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Gyokuro Asahi Rare Green Tea from Teaflection

Steepster Score 2 Ratings Rate This Tea

78/100

Gyokuro Asahi Rare Green Tea

Green Tea by Teaflection

Gyokuro green tea is considered the finest green tea in Japan. It is only made from the youngest buds of the spring harvest and then undergoes a rigorous preparation process.

The tea plants that Gyokuro comes from are covered in 90% shade for twenty days before harvesting, reducing the amount of chlorophyll the plant produces and changing the ratio of chemicals in the leaves, dramatically impacting the flavor and aroma of the tea.

After the tea is harvested it is steamed, rolled, air-dried, and rolled again. The tea is then sorted by grade: the best leaves are selected for Gyokuro. The leaves undergo more rolling and drying, until they eventually take their end form, resembling small thin pine needles.

3 Tasting Notes

Shinobi_cha
82
Shinobi_cha 2 tasting notes

(See also: http://steepster.com/Shinobicha/posts/74607)
Geoff sent me a large amount of this back in March (something like 3-4oz!).
Thanks!

While I wouldn’t have even thought to look at a company called “CoffeeAM” for green tea, much less hand-picked Gyokuro, this stuff is pretty good!

The wet leaf has a very nice aroma, and when brewed cold reminded me a little of a green, fruit-like Tie Gwan Yin. Of course the typical strong sweetness, followed by a little umami is present, but it isn’t really vegetal or bitter at all. Intense, sweet, and hints of fruit are what this gives.

Not one I would have sought out, but I’m glad to have it. I have yet to try their recommendation of just 100 degrees for 3 minutes, but I will have to test it out.

2011-04-26 20:30:27 -0400
140 °F / 60 °C
2 min 0 sec
0 comments

(See also http://steepster.com/teas/coffeeam/18137-gyokuro-asahi?post=75734)
I finally finished this one up, and I finally realized something unique, possibly strange, about it. It is astringent! Now, I’ve read (and it’s usually matched my limited experience) that because gyokuro is shaded, it’s usually not astringent. However, the astringency of this gyokuro is not unpleasant, just not what I expected.

However, this tea does have a very nice sweetness in the throat that becomes much more pronounced once your mouth is empty. It remains a couple minutes even after the cup is finished. That is the nicest thing about this tea, since I don’t think the flavors were well-balanced, nor was it smooth or deliciously sweet. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a pretty good tea actually, but I’d say this is middle-end for quality.

2011-05-07 17:23:38 -0400
140 °F / 60 °C
2 min 15 sec
0 comments
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Geoffrey Norman
81
Geoffrey Norman

This is a very good – if very picky – green tea. By picky, I mean it requires a specific brewing time and temp to be very good. Some of that can be palate-specific and subjective. Brewed at the time and temp suggested on the Teaflection site lends a very chestnutty and vegetal brew. I softened it a bit, but liked it both ways.

Full Review: http://www.teaviews.com/2010/12/13/review-teaflection-gyokuro-asahi-rare-green-tea/

2010-10-23 15:19:22 -0400
165 °F / 73 °C
1 min 30 sec
2 comments

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