Gyokuro Newb Questions

[Oracle13]

My first Gyokuro was teavana's and I got lucky a couple times brewing it from the microwave

Thoroughly enjoyed the taste and recently bought some Gyokuro from adagio. I've noticed though that the leaves aren't the same as teavana. The sample I got from teavana was a waxier type of leaf and had a more pronounced vegetal/asparagus flavor that hooked me. I just tried 138 and 2 tsp with the adagio and I don't get nearly the same vegetal/asparagus flavor that I got with the teavana.

Questions are:

1. Is it the lower temp that reduced the vegetal/asparagus?

2. What value is the waxy texture to Gyokuro?

3. Does quality G have a fair bit of dust to it when dry? I noticed the adagio had a fair amount of dust compared to the teavana stuff.

4. Is it fair to say on this board the general concensus is den's for high quality/price gyokuro?

5. Did I buy it at the wrong time of year last week?

Thanks, great to be here!

[Pentox]

Questions are:

1. Is it the lower temp that reduced the vegetal/asparagus?

2. What value is the waxy texture to Gyokuro?

3. Does quality G have a fair bit of dust to it when dry? I noticed the adagio had a fair amount of dust compared to the teavana stuff.

4. Is it fair to say on this board the general concensus is den's for high quality/price gyokuro?

5. Did I buy it at the wrong time of year last week?

Thanks, great to be here!

1. There are a few parts of the taste that get described as vegetal/asparagus. It's hard to say for exactly. Experiment with your tea to find out.

2. I don't think i've really seen a waxy texture on a gyo. Do you mean glossy?

3. The amount of dust varies. Most gyo that I have seen has had a fair amount. The teavana may have had less because of their giant scooping bins. If they took it off the top the dust would just be on the bottom.

4. Imo. NO

5. Winter is actually about the right time for properly aged gyokuro. Teavana's is probably not really stored/aged/replenished properly though.

[Salsero]

4. Imo. NO

I was disappointed in the Den's gyo I had.

[Oracle13]

I guess glossy could be the word I was thinking of. It did seem more uniform in size and shape and seemed silky to the touch and while scooping.

I'm about to try another cup at 175 and second steep for 1 minute and see what I get.

I think the teavana was a deeper green as well.

Im just looking for the deepest green, glossy gyo that gives me a nice strong spinach

[Pentox]

I guess glossy could be the word I was thinking of. It did seem more uniform in size and shape and seemed silky to the touch and while scooping.

I'm about to try another cup at 175 and second steep for 1 minute and see what I get.

I think the teavana was a deeper green as well.

Im just looking for the deepest green, glossy gyo that gives me a nice strong spinach

Glossier tea tends to be better in my experience. Someone explained what causes it to me once, but I forgot. I also find it visually appealing.

Deeper green is somewhat the ideal color for good gyokuro.

This is the part where personal taste comes in:

If you're looking for something that gives a good strong flavor, I would stay away from Shizuoka and Uji gyokuros. In a somewhat ballpark experience I would say most shizuoka gyokuro taste more like sencha than gyokuro and don't have as refined a flavor. Uji tends to be a bit more astringent than the others. My locale of choice is Yame gyokuro. Yame tends to pack the most flavor, both intense and vibrant. So I've been searching for good yame vendors. I actually have a few incoming that should be here in a few days. But my tastes are on the higher end of the gyo spectrum. I'm actually working my way up the spectrum before I try one sample I have that I received as a gift that should be phenomenal.

For sources, I would say try Hibiki-an, O-cha, or Lupicia (Yame Gyokuro Vil Hoshino now known as Gyokuro "Yame"). Hibiki-an and o-cha are both mainly uji vendors. The main offering of gyo from Lupicia is a Yame.

The two yames I have inbound are from Chado Tea House and Zencha.

[Oni]

Hibiki-an`s super premium and kuradashi super premium gyokuro were very good, but I wouldn`t spend that much on gyokuro unless having the right teaware, and a bit of experience and a thermometer,

[Chip]

Regarding Den's, the price for the top offering is comparable to a lot of other similar vendors' top offerings.
I bought it along with O-Cha's Kame which is da bomb and Zencha's Yame which I had last year and was also crazy good.
I have not opened Den's yet.

