LiberTEAS

645 Followers / 803 Following

Gyokuro Asahina Extra Fine from SpecialTeas

LiberTEAS drank Gyokuro Asahina Extra Fine by SpecialTeas

A very low temperature and short steep time is suggested by SpecialTeas for this tea, and I recommend it as well.

The aroma of the dry leaf is vegetal with pleasant floral notes. Upon brewing – or I should say, when I finished brewing and strained the tea through my smart brewing device, I could smell a very pungent vegetable scent… like freshly steamed vegetables with butter.

The flavor of this tea is excellent. The vegetative flavor is softer than the aroma suggests, it is smooth and buttery, with a slight bitter undertone. There is also a fruit essence. It amazes me that this much flavor came at such a low temperature with such a short steeping time – especially after my last cup of tea (Lupicia’s green paradise).

A very pleasant, complex cup of tea, making me eager to seek out other Gyokuro teas.

2010-04-16 19:06:21 -0400

140 °F / 60 °C

1 min 0 sec

I Like This

8 likes

4 comments

People who liked this

Comments

__Morgana__ 2010-04-16 19:16:14 -0400

I’ve only had Adagio’s so far, but that was exactly my impression as well — eager to seek out other Gyokuros.

Cofftea 2010-04-16 19:19:10 -0400

I’m SO glad SpecialTeas gives Japanese greens the respect they deserve in terms of steeping parameters!

LiberTEAS 2010-04-16 19:34:05 -0400

I am absolutely in love with this tea. I also have a small sampling of Den’s Gyokuro, but I’ve been kind of hoarding it. LOL

LiberTEAS 2010-04-16 19:42:15 -0400

For the second infusion, I steeped at 140 degrees for just 45 seconds, according to the suggested brewing parameters by SpecialTeas (they suggested a shorter brew time for the second and third infusion)… the flavor is smoother in this second infusion, but still very flavorful – delightful! Love it!

Profile

Bio

I am obsessed with tea!

I am a co-founder of the SororiTEA Sisters:
http://sororiteasisters.com

I also review teas for the Tea Review Blog:
http://www.teareviewblog.com

In addition to my passion for tea, I am also a mixed media/altered arts artist. You can see some of my art here: http://eccentricpastiche.blogspot.com

I am also a self-proclaimed foodie. I review local restaurants and the food I buy online here: http://hungryinportland.wordpress.com

My favorite teas are Yellow Teas with most Oolong teas at a close second. As far as “flavored” teas go, I love Earl Grey, Chocolate and Jasmine teas.

I also am intrigued by flavored teas with an unusual or unique flavor combination.

I don’t do a whole lot of swaps anymore, however, I do occasionally sell sampler boxes here: http://liberteas.teatra.de/ I don’t always have sampler boxes available as it depends upon how much time I have as well as packaging supplies. I usually post at least one or two sampler boxes per month, though, so if you’re interested, keep an eye out or PM me and I’ll let you know when I have some posted.

Most of the teas that I record in my notes here are going to have a fairly high rating from me. This is not because I am not discerning, but because I do not usually waste my time on drinking tea I do not care for, nor will I waste my time on writing about it.