Gyokuro Overload??

[CutieAgouti]

Another question for the tea masters, gyokuro in particular this time. So I have some low-grade gyokuro and while it's not the best I do enjoy it and want to eventually purchase some better gyokuro. On my first cup it's very good but after the second cup I tend to feel nauseated. Sometimes I feel better but usually I stay feeling sick for a few hours.

Is this a normal reaction to gyokuro? I know its very different from other greens but I never feel icky after drinking other greens (I go through several pots in a day).

Any feedback would be much appreciated!
Thanks!!

[Chip]

Are you drinking on an empty stomach? Which gyo, from where?

[Pentox]

I've never heard of anyone having a problem like that specific to gyokuro, but it's not unheard of.

Do you have any caffeine sensitivities? Gyokuro is higher in caffeine than most greens.

Chip's question on where it's from could also point to a good cause.

[CutieAgouti]

I don't usually drink on an empty stomach and every time I've had gyokuro it was about a 1/2 hour to an hour after I ate something. And the gyokuro is just a sample tin from adagio which I got from the green tea sampler.

And I'm not too sensitive to caffeine unless I drink alot of coffee (I've hadn't had any for a 9 year period and had some here and there within the last year).

[JRS22]

The advice here on brewing gyokuo often involves using a large amount of leaf relative to the quantity of water. If that's how you're brewing, wouldn't there be a much higher concentration of caffeine than other green tea, or as compared to brewing the same tea with the usual amount of leaf. Gyokuro experts should chime in here.........

[Chip]

Not an "expert" but for higher grades of gyo, I do use a higher concentration of leaf to water, however for more standard grades such as Adagio's, I would use a similar ratio as sencha.

The higher concentration, btw, is offset by smaller steeps. However the brew is more concentrated.

How are you brewing your gyo, CutieAgouti?

[Oni]

I agree with Chip, generally lower grade gyokuro which is often kabusencha should be brewed like sencha, than higher grade are shaded by the method of tana, the percentage of shading is diffrent during those 21 more or less days, and the highest grade are shaded with straw for even mellower taste, so as a conclusion the higher the grade of gyokuro the more concentrate you can drink it without having unpleasent taste, and the amount of concentration varies, ten person have ten ways, and there is the enigmatic susurica, I say don`t be afraid of gyokuro, but try a better quality first, like the ones from o-cha.

[CutieAgouti]

I use cooler water (about 160-170 degrees) and I use about a teaspoon to 2 worth of gyokuro. I let it steep for about a minute to two. I don't use gong-fu style since I'm still relatively new to all this. Also I don't have enough practice with gyo to have it down to a method that I like yet.

Next time I put in an order from O-cha I'll get some gyokuro, hopefully it will settle with me better (just bought a matcha set from them, yum!)

[olivierco]

I use cooler water (about 160-170 degrees) and I use about a teaspoon to 2 worth of gyokuro. I let it steep for about a minute to two. I don't use gong-fu style since I'm still relatively new to all this. Also I don't have enough practice with gyo to have it down to a method that I like yet.

You should try with cooler water (130-140°F).

[MarshalN]

It has nothing to do with how you brew your tea. The simple answer is probably just that your body is not well suited to greens, or gyokuro in particular. For a while I get dizzy no matter what if I drink Taiwanese low fired oolong. It's too green for me, and I get sick.

I'd suggest taking a break from the very, very "cold" green teas and drink some blacks instead.

[thirtysixbelow]

Me too! From time to time I notice I get a little nauseous from green tea, especially when I drink more than a couple of cups. I get it from sencha though too. I drink high quality green tea from o-cha so it's probably not related to the quality. I tend to drink tea in the morning so it's usually on an empty stomach. Is this normal? Does it make sense that an empty stomach could cause this?

[Chip]

My recollection was that this was not very good at the lower temps like a higher grade gyo, Olivier. I tend to agree that this is likely Kabusecha as are many lesser grades of "gyokuro."

It seems like C'A is brewing it ok for this selection. I am not sure what the problem is, but maybe use less leaf.

BTW, I use this selection from Adagio for coldbrewing iced tea, usually blending it with sencha as well, comes out pretty good. I tend to struggle with the lesser grade gyo and hot water brewing, just not my cup of tea.

I can feel sick from some Indian teas from time to time. Assam in particular. There is a topic under Misc at the bottom of the forum on this subject. I will look for the topic and post a link. Might provide some input.

[Chip]

Topic 1
Topic 2

[CutieAgouti]

Thanks so much everyone! And thanks for the links Chip, I guess I'll just have to take into account how fast I drink it or anything else. Maybe someday I can find a method where I can drink gyokuro happily

[gingkoseto]

I feel the same about some Japanese greens and feel the same as MarshalN about very green oolong. I usually don't have much problem with green Tawainese oolong, but can't have very green TGY for more than a couple of times within a week. I would love it at the first and feel fed up with it very soon, and it's kind of a stomach feeling, even though not direct stomach pain.