Autumn Hearth

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Autumn Hearth drank Gyokuro Matcha by Teavana

I was very surprised when I opened the bag inside the tin to find neon green powder coated tea leaves, though I had guessed it wasn’t just match when I felt the bag. This brews up the same neon green. Yeah… not nearly as smooth and sophisticated as Gyokuro Imperial and not as sweet and thick as Imperial Grade Matcha (the latter is ground from the former’s leaves, talking strictly Teavana here), so not the best of both worlds taste wise.

Sure its not horrible but it reminds me more of Gyokuro Genmaicha, in its toasty nuttiness (but not the nuttiness used to describe Chinese greens) and I’m not a fan of genmaicha. Not digging the chalky mouthfeel either. I turned the majority of the first steep into an iced tea with local blackberry honey as I was quite warm. Drinking the second infusion warm as the husband turned the air on when he got home.

I would not buy this if it was offered outside out the gift set, but it does make me look forward to ordering some DavidsTea’s Gyokuro Yamashiro when its back in.. wait it is in stock, but surely it must be last year’s harvest, right? It seems Mellow Monk’s Top Leaf has surpassed it in ratings so will have to order both, later…

2012-03-21 19:31:26 -0400

170 °F / 76 °C

0 min 30 sec

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Amy oh 2012-03-21 20:09:43 -0400

I had the exact same thoughts about this – did not feel the gyo needed any matcha

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Druid, artist, poet, mum, lover of tea, ritual and myth. I grew up on Celestial Seasons herbals but fell in love with straight loose leaf tea working at my local Teavana for a year. I am grateful for the introduction and the experience, but have moved on.

I see tea as an experience for the senses, I like to imagine tasting the land and the weather as well as the effect of sun, air, fire and the human hand. I have a soft spot for shu pu’er, yabao, scented oolongs, wuyi oolongs, taiwanese tea as well as smooth naturally sweet blacks, creamy greens and surprisingly complex whites.

I began ordering lots of samples from Upton to educate myself on different varieties of tea we didn’t have at work and have fallen head over heels for the unique offerings from Verdant Tea. I am learning things I like: buttery mouthfeel, surprising sweet or spice notes, woodiness, mineral notes, depth and complexity and things I don’t: astringency, dry and sour notes.

I collect tea tins and am in danger of collecting pots, though I am trying to restrain the urge due to current lack of space. I brew mostly in a glass infuser mug or a tea maker, only using cast-iron for company now (still need to get a gaiwan) and tend not to sweeten my teas unless they are British or fruity and iced, which is not often.

As far as ratings, I lack a definite system and haven’t been assigning numbers lately, wanting to spend multiple sessions with a tea first. I usually only log a tea once, unless it is a new harvest or I have significantly different observations, but will go back and edit or comment if I find something interesting or new.