Gyokuro Yamashiro

More expensive than I’m used to for tea, but worth the price. Hard to beat this for straight green tea.

This was free sample #3 from my most recent order, so I was hoping it would go over a LOT better than the other two samples that I couldn’t even finish.

And…already off on a bad foot (by no fault of the tea and all the fault of the tea maker). I over-steeped by 2 or 3 minutes. So this tea is already bitter right out of the gate. Ugh. I can’t believe I did something so dumb. YOU HAD ONE JOB, SELF.

So this rating is me removing the bitterness in my mind and working with the rest of the flavours. And you know what? I like it. I don’t know if I would buy it because I hardly ever drink un-flavoured teas anymore. But if I was going to? I’d buy a bunch of it (and pay attention when I was steeping it next time!). It definitely has buttery undertones to it, and tastes like a vegetable smoothie in a cup. I guess that sounds rather unappetizing, but to me it was actually really good.

I would definitely get another sample-sized bag of this to try again if I ever had the opportunity. Based on the other reviews I’m really missing out on the full flavour of the cup by not having steeped properly.

Good, but too light for my taste. I will try again with more tea in the cup! I think I prefer the Sencha to this one.

I did a second infusion for another minute and about a half teaspoon more of tea. The flavour was a bit stronger and more pleasant, but I still liked the Sencha more. Will happily finish the bag though!

A re-review of this tea

I used to think this was the best green tea ever; now after having some tea from Verdant the bar has been truly raised and my opinion changed. Gyokuro Yamishiro is buttery and vegetal, but not nearly as Mrs. Li’s Shi Feng Dragonwell. Unlike Mrs. Li’s tea, this tea is unfortunately very temperamental , needing the lowest temperature on my kettle (160F) and even then you need to be very careful of the measurement of the leaf and steeping time, lest you get a bitter cup. I do not like greens that are prone to bitterness, and unfortunately because Gyokuro Yamishiro is broken leaves (not whole), that is the case.

Do I still enjoy this tea? Yes, when brewed carefully. Is it the best green tea I’ve ever had? Nope. Is it worth the price? Not in my opinion. For a few dollars more I’d rather buy stuff from Verdant, even with the wait time and exchange rate. For that reason the only “premium” tea from DAVIDs I’m interested in is Butterfly Jasmine. That tea is a work of art.

A very smooth green tea. I’m not usually a green tea person, but this one does not taste grassy at all. A creamy, almost buttery tasting blend with a soft golden hue. Deelish!

perfect.

Sample received with my last order. The leafs are so beautiful, dark green (but I must confess I though of fresh cutted lawn at first look…)

Dry smell : Awesomely fresh and green, and I can even smell a touch of butter.
Once steeped, it keeps the same wonderful smell.

The taste : OMG! This is it! The same heavenly taste of my sushis restaurant’s tea. My water was to hot so it is a little bitter, but I’m sure the 2nd steep will be perfect. I had some japan green tea before, but cannot stand them (except the one at the sushi rest.), so I usually turning myself to chinese green tea. But this one… This one is THE thing! Probably the butter taste makes all the difference. I did not give it a perfect score only because this one is not organic…

Buttery, green, and a sweet vegetal taste like no other.

My absolute favorite tea, it’s taste is awesome: it tastes extremely buttery.