i think this is an excellent, high quality green tea. definitely vegetal…i mainly get a grass note from this (like a faded, sun-dried grass note, not fresh grass), but if i think about it, i do suppose string beans also come to mind! people are so creative (or highly sensorially gifted) when it comes to descriptions on here, that i’m starting to think a little meditation is in order before one sips a cup, so as to prime their senses properly! as with tea, one must give their brain a good rinse before steeping! ;)
this tea has been a favorite green of mine for many months now, whenever i visit Starbucks. so if i’m not in the mood for my usual black/sweet teas with milk & sugar, i can just as easily savor a cup of this in all its simplicity.
i’m on the fence too, about which green i’m liking most: Tazo’s Lotus Blossom or Stash’s Organic green (with a bag of Pukka’s Detox- read: fennel, rye bread- thrown in for savory delight!) they’re all so different and yet so lovely.
my 3 minute 2 icecube rule worked on this just fine, as it has with all my other green teas…so far. but this tea gets bitter very fast & i have had many burnt cups at Starbucks because they indiscriminately pour scalding hot water over the leaves. then again their specialty is coffee, not tea. if this were Teavana, they’d dump you down the drain (along with your cup) if you steeped Gyokuro Imperial for longer than 45 seconds!
ETA: i’m not happy with the rating i gave this because i think it’s better than a 76 (it’s at least an 80), but face-wise i’m just a little over smiley.
I’ve always like this one. It’s really hard t find in my city. The local Starbucks usually stoke the Zen green th done with lemongrass … which is nice, too, but this one’s way better.