Official what GREEN are you currently drinking?

[JRS22]

Maiko has a sale in the winter and the Gyokuro tasting set was included last year. Something to watch for.

[debunix]

Liu an Gua Pian this morning, from the amazing tasting set from Tea Habitat. Sweet, floral, delicate, lovely.

[davidglass]

Maiko has a sale in the winter and the Gyokuro tasting set was included last year. Something to watch for.

Thanks for the info

[GeorgeGR]

I just purchased the Gyokuro superior and the Sencha superior from Hibiki-an, and I cannot get good brews out of either of them. I am using 1.2 g per oz of 140 degree water for the Gyokuro, and brewing for 1.5-2 minutes. I am using .6 g per oz for the Sencha and brewing at 167-176 degrees for 1 minute. I also noticed that, upon opening the bags of tea, that I don't get the same heart-stopping aroma as when I open a bag of O-cha tea. Any suggestions?

Usually the superior grades of tea from Hibiki-an are hit or miss. Some years it's good, some years not so much in my opinion. I recently ordered some Blended Sencha Super Premium from Hibiki-an and I've been very happy with it. It definitely has that aroma you were talking about.

[davidglass]

I just purchased the Gyokuro superior and the Sencha superior from Hibiki-an, and I cannot get good brews out of either of them. I am using 1.2 g per oz of 140 degree water for the Gyokuro, and brewing for 1.5-2 minutes. I am using .6 g per oz for the Sencha and brewing at 167-176 degrees for 1 minute. I also noticed that, upon opening the bags of tea, that I don't get the same heart-stopping aroma as when I open a bag of O-cha tea. Any suggestions?

Usually the superior grades of tea from Hibiki-an are hit or miss. Some years it's good, some years not so much in my opinion. I recently ordered some Blended Sencha Super Premium from Hibiki-an and I've been very happy with it. It definitely has that aroma you were talking about.

Thanks for the feedback. I guess this must have been an off year for both the Gyokuro Superior and the Sencha Superior.

[Tead Off]

I just purchased the Gyokuro superior and the Sencha superior from Hibiki-an, and I cannot get good brews out of either of them. I am using 1.2 g per oz of 140 degree water for the Gyokuro, and brewing for 1.5-2 minutes. I am using .6 g per oz for the Sencha and brewing at 167-176 degrees for 1 minute. I also noticed that, upon opening the bags of tea, that I don't get the same heart-stopping aroma as when I open a bag of O-cha tea. Any suggestions?

Usually the superior grades of tea from Hibiki-an are hit or miss. Some years it's good, some years not so much in my opinion. I recently ordered some Blended Sencha Super Premium from Hibiki-an and I've been very happy with it. It definitely has that aroma you were talking about.

Thanks for the feedback. I guess this must have been an off year for both the Gyokuro Superior and the Sencha Superior.

This is one of the reasons that recommendations are difficult. Even a great tea bought one year, may not be reproduced the next year.

Then, there are styles that some of the vendors try to adhere to, year by year. Ippodo is famous for this, but you will rarely get a surprise and drinking the same teas can lead to a bit of boredom.

Maiko Gyokuro set is a must try, sale or not!

[davidglass]

I just purchased the Gyokuro superior and the Sencha superior from Hibiki-an, and I cannot get good brews out of either of them. I am using 1.2 g per oz of 140 degree water for the Gyokuro, and brewing for 1.5-2 minutes. I am using .6 g per oz for the Sencha and brewing at 167-176 degrees for 1 minute. I also noticed that, upon opening the bags of tea, that I don't get the same heart-stopping aroma as when I open a bag of O-cha tea. Any suggestions?

Usually the superior grades of tea from Hibiki-an are hit or miss. Some years it's good, some years not so much in my opinion. I recently ordered some Blended Sencha Super Premium from Hibiki-an and I've been very happy with it. It definitely has that aroma you were talking about.

Thanks for the feedback. I guess this must have been an off year for both the Gyokuro Superior and the Sencha Superior.

This is one of the reasons that recommendations are difficult. Even a great tea bought one year, may not be reproduced the next year.

Then, there are styles that some of the vendors try to adhere to, year by year. Ippodo is famous for this, but you will rarely get a surprise and drinking the same teas can lead to a bit of boredom.

Maiko Gyokuro set is a must try, sale or not!

Thanks again. I'm going to start with the Maiko set, especially because it contains some of their most expensive Gyokuro (which I will have only one chance to get right).

[debunix]

Tai Ping Hou Kui from Wing Hop Fung today, enjoyed from a Petr Novak shibo and a Seong Il teacup. Lovely for a mildly chilly day.

[Muadeeb]

I just received my first O-Cha order and am currently brewing the Uji Gyokuro Gyo-Hou in a shigaraki pot. It's got a decent mellow flavor, but the aftertaste dies off very quickly. I got some Sae Midori and Sencha Miyabi in this order too, I'll probably try one of those right after the gyokuro.

I know I should let the tea rest after its long journey, but after not having any green tea for a couple weeks, I needed to drink some- now!

[jayinhk]

Drinking green tea that was grown in Sanxia District, New Taipei City. The tea dealer who sold this to me really tried to steer me away from it; she wasn't into green tea and said her dad drank it for his health (as a cancer preventative, I guess, since he was a smoker). I finally convinced her to let me try it and it was amazing.

Now, at home, brewed in my easy gaiwan, I am on the second infusion. She brewed it longjing style in a glass, but I gave it three and then four minutes. I taste stone fruit, orchid and vegetal/umami. I like this tea so much, I wish I'd bought 300g. For a nondescript 'green tea' she didn't want to sell me, I am pretty blown away by it. Definitely the best Taiwanese green tea I've had yet.

[KaiRong]

Just got a 50g package of Ippodo's Kanro from Japan, thanks to a friend who visited Kyoto in early January. It is my favorite gyokuro, period Is there a way to order directly from Ippodo to the European Union?

[William]

Happiness in the form of a tea bowl.

May all of you have a good day.

Regards,
W.

[debunix]

Bet that looks nice shimmering under some delicate yellow-green liquor.

[William]

Yum!

[debunix]

Looks nice with matcha too!