Gyokuro Saturday! Gyokuro (玉露) translates as ‘Jade Dew’ and is grown in the shade instea
Gyokuro Saturday! Gyokuro (玉露) translates as ‘Jade Dew’ and is grown in the shade instead of the harsh sunlight. The tea leaves are a lushious dark green and had a light fresh roasted seaweed grassy scent. I warmed the Houhin (ほうひん) pot and cups, weighed the right amount of leaves and waited for the water temperature to dip to 60 degrees. The magic happened when the warm water touched the leaves - the leaves literally turned bright green and began blooming and unfurling softly to reveal that fresh grassy color. The first cup was intoxicating - the seaweed scent lingered, the tea started out mildly sweet and ended off on a brisk grassy note. My mom and sister enjoyed it though my dad was not a fan (which was unsurpising since he’s not a fan of any green tea’s grassy notes.) I steeped the tea about 5-6 more times and each pour had a consistent bright jade green tint. By the last cup, the tea taste had lightened and out came the ponzu sauce. The Gyokuro leaves were soft and retained a similiar texture to vegetables boiled in chinese herbal soups. Compared to the other leaves I sampled, Gyokuro was significantly less chewy and much less bitter. The whole process was a little more time consuming this round as I watched the temperature, weight and brewing time a little more carefully. I’m looking forward to my next brew - I realize I take time to appreciate the tea (I’m slow) but the more I sample it, the more notes I taste, the more complex scents I pick up. Here’s to my next pot! -- source link
#gyokuro#green tea#japanese#houhin#tea appreciation