Official what GREEN are you currently drinking?

[Nirraven]

Thanks for the recomentations, i was allready planing to order the very high rated sencha form o-cha, os i could add some karigane too

As i order a teapot from Hojo i also order a karigane from him, let's see what i prefer.

[victoria3]

One of these days I'd like to sample Hojo teas.
I just finished Ippodo's inaccessible highest grade gyokuro; Tokusen Gyokuro,Premium Gyokuro. Crazy smooth, rich, brothy, umami...oh wow.

[debunix]

Really have to admire a tea that can take abuse and still yield wonderful results. Today's version is from this year's green tea competition tasting set from Tea Habitat, Lu Shan Yun Wu Shi Zi Long second pick. The leaves are are very delicate little twists, not flat like a Long Jing, but when wet, about the same size, in delicate little pairs or trios.

Yesterday morning I made a first infusion, water about 170 degreees for 1-2 minutes, and it was floral, fruity, a little vegetal and delicious; but ran out of time for a second infusion, so left the leaves in a little water in the bottom of the pot. This morning, another infusion, with water just off the boil, and more poured over to preheat the pot, was again delicious, floral/vegetal/fruity, with only the slightest bitter edge noticeable in some sips reminding of the overnight neglect.

This is something I expect in a deep roast oolong or from a puerh, but not from a green tea. I only tried the infusion because it was so good yesterday and I figured, what the heck, hate to waste a really fine tea, maybe it will be passable and I won't feel so bad about not getting more the first time. So nice to be rewarded for faith in the leaf.

[debunix]

Also meant to note that I have been preparing a lot of the Kamairi Tamaryokucha, a green tea I stockpiled last year after discovering that it was marvelous on a hot day brewed up cool in a thermos. In our chillier weather and while I have been battling a little cold, I've been mostly enjoying it hot, but sometimes cool too. Lovely stuff from O-Cha.

[jayinhk]

Drinking a regular grade of Shan Tuyet, high mountain assamica green tea from old trees in the north of Vietnam. This tea was processed by hand in a wok over charcoal by one of the tribes. Nice raw pu erh notes to it, but quite smokey. Bitter with boiling water, but lovely huigan on the palate as well. This tea was very reasonably priced, and isn't as good as my other Vietnamese Shan Tuyets, but is sufficiently different from the rest that I quite enjoy dipping into the bag.

[davidglass]

I just received Hojo's gyokuro and am not having any luck. Hojo recommended I brew it at 5g/100ml/50C/2-3 min. The tea arrived 2 days ago so maybe it needs to recover? Hojo also said that he brews his tea with only 3g, I'm not getting it.

[davidglass]

One of these days I'd like to sample Hojo teas.
I just finished Ippodo's inaccessible highest grade gyokuro; Tokusen Gyokuro,Premium Gyokuro. Crazy smooth, rich, brothy, umami...oh wow.

Inaccessible?

[Tead Off]

I just received Hojo's gyokuro and am not having any luck. Hojo recommended I brew it at 5g/100ml/50C/2-3 min. The tea arrived 2 days ago so maybe it needs to recover? Hojo also said that he brews his tea with only 3g, I'm not getting it.

If it's the Asahina Gyokuro that I've mentioned, my suggestion is the following;

7g/60ml shiboridashi. 50°/2 min. Excellent!
52.5°/10sec, 2nd/3rd.
55°/20 sec, 4th.
60°/5th, 30 sec.
Good Umami, sweetness, and smoothness. The increase of leaves makes a difference.

Finding the right water to go with Japanese greens is essential to me. The difference between my filtered tap and bottled waters like Wildalp and Volvic are huge. Plus, some vessels just make better tea. I think this gyokuro was my #1 of 2016.

[davidglass]

I just received Hojo's gyokuro and am not having any luck. Hojo recommended I brew it at 5g/100ml/50C/2-3 min. The tea arrived 2 days ago so maybe it needs to recover? Hojo also said that he brews his tea with only 3g, I'm not getting it.

If it's the Asahina Gyokuro that I've mentioned, my suggestion is the following;

7g/60ml shiboridashi. 50°/2 min. Excellent!
52.5°/10sec, 2nd/3rd.
55°/20 sec, 4th.
60°/5th, 30 sec.
Good Umami, sweetness, and smoothness. The increase of leaves makes a difference.

Finding the right water to go with Japanese greens is essential to me. The difference between my filtered tap and bottled waters like Wildalp and Volvic are huge. Plus, some vessels just make better tea. I think this gyokuro was my #1 of 2016.

Yes- I have the Asahina Gyokuro, which I purchased because of your recommendation. I'll try your formula.
When you mention water, which one is better- your filtered one or the bottled water? I am using Poland Springs from Maine (USA).
Thank you.

[victoria3]

One of these days I'd like to sample Hojo teas.
I just finished Ippodo's inaccessible highest grade gyokuro; Tokusen Gyokuro,Premium Gyokuro. Crazy smooth, rich, brothy, umami...oh wow.

