Japan Obubu Heavenly Drop Gyokuro Green Tea

Tea type
Green Tea
Ingredients
Green Tea
Flavors
Creamy, Floral, Grassy, Melon, Nuts, Peas, Pollen, Sweet, Warm Grass, Umami, Green, Smooth, Thick, Sweet
Sold in
Loose Leaf
Caffeine
Not available
Certification
Not available
Edit tea info Last updated by eastkyteaguy
Average preparation
155 °F / 68 °C 1 min, 0 sec 6 g 4 oz / 105 ml

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3 Tasting Notes View all

  • “This tea is so fancy – probably too fancy for how often it became a side for Japanese takeout in the last two years. To taste it’s like matcha but without the prep (and the additional caffeine) and...” Read full tasting note
    92
  • “May 2021 harvest. I cannot easily understand gyokuro. Same deal with matcha. Lack of familiarity. If Marsh P’s and Obubu’s/What-Cha’s tasting notes weren’t there, I’d say it tastes like...” Read full tasting note
  • “I finally cracked how to brew Sencha right, so I thought it was time to try Gyokuro. I like it, but it’s as different from Chinese greens as you can get. Good though, really good.” Read full tasting note
    70

From What-Cha

An incredibly smooth tea with a lovely thick texture, possessing a brilliant umami taste combined with a gentle sweetness with fruity melon notes.

Obubu’s higest grades of sencha produced by shading the tea plants for three weeks prior to picking the tea leaves.

Tasting Notes:
- Smooth creamy texture
- Thick umami taste with a gentle fruity melon sweetness
- No astringency

Harvest: Spring, May 2021

Steamed: Light (Asamushi)

Origin: Kyoto Obubu Tea Farm, Wazuka, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan
Altitude: 0-500m
Cultivar: Gokou
Farmer: Akihiro “Akky” Kita
Sourced: Direct from the farmer
Percentage of price going back to the farmer: 35%+

Brewing Advice:
- Heat water to roughly 60°C/140°F
- Use 3-4 teaspoons per cup/small teapot
- Brew for 60-90 seconds

Packaging: Resealable ziplock bag

About What-Cha View company

Company description not available.

3 Tasting Notes

92
1429 tasting notes

This tea is so fancy – probably too fancy for how often it became a side for Japanese takeout in the last two years. To taste it’s like matcha but without the prep (and the additional caffeine) and that makes it golden in my books.

It contains notes of bright verdant grass, creamy nut milk, sweet snowpeas, powdery flower pollen, and a hint of melon – all things I barely register when I’m chowing down on toro nigiri. I’m glad I’m taking the time to savour this “farewell” cup though. It’s a gem.

Steep Count: 3

Flavors: Creamy, Floral, Grassy, Melon, Nuts, Peas, Pollen, Sweet, Warm Grass, Umami

Preparation
155 °F / 68 °C 1 min, 0 sec

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1557 tasting notes

May 2021 harvest.

I cannot easily understand gyokuro. Same deal with matcha. Lack of familiarity. If Marsh P’s and Obubu’s/What-Cha’s tasting notes weren’t there, I’d say it tastes like chlorophyll. But I can see the peas and melon and umami. More sweetish pea forward than fruity or umami. So… cholorophyll. Last few steeps bring light notes of dry flowers and like nut skins/brazil nuts. I will say it doesn’t have the 我不知道什么 (that’s me practicing Mandarin) of Chinese green teas. Too mellow? I do feel wonderful after drinking this in the morning.

I have no idea what I’m supposed to do to brew gyokuro. Willful ignorance, mostly because I don’t own the proper teaware. Into the Taiwanese black clay teapot it goes. No transferring of water from pot to cup to pot to whatever, just pour 160F water onto leaf in pot, steep till it feels right, pour through a strainer, peel back the layer of mushy leaf from the drain holes, lick the leaf off my finger and refill the pot.

Flavors: Floral, Green, Melon, Nuts, Peas, Smooth, Sweet, Warm Grass, Thick, Umami

Preparation
4 g 4 OZ / 110 ML
Cameron B.

I don’t have a ton of experience with gyokuro either. The recommendations I’ve seem were very low and slow, like 140 degrees for 90 seconds or so.

derk

Thank you for the pointer. Next time I brew a gyokuro, I will somewhat follow the recommendations you’ve seen (meaning I have a kettle that doesn’t go below 160F, so I’ll have to estimate). I used 160F, with the first steep being around a minute every time. Each subsequent steep received the same temp but longer infusions and as much untimed as the first. This gyokuro took my treatment just fine and didn’t, with my limited knowledge of the tea, expose any flaws.

Crowkettle

Due to imprecise kettle heating/temp measurement at my place (lowest setting is 175F), I’ve found gyokuro can handle a bit warmer than the 140-160F range suggested, but I do try to adjust the steep times and leafing (wing it 15-45s depending). I can often drag sessions out for a lot of cups. Imho it’s a pretty forgiving tea type.

I’m not super knowledgeable about them either, but try not to overthink these fancy guys. I just know they often provide me with some of my “matcha flavour” fix (on resteep repeat) without me having to going to the effort of whisking! :)

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70
35 tasting notes

I finally cracked how to brew Sencha right, so I thought it was time to try Gyokuro. I like it, but it’s as different from Chinese greens as you can get. Good though, really good.

Flavors: Melon, Peas, Sweet, Thick, Umami

Preparation
155 °F / 68 °C 1 min, 0 sec 8 g 3 OZ / 100 ML

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