Gyokuro Imperial

I never knew a straight green could taste this complex! It is very mild and smooth and almost floral.

This is the first Gyokuro tea that started my addiction to Gyokruo.

Its a little rough and has gone down in quality, despite its increase in price.
Uneven tone in leaves, a bit choppy and not as lusterous as perhaps 2008.

Brew is pale yellow to bright green depending on preparation.
Take care in brewing the second infusion, as tea leaves have already unfurled and will steep faster.

Do not be misguided, this is not near the creme de la creme in the world of Gyokuro.

I was very surprised at the subtle flavour of this tea. I steeped it for 50 seconds, and it was not bitter but had a light grassy taste to it. It was very nice.

It takes almost exactly like Dragonwell, but better. It has an even sweeter aftertaste. Love. Dragonwell is half the price of Gyokuro though…

I’ve only had this tea prepared as per the recommendation of Teavana, which is steeped for 45 seconds in 175F water. After reading some of the reviews of other Steepsters, I think I’m going to try it for 2 minutes, especially in the morning as a replacement for my morning coffee.

Yes, when I first sampled this coffee, it definitely reminded me of fresh cut grass. I actually thought that was an indication of poor quality. But to the contrary, this tea has become my favorite green tea thus far. I’ve only had it by itself, but I think it would complement a dim sum dish very nicely.

It is pricey, but one of the more flavorful and authentic green teas that are available through the Teavana brand.

I’m rather new to the green tea scene, but I know that this tea blew me away. If brewed with care, this tea has this incredible vegetal taste that is not overpowering but actually pretty smooth. The leaves are this beautiful dark green color that leave the tea almost a vibrant greenish-yellow. It is good with rock sugar but I prefer it with Teavana’s Organic Volcano White Honey. I also like it hot or iced. I haven’t had the heart to try it blended with other types of tea since I enjoy it so much alone, but I bet it would make interesting blends. Despite the higher price tag, I’ve been able to re-use the tea 3 times, with later steeps tasting better than the first.

The aroma of the leaf in the tin is vegtal, but also rich, almost buttery. It yields a mild cup that is green, but not the professed emerald green on the label (which I have seen in other brands). It is gentle and grassy on the first infusion, and sweeter on the second.

The brewing instructions on my package called for 175 degrees for 30-45 seconds, however, I found the resulting infusion too weak, and increased the time to 90 seconds, which was sufficient without any trace of bitterness.

Hands down the best green tea I’ve had. Light and grassy and not at all bitter (as long as it gets only a quick steep, that is). I’m definitely partial to Japanese greens, but suspect this would be well liked by anyone who enjoys green tea in general.

I love the gentle taste of this tea. One of the best tasting teas I have had.

Best green tea I have ever tasted! This is naturally sweet with a great grassy bite to it and a smoothness that is just wonderful. The smell alone makes me happy! Absolutely a must for everyone. I find this tea usually makes people fall in love with the Japanese greens. Can be re-infused.

Pretty good cup of tea…sweet and vegetal flavor, but I believe I might have steeped it a little long because there were hints of bitterness towards the middle and end. Still a really good tea. Need to try more variety though

I agree with most of the other ratings. I found anything less than a level teaspoon per cup at 165 degrees for 45-60 seconds is too weak for my tastes. I would prefer a greener color to the brewed tea; the color is more yellow than green. I like the quality of second infusions, but not thirds, which are pale and flavorless.

I have not made this tea at home, but when I visit my local Teavana store I have them prepare me this tea iced with a pear flavour shot in it. Very refreshing. I like grassy flavoured teas so eventually I may purchase this myself…though it is a bit pricey at $17 per 50g!

I’m a green tea lover and this certainly has it’s own flavor. As others mentioned it’s “vegetabley” and “grassy”. I steeped too long first try and it was way too strong. Handles multiple steeps very well for me.

I haven’t had a green tea in a long time. this one has renewed my appeal to green tea. it’s subtle in it’s grassy taste which is usually a turnoff in other brands. it goes down very smooth with an almost buttery taste though without a whole lot of aftertaste. I find this to be a very solid green tea that I would probably buy again.

This is an exceptional tea , my favorite among straight green teas. Has a bold oceanic flavor with sweet aftertaste. Awesome for multiple infusions !

Love it! Holds up well for 3-4 steeps and has a really nice flavor.

The first time I tried it I steeped it for too long. And of course I could barely get it down. After properly steeping it, I’ve learned to love it. However, I’m more inclined to blend it with another tea than drinking it by itself.

A good solid Gyokuro. Not as good as some but it did fulfill the promise of that earthy green flavor I was looking for. I told them to steep it two mins though because they definitely under steep in my opinion which robs you of the full bodied pleasure of this tea. In a word, gyokuro tastes ‘healthy’ to me and I feel healthy after drinking it.

i tried steeping this tea with a cold 5 minute infusion first… interesting because after the first cold infusion you mainly get the grassy notes off the top of the tea, and because the leaves are slightly chilled it becomes harder to over steep it allowing more flavors to come through without bitterness in the later infusions..

over all very “dewy” almost get notes of melons or cantaloupe.

this is my go to morning tea.. it is amazing!

first cold infusion- 5 minutes
2nd hot 175 degrees- 25 seconds
3rd 35-45 seconds