Inaccessible?

This gyokuro is only available at the Kyoto store.

[victoria3]

David I just use filtered water here in Santa Monica. Whatever water you use for other teas should work for gyokuro also. After air travel I let unopened packages rest 48hrs before opening and another 12hrs after opening. Gyokuro likes to be steeped with a high ratio of leaf to water. Temperature can make or break a session so I always use a thermometer, 5 degrees off can make a big difference. With Ippodo I used the highest ratio of leaf/water, per their recommendation. I can't comment on Hojo's (I'd start w Tead Off's rec) but here are steeping parameters for the ones I've tried so far, always pre-heating the sibo or kyusu;
Ippodo: 8gr/ 2oz/ 140F/ 90sec
Maiko: 7.6gr/ 2oz/ 125F/ 2min
Zencha: 5gr/ 2oz/ 110F/75sec.
O-Cha: 5gr/ 2oz/ 130F/ 90sec
Den's: 4gr/ 2oz/ 115F/ 2min

[davidglass]

David I just use filtered water here in Santa Monica. Whatever water you use for other teas should work for gyokuro also. After air travel I let unopened packages rest 48hrs before opening and another 12hrs after opening. Gyokuro likes to be steeped with a high ratio of leaf to water. Temperature can make or break a session so I always use a thermometer, 5 degrees off can make a big difference. With Ippodo I used the highest ratio of leaf/water, per their recommendation. I can't comment on Hojo's (I'd start w Tead Off's rec) but here are steeping parameters for the ones I've tried so far, always pre-heating the sibo or kyusu;
Ippodo: 8gr/ 2oz/ 140F/ 90sec
Maiko: 7.6gr/ 2oz/ 125F/ 2min
Zencha: 5gr/ 2oz/ 110F/75sec.
O-Cha: 5gr/ 2oz/ 130F/ 90sec
Den's: 4gr/ 2oz/ 115F/ 2min

Thanks for this info. I'll try Hojo's gyokuro tomorrow morning. And thanks for the info about the inacessable gyokuro.

[Tead Off]

I just received Hojo's gyokuro and am not having any luck. Hojo recommended I brew it at 5g/100ml/50C/2-3 min. The tea arrived 2 days ago so maybe it needs to recover? Hojo also said that he brews his tea with only 3g, I'm not getting it.

If it's the Asahina Gyokuro that I've mentioned, my suggestion is the following;

7g/60ml shiboridashi. 50°/2 min. Excellent!
52.5°/10sec, 2nd/3rd.
55°/20 sec, 4th.
60°/5th, 30 sec.
Good Umami, sweetness, and smoothness. The increase of leaves makes a difference.

Finding the right water to go with Japanese greens is essential to me. The difference between my filtered tap and bottled waters like Wildalp and Volvic are huge. Plus, some vessels just make better tea. I think this gyokuro was my #1 of 2016.

Yes- I have the Asahina Gyokuro, which I purchased because of your recommendation. I'll try your formula.
When you mention water, which one is better- your filtered one or the bottled water? I am using Poland Springs from Maine (USA).
Thank you.

If you do a search on Teachat for water, you will find an over abundance of information about what type of waters work well with different teas. IMO, there are vast differences, but whether you can tell or not is another matter. The difference between my filtered tap and yours will be noticeably different simply because of the mineral composition of each water. By trial and error, you arrive at your own conclusion. For me, Wildalp is the best water I've found for Japanese greens. Volvic also works well and there are plenty of others that probably are okay, too. You have to get to know the tea first with the water you generally use. Then you can experiment and reflect on the differences between waters. And, there are differences, sometimes big ones. This also goes for the vessel you use to brew the tea. Good luck.

[davidglass]

Thank you Victoria3 and Tead Off. The Asahina gyokuro tastes MUCH better with 7g/20ml/50C/2min

[JRS22]

I just received Hojo's gyokuro and am not having any luck. Hojo recommended I brew it at 5g/100ml/50C/2-3 min. The tea arrived 2 days ago so maybe it needs to recover? Hojo also said that he brews his tea with only 3g, I'm not getting it.

If it's the Asahina Gyokuro that I've mentioned, my suggestion is the following;

7g/60ml shiboridashi. 50°/2 min. Excellent!
52.5°/10sec, 2nd/3rd.
55°/20 sec, 4th.
60°/5th, 30 sec.
Good Umami, sweetness, and smoothness. The increase of leaves makes a difference.

Finding the right water to go with Japanese greens is essential to me. The difference between my filtered tap and bottled waters like Wildalp and Volvic are huge. Plus, some vessels just make better tea. I think this gyokuro was my #1 of 2016.

I tried brewing the Asahina this way today and it was the most intense gyokuro experience I've ever had. It definitely justified the use of all that leaf and I just hope I get some sleep tonight!