Marlena

You might try steeping it in cooler water for a shorter time. I think I steeped it for 2 or 3 minutes in 160 degree water and it came out really nice, very light and sweet. In general I’ve found that I don’t like green teas when I steep them as hot as is recommended or as long.

160 is actually the low end of what’s recommented. Most sources say 160-180 for 2-3 min so that’s right on target. At least from what I’ve read.

Gyokuro can be hard to get right and it requires much cooler water than sencha to make it sweet. Ocha’s got a pretty good explanation of how to brew it best.
http://www.o-cha.com/brewing-gyokuro.htm

@Auggy, thanks! This is one green I haven’t had before so it’s good that I know this before I try it:)

No problem. Japanese greens pretty much have a whole other set of rules for brewing and the lower the water temp, the sweet it usually ends up. Which is kind of awesome. On the flip side, though, you get it too hot and it is NASTY.

@Cofftea: Thank you for the information! I’ve always see the 180 degrees for 3 minutes and it wasn’t working for me. It’s nice to know that I should be thinking of this as a range of time and temperature.

Green tea specifics like these have made me a bit more hesitant to try them over something like the blacks and oolongs. :( Well, I’ve got Adagio’s gunpowder on the way, so we’ll see how it works out!

Marlena, I hope the direction that everyone has given you helps you brew up a better cup of this!

The page Auggy has linked you to is right on the money. I’ve found Gyokuro works best if I use approximately two teaspoons of leaves per cup and steep at 55C/130F. It’s a really lovely green tea if you get it right but tastes absolutely foul if you get it wrong.

Well, from what everyone has said, I need to get another sample and keep this page next to me as I brew. It may be a while, as i have a HUGE selection of teas and the DH is complaining, nicely, of course.

Yeah, I think I did it much too hot. Sounds like Japanese greens and Chinese greens are quite different. I like most of the Chinese greens I’ve tried, but I also think I’ve known more by the time I tried them, so I did it better.

@Marlena, try 2tsp in 4oz of water in 160 degree water for 2 min. I’m going to be preparing all of my Japanese greens traditionally from now on, although it’s gonna take some getting used to not drinking 6oz cups. The amount of water varies by type of Japanese green and ranges from 2-8oz.

@Auggy, not according to my Den’s Tea info. Gyokuro is steeped at 160 and Premium Gyokuro is steeped (2 tsp) in 2-3oz of 140 degree water for 2.5 min. I could VERY well be wrong, but I’d think to be called premium it would need to have “premium” in the name. Maybe not.

Dear Everybody. I have some samples from other sources, and I am trying all your methods and I don’t Like it. It’s either bad spinach or, worse – Seaweedy or fishy, both of which I really, really don’t like. I have to say it was much better at the lower temps, but it’s not for me. I don’t like fish or seafood or seaweed at all, so therein is the problem. Oh well