Gyokuro Ureshinocha

The steeping instructions suggest 1-1.5 tsp per 8oz, 175F/80C water, 1.5-2min steep time. This is less tea and a much hotter water temperature than what I found when I went looking online for gyokuro steeping instructions! So, I went with 1.5 tsp, 8-10oz water, I overcooled the water a bit, so the final steeping temperature was around 70C (which was fine with me, that high temp was making me nervous), and did a 1.5min steep to start, 2min for the second. This actually turned out really well – it’s a nice, savoury, vegetal tea, tastes very green and spinachy, with just a bit of not-unpleasant bitterness and astringency. I notice that there’s some tea dust in the bottom of my cup, small enough to escape my mesh strainer, so that might be part of why it got a bit bitter near the end of the cup. Either way, I’ve decided I like gyokuro, and look forward to experimenting with different ways of steeping it.

I usually append my second infusion observations at the bottom of the first infusion tasting note, but I feel compelled in this case to honor Tealux Gyokuro Ureshinocha with a separate second infusion tasting note. Why? Because it is totally delicious and better than most first infusions!

I got the brew right this time: short steep using 73C water. The resultant liquor is an exquisite green—the greener the better, in my view—with a bit of the hazy iridescence characteristic of excellent steamed Japanese teas. The taste is superb: smooth and slightly sweet but also steamed green vegetable. Not a trace of bitterness (as I encountered when I oversteeped the first infusion earlier today). Yum.

With a second infusion this excellent, I’ll have to try a third!

Very similar to the Gyokuro Premier and has the standard spinachy flavour of Gyokuro. Has a slightly citrus/fruity like smell. Steeped 3 times.