Susuricha Style

[strickmr]

Has anyone ever tried it? I'm using the Gyokuro that came with the little cup from Maiko and I'm having trouble with it. The taste is really...overwhelming. I'm following the directions on their website.

[Xell]

From my own experience, if you're new to japanese green teas. You might want to try use less leaf at the beginning. When i first tried good quality tea for the first time with recommended brewing method it was like drinking tea sirup, really concentrated taste. Mostly i got used, but still my 'sweet spot' is usually lower leaf and less stepping time than most people around here, at least what i see from tea discussions

[strickmr]

I've become quite partial to really strong sencha. But whoa, was I surprised tonight. They're not kidding when they say "drop by drop", because that's all a person can take without being knocked off their chair.

[Xell]

I've become quite partial to really strong sencha. But whoa, was I surprised tonight. They're not kidding when they say "drop by drop", because that's all a person can take without being knocked off their chair.

Hehe, i would not be able handle this either, even "drop by drop" Recently i tried to prepare some koicha, 4 bamboo spoons of matcha for 70ml of water. I didn't really feel noticeable bitterness or astringent taste, but still it was like explosion of flavors in my mouth. Don't think i will do it anytime soon again, i prefer lighter version with foam. Probably it's really similar to your gyokuro experience Try once with half of recommended leaf ratio, maybe you will enjoy it more.

[sherubtse]

This is an interesting brewing method, using what appears to be very similar to a gaiwan (i.e., a susuricha cup).

How much water does this cup hold? The Maiko website instructions are not clear on this. I assume that because the taste is so strong, the cup holds only a small amount of water.

Thanks.

Best wishes,
sherubtse

[strickmr]

The cup holds only a few ounces. My guess is they recommend about 2 oz. per 5g of the provided gyokuro. It's definitely merely for tasting and not drinking.

[Chip]

A similar practice is "drop tea" where a lot of gyokuro leaf is used and very little water. The brew is sipped from the gaiwanesque looking device also used for brewing. The brew is said to virtually come out in drops.

Here is one previous discussion ...

http://www.teachat.com/viewtopic.php?f= ... cha#p23918

I have likely looked at the Maiko offering 20 or more times ... one day I guess.

[strickmr]

Well it appears I didn't do anything incorrectly. You were right about that caffeine IV drip... It was like a punch in the face. Maybe I should experiment a few more times with gyokuro before tackling this again. At least learn the taste of a good gyokuro a bit more.

[sherubtse]

A similar practice is "drop tea" where a lot of gyokuro leaf is used and very little water. The brew is sipped from the gaiwanesque looking device also used for brewing. The brew is said to virtually come out in drops.

Fascinating ....

Best wishes,
sherubtse