Gyokuro recommendations

[leafmajor]

I'm specifically looking for energy/focus without harsh caffeine side effects. Matcha and gyokuro seem to do that for me.

I find shaded Japanese teas especially calming and usually turn to gyokuro mecha (made from the the buds separated during gyokuro processing) or konacha(made up of small bits of leaves filtered out during gyokuro processing) to get that effect at a reasonable enough price to drink daily. Yunomi.life sells a good mecha from Nakamura-en, which I prefer at the moment. Konacha is easier to find, in my experience. Fewer steeps than the gyokuro proper and turns bitter more easily when the water's too hot but does the trick nicely when looking for something more than an occasional treat.

[Janice]

This is one of my favorite gyokuros, and in 2018 it was economical enough, around $25 for 100 grams, to be an everyday gyro. The 2018 harvest is sold out and I’m hoping the 2019 harvest will be as good.

https://www.thes-du-japon.com/index.php ... cts_id=515

[t-curious]

I'm specifically looking for energy/focus without harsh caffeine side effects. Matcha and gyokuro seem to do that for me.

I find shaded Japanese teas especially calming and usually turn to gyokuro mecha (made from the the buds separated during gyokuro processing) or konacha(made up of small bits of leaves filtered out during gyokuro processing) to get that effect at a reasonable enough price to drink daily. Yunomi.life sells a good mecha from Nakamura-en, which I prefer at the moment. Konacha is easier to find, in my experience. Fewer steeps than the gyokuro proper and turns bitter more easily when the water's too hot but does the trick nicely when looking for something more than an occasional treat.

Thanks for the tips @leafmajor

[t-curious]

This is one of my favorite gyokuros, and in 2018 it was economical enough, around $25 for 100 grams, to be an everyday gyro. The 2018 harvest is sold out and I’m hoping the 2019 harvest will be as good.

https://www.thes-du-japon.com/index.php ... cts_id=515

I will keep an eye out for this. Thanks @Janice

[t-curious]

Yes for energy/focus Matcha is very effective. Zen Buddhist monks use Matcha to extend their meditative practice so they don’t fall asleep. In my experience Gyokuro is calmer though, probably because it goes through additional processing steps and storage.

I realize you were also asking about inexpensive Gyokuro which I can’t recommend, it’s kind of like asking for an inexpensive Leica. A lot more work and time goes into growing and producing Gyokuro; selection of seed and cultivar, extra fertilizer, 20-30+ day shading, hand harvesting of first flush young buds, very careful steaming and hand kneading, crumpling, drying and sorting of leaves with results in Aracha, drying again and sorting into Tencha (Tencha is used to make Matcha). At this point in the process additional hand sorting and rolling of leaves is done with only the finest grade selected to make Gyokuro. The leaves are dried one more time to enhance flavor and extend storage. In the final stage the needles are aged for 2-3+months in cool storage, it is now called Gyokuro. A lot of skill and dedication goes into making Gyokuro.

An alternative, which is delicious in its own right, is Kabuse Sencha. It is also shaded, but for two weeks, and doesn’t go through additional fine tuning of sorting, drying and storage of Gyokuro so is a more affordable option. This is what I have been enjoying for the past few weeks, an award winning Kabusencha by Birouen Tea House. I like it so much that I bought the last two bags. This company Kagoshima Seicha produces other high quality Japanese teas although availability outside of Japan is limited.

Thanks for the info @Victoria and sources. I have so much to learn about Japanese tea!

[Baisao]

I realize you were also asking about inexpensive Gyokuro which I can’t recommend, it’s kind of like asking for an inexpensive Leica.

I love this analogy. A great gyokuro or matcha is also like a Leica in that there is nothing else quite like it. Elegant and sublime without being ostentatious. It takes someone with knowledge to truly appreciate what's not there.

[debunix]

I have not had enough of different gyokuros to say that the O-Cha Uji gyokuro Gyokuho ($35/100) is great, but I've loved it, and been missing it, and soon will be ordering more. It's forgiving, delicious, slightly floral, quite vegetal, and not super high umami--which is what I prefer. It keeps me happy when I want that extra richness from gyokuro.

I've also enjoyed Gyokuro Kin from Dens Tea, $14/56g.

[Jo]

I have not had enough of different gyokuros to say that the O-Cha Uji gyokuro Gyokuho ($35/100) is great, but I've loved it, and been missing it, and soon will be ordering more. It's forgiving, delicious, slightly floral, quite vegetal, and not super high umami--which is what I prefer. It keeps me happy when I want that extra richness from gyokuro.

I've also enjoyed Gyokuro Kin from Dens Tea, $14/56g.

great choice from the O-Cha

[t-curious]

I have not had enough of different gyokuros to say that the O-Cha Uji gyokuro Gyokuho ($35/100) is great, but I've loved it, and been missing it, and soon will be ordering more. It's forgiving, delicious, slightly floral, quite vegetal, and not super high umami--which is what I prefer. It keeps me happy when I want that extra richness from gyokuro.

I've also enjoyed Gyokuro Kin from Dens Tea, $14/56g.

Thanks for the recommendations @debunix

BTW, I was a linux sysadmin for 18 years. I started with Debian. If that's what "debunix" stands for...

[debunix]

BTW, I was a linux sysadmin for 18 years. I started with Debian. If that's what "debunix" stands for...

My initials plus Unix. I've been using it since my first computer account training in 1980-something, and it's odd enough that I've never had a 'account with that name already exists' problem.

[Baiyun]

Hello Japanese tea experts, I am reviving this thread hoping for a good quality 2023 Gyokuro vendor recommendation. Happy to order from Japan.

[DigitalSparks]

I picked up 100g of this last December and it's likely the best gyokuro I have had yet. I'm not sure what price point you're looking for.

https://shop.ikkyu-tea.com/collections/ ... kuro-box-i

[Victoria]

Hello Japanese tea experts, I am reviving this thread hoping for a good quality 2023 Gyokuro vendor recommendation. Happy to order from Japan.

It’s only early August now. Gyokuro is aged in cool storage 3-6-12 months so typically new iterations are sold after September, into the following year. Reading through this thread and Green Tea forum will have highlights from years past. I have found Gyokuro to be consistent in quality with vendors I frequent and post about .

[Baisao]

Hello Japanese tea experts, I am reviving this thread hoping for a good quality 2023 Gyokuro vendor recommendation. Happy to order from Japan.

Thés du Japon has impressed me more than others for all Japanese teas.

[Baiyun]

Thank you all, I will dive into some previous impressions shared on here to educate myself a bit.

@Baisao that probably suits me well as a first stop because I am eyeing some tea were from that site!