Gyokuro - Adagio Teas

Gyokuro is one tea that many people are passionate about, they either love it or think it's absolutely vile. How do I even begin to describe the taste of gyokuro? It's a bit salty, or 'umami' and many people describe the flavor as grassy, vegetal, or spinachy. I think it tastes a bit like fresh seaweed with a bit of that undescribable rawness of fresh fruits and vegetables. If brewed properly, gyokuro should be slightly astringent and palate cleansing, it should not be bitter! Adagio's gyokuro is not the most flavorful that I have tasted, but it is a nice mild flavorful tea with very little astringency.

Gyokuro is known to be fickle and difficult to brew without the tea turning bitter. I disregarded the brewing times and temperatures given by Adagio on my sample tin and brewed this tea using my preferred method. First I preheat my teapot and cup with some of the boiling water while I wait for the brewing water to cool to the desired temperature. I used water that was about 130 degrees Farenheit which I got by letting a pot of boiling water cool for approximately five minutes. If you're doing this by sensation, the water is just hot enough to be described as hot and not lukewarm. The amount of leaves I used was 1 tablespoon to about 1 cup of water. The leaves were steeped for about 1.5 to 2 minutes and the result was a brilliant lime green cup of tea.

Personally I think this is an okay gyokuro that's a bit bland in comparision to what I'm used to drinking. However, this is a perfect introduction since the flavor is mild enough not to freak out first timers who are uninitiated to the unique and intense flavors of some gyokuro teas. And since this is an expensive green tea, Adagio's sample tins which include enough leaves for 10 cups of tea for $5 allow you to taste this unique tea without a large investment.

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