping the soggy leaves out of a bag from the fridge. Am I crazy? I don't think so. While I think they are tasty -- reminding me of a sweet-like spice -- managing the spent leaves is just kind of a nuisance. I guess I could train myself to always eat the leaves after the session. Seems unlikely.

I've eaten my fair share of Kame and Kanro, anything else and I'm clueless. I can say, though, that Kanro is amazing to taste. It really is like any other leafy green in that it tastes like food. There is nothing odd about eating it at all. In fact, I think it's much better tasting than kale, spinach or collards -- which I eat a lot.

[NOESIS]

Yummy! I like mine with a splash of tamari, rice wine vinegar and a few drops of sesame oil. Great with a side of steamed sticky rice.

[tortoise]

I think that if you could dry it fully, grind it, and use it as a powder, that would be really amazing.

[entropyembrace]

I tried eating gyokuro leaves once and didn´t really care for it...they were kind of bland tasting to me by the time I finished infusing them. Maybe they would be better if I tried after only one or two infusions instead of infusing them until very little flavour comes out into the water....but I think I´d rather just drink the tea instead.

[tortoise]

They are also better, more flavorful and aromatic, if served warm. Who wants to eat anything that's soggy and cold?

[Stentor]

I'm pretty sure you could incorporate them in a salad nicely.
Maybe something with balsamic vinegar, tomatoes, asparagus.
I ate some of gyokuro leaves with soy sauce the other day. It was pretty good, I thought, but it needs something else in my opinion. If not a salad then maybe a little bit of sushi style rice.
Used gyokuro leaves are so incredibly soft. Very different from other teas.
It seems unusual at first but I don't think it's so weird to eat them. We eat arugula and other things like that so why not...

[senchalover]

I have eaten mine straight out of the cup. Not all of them but a few. I do the same for sencha .

[gargoylekitty]

I have eaten mine straight out of the cup. Not all of them but a few. I do the same for sencha .

Replace 'cup' with 'pot' and ditto.



I pretty much always eat the leaves, not just for gyokuro either. Sometimes 'as is', other times I'll incorporate them into some type of dish.

[senchalover]

Eating leaves can tell you of their quality. I always try a little of my leaves out of my shibidashi after each pot and different types have different textures. Gyokuro is always tougher to chew than premium senchas.

[Winnie_ther_pu]

Oh my, we have gyokuro every day~. Twice a day more often than not. That is why I chose the 40-60% option...we just can't eat that much tea (><).