Nice thing about O-Cha, the owner responded positvely to customer comments
and accomodated their requests for higher grades of gyo.
I think it turned out as a win-win situation.

I had one pot of the next level down of Den's at a teashop,
and it seemed OK, but not having the opp to do it right at home,
I can't really say much more.

[olivierco]

Don't spend too much time with mid quality gyokuro, even if you don't have the so-called "right teaware".
I started with Fujitsubo, Gyoku-Hou, Kame giru Shi and Hibiki-SP and brewed them in a porcelain teapot. As long as the leaves have room to expand and you brew it with the right temperature and not too much water, it should come right. If you like gyokuro, you will eventually end up buying gyokuro teaware.

[Chip]

Don't spend too much time with mid quality gyokuro, even if you don't have the so-called "right teaware".
I started with Fujitsubo, Gyoku-Hou, Kame giru Shi and Hibiki-SP and brewed them in a porcelain teapot. As long as the leaves have room to expand and you brew it with the right temperature and not too much water, it should come right. If you like gyokuro, you will eventually end up buying gyokuro teaware.

I have to agree with this entirely. The last statement especially.

And cheap gyo is just generally bad. I will enjoy a few costing 25-30 USD per 100 grams,
but not many. But having gone that cheap route, I personally appreciate the good stuff
that much more, way more ...

I always buy and drink and enjoy more gyokuro in the Winter months. Does anyone else?

[Salsero]

Don't spend too much time with mid quality gyokuro, even if you don't have the so-called "right teaware".
I started with Fujitsubo, Gyoku-Hou, Kame giru Shi and Hibiki-SP and brewed them in a porcelain teapot. As long as the leaves have room to expand and you brew it with the right temperature and not too much water, it should come right. If you like gyokuro, you will eventually end up buying gyokuro teaware.

I have to agree with this entirely. The last statement especially.

And cheap gyo is just generally bad. I will enjoy a few costing 25-30 USD per 100 grams,
but not many. But having gone that cheap route, I personally appreciate the good stuff
that much more, way more ...

I always buy and drink and enjoy more gyokuro in the Winter months. Does anyone else?

Both gentlemen right on the money, as usual. Don't waste time on anything but the best gyo, and most any teaware will get you started just fine.

[olivierco]

I always buy and drink and enjoy more gyokuro in the Winter months. Does anyone else?

I always buy, drink and enjoy gyokuro. Whatever the time of the year. I only refrain buying tea during the very hot summer days because I don't want my tea to stay in my mailbox where temperature can go up to 60°C (140°F).

[Chip]

I always buy and drink and enjoy more gyokuro in the Winter months. Does anyone else?

I always buy, drink and enjoy gyokuro. Whatever the time of the year. I only refrain buying tea during the very hot summer days because I don't want my tea to stay in my mailbox where temperature can go up to 60°C (140°F).

Horrors!

I just seem to gravitate to gyokuro more so in the Winter.
Possibly since I have been mainlining sencha for 9 months,
possibly since it is logical as sencha season is fading to memory and awaiting shincha,
possibly because the new harvest of gyokuro has now aged to perfection by Winter.

Or maybe because it is like chicken soup on a cold Winter day! Yeah, that is it!
.

[ErikaM]

If you like gyokuro, you will eventually end up buying gyokuro teaware.

By gyokuro teaware, do you mean a houhin (sp?)? Or can I get away with just a kyusu? I finally broke down and ordered a nice kyusu... can't wait for it to come... but I am about at the end of my teaware budget. And it's starting to scare me how many kitchen cupboards are now devoted to tea and/or teaware...

[Chip]

If you like gyokuro, you will eventually end up buying gyokuro teaware.

By gyokuro teaware, do you mean a houhin (sp?)? Or can I get away with just a kyusu? I finally broke down and ordered a nice kyusu... can't wait for it to come... but I am about at the end of my teaware budget. And it's starting to scare me how many kitchen cupboards are now devoted to tea and/or teaware...

You can use your kyusu I am sure. With higher grade gyokuro, many of us do smaller steeps
which is why a pot designed for this practice is better. I often brew ounces when brewing Kame from O-Cha for instance.
It is like sipping very fine wine, savoring each delicious sip.

A plus with smaller steeps of course, the expensive stuff lasts longer.