Re: Official what GREEN are you currently drinking?
Maiko has a sale in the winter and the Gyokuro tasting set was included last year. Something to watch for.
Jan 17th, '16, 12:49
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Re: Official what GREEN are you currently drinking?
Liu an Gua Pian this morning, from the amazing tasting set from Tea Habitat. Sweet, floral, delicate, lovely.
Re: Official what GREEN are you currently drinking?
Thanks for the infoJRS22 wrote:Maiko has a sale in the winter and the Gyokuro tasting set was included last year. Something to watch for.
Re: Official what GREEN are you currently drinking?
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 wrote: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?
Re: Official what GREEN are you currently drinking?
Thanks for the feedback. I guess this must have been an off year for both the Gyokuro Superior and the Sencha Superior.GeorgeGR wrote: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 wrote: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?
Re: Official what GREEN are you currently drinking?
This is one of the reasons that recommendations are difficult. Even a great tea bought one year, may not be reproduced the next year.davidglass wrote:Thanks for the feedback. I guess this must have been an off year for both the Gyokuro Superior and the Sencha Superior.GeorgeGR wrote: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 wrote: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?
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!
Re: Official what GREEN are you currently drinking?
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).Tead Off wrote:This is one of the reasons that recommendations are difficult. Even a great tea bought one year, may not be reproduced the next year.davidglass wrote:Thanks for the feedback. I guess this must have been an off year for both the Gyokuro Superior and the Sencha Superior.GeorgeGR wrote: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 wrote: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?
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!
Jan 19th, '16, 11:04
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Re: Official what GREEN are you currently drinking?
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.
Re: Official what GREEN are you currently drinking?
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!
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!
Re: Official what GREEN are you currently drinking?
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.
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.
Re: Official what GREEN are you currently drinking?
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?
Jan 22nd, '16, 06:16
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Jan 22nd, '16, 14:57
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Re: Official what GREEN are you currently drinking?
Bet that looks nice shimmering under some delicate yellow-green liquor.
Jan 23rd, '16, 04:53
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Jan 23rd, '16, 11:27
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