What Green Are You Drinking

Non-oxidized tea
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d.manuk
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Sun Jul 07, 2019 7:33 am

Jo wrote:
Sat Jul 06, 2019 1:31 pm
Shine Magical wrote:
Sat Jul 06, 2019 9:42 am
I just finished 2x Yamashita's Gyokuro "5 High quality Gyokuro set" from Maiko. I ordered 2 sampler sets because there's only 6g of tea in each baggie.

Overall, I did not enjoy their gyokuro sampler. I have to wonder how old the tea I bought is. It doesn't say on the website.
Wasn't there harvest/expiration date on the packages?
I don’t think so.
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d.manuk
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Sun Jul 07, 2019 7:39 am

Victoria wrote:
Sat Jul 06, 2019 1:16 pm
Shine Magical I just read Maiko’s Gyokuro steeping instructions. They use a lot of leaf to water, 8-10gr just about covered with water (not submerged) and a long steep, like Ippodo does;
“50 degrees celsius pour the water on the tea leaves in the tea pot. The amount of water should be just enough to cover the leaves. Even if it looks like being 'too little' it will be just the right amount. Discard all excessive warm water.
Let the tea infuse for about 2 minutes.
When tea leaves have just begun to open up, the tea is ready to be served.”
Rich.
P.S. maybe someone in Kyoto can get us Ippodo’s special select gyokuro, only available at their main store in October. That is the best gyokuro I have had so far. 🍃.
I've had it before... it was nice and salty :lol:
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Victoria
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Sun Jul 07, 2019 9:00 am

@Shine Magical how did you get a hold of Ippodo’s special gyokuro, since they only sell from main office in Kyoto? Putting feelers out, maybe someone in Kyoto can ship to us as a group :D . Actually maybe a few of us should just write to Ippodo and see if we can pre-order... I’m happy to do that.

The back of your Maiko gyokuro pack say’s to steep at 40 degrees ( 104f ) about human skin, for 2-3minutes. Squeeze to the last drop.
It also says “you can taste deliciously until the 3rd to the 4th anniversary”, i.e. this gyokuro will age nicely. I don’t see a packing date. I really think such a high end gyokuro will require expert skill and care to steep. Would be nice to enjoy with maker in person to see how they steep it 🍃.
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Victoria
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Sun Jul 07, 2019 9:38 am

I just realized Shiboridashi, 絞り出し, means to ‘squeeze out’ :) .
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d.manuk
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Sun Jul 07, 2019 9:52 am

Victoria wrote:
Sun Jul 07, 2019 9:00 am
Shine Magical how did you get a hold of Ippodo’s special gyokuro, since they only sell from main office in Kyoto? Putting feelers out, maybe someone in Kyoto can ship to us as a group :D . Actually maybe a few of us should just write to Ippodo and see if we can pre-order... I’m happy to do that.

The back of your Maiko gyokuro pack say’s to steep at 40 degrees ( 104f ) about human skin, for 2-3minutes. Squeeze to the last drop.
It also says “you can taste deliciously until the 3rd to the 4th anniversary”, i.e. this gyokuro will age nicely. I don’t see a packing date. I really think such a high end gyokuro will require expert skill and care to steep. Would be nice to enjoy with maker in person to see how they steep it 🍃.
I was in Kyoto 2 years ago, I loved Japan can't wait to go back some day.
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Jo
Mrs. Chip
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Sun Jul 07, 2019 1:23 pm

Enjoyed Madoka Yutaka Midori from the O-Cha this hot, humid morning.

Actually our 2nd bag, definately milder than the regular YM. So Chip needs to tinker with the ratio to reve it up a bit. This would be a great tea for someone who finds the standard YM too assertive for their palate.
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pizzapotamus
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Sun Jul 07, 2019 2:15 pm

Victoria wrote:
Sat Jul 06, 2019 1:16 pm
P.S. maybe someone in Kyoto can get us Ippodo’s special select gyokuro, only available at their main store in October. That is the best gyokuro I have had so far. 🍃.
Uhh...I'm actually visiting Kyoto Oct 26-31 so if you're serious I could see what I can do.
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Victoria
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Sun Jul 07, 2019 2:48 pm

pizzapotamus wrote:
Sun Jul 07, 2019 2:15 pm
Victoria wrote:
Sat Jul 06, 2019 1:16 pm
P.S. maybe someone in Kyoto can get us Ippodo’s special select gyokuro, only available at their main store in October. That is the best gyokuro I have had so far. 🍃.
Uhh...I'm actually visiting Kyoto Oct 26-31 so if you're serious I could see what I can do.
Yes serious, they run out fast. Thank you for offering. @pedant was there when they ran out. Was it end of October or November?
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pizzapotamus
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Sun Jul 07, 2019 3:24 pm

Victoria wrote:
Sun Jul 07, 2019 2:48 pm
pizzapotamus wrote:
Sun Jul 07, 2019 2:15 pm
Victoria wrote:
Sat Jul 06, 2019 1:16 pm
P.S. maybe someone in Kyoto can get us Ippodo’s special select gyokuro, only available at their main store in October. That is the best gyokuro I have had so far. 🍃.
Uhh...I'm actually visiting Kyoto Oct 26-31 so if you're serious I could see what I can do.
Yes serious, they run out fast. Thank you for offering. pedant was there when they ran out. Was it end of October or November?
Ah, I did wonder if the end of the month would be a bit late =\ Looks like his visit to Ippodo was earlier in October than I'll be there(I have everyone's travel threads bookmarked in my trip planning folder). Oh well, I imagine Ippodo will be getting a visit no matter what.
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leafmajor
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Mon Jul 08, 2019 11:40 am

First tea of the day is a matcha smoothie bowl. Hibiki-an's house matcha does the trick nicely. Checking on the pu'er today, so much of my actual tea drinking will be focused there.
LuckyMe
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Mon Jul 08, 2019 11:42 am

Bok wrote:
Tue Jun 25, 2019 7:55 pm
LuckyMe wrote:
Tue Jun 25, 2019 1:05 pm
This morning had some Taiwanese Qing Xin early spring green tea. Smell was out of this world, I got a lot of those baozhong aromatics. The taste was kind of a generic green tea flavor though. Green bean and spinach notes, but very thin and lacking depth. Unfortunately, that's the story with all Taiwanese green teas I've tried. Taiwan produces some amazing oolongs but the green tea grown there doesn't quite match up to the tea from Japan and China.
Or you just didn’t have a good one yet...
I’ll take a Taiwan greener Oolongs over Japanese or Chinese any day.

What you describe sounds like low quality, low altitude Taiwan tea. Or it might even be Vietnamese or Thai.
I was referring specifically to Taiwanese green tea, not oolongs. No question their green oolongs are outstanding but the green tea produced there isn't on the same level. I've actually tried quite a few Taiwanese green teas from different vendors, all sourced directly from Taiwan. None of them blow me away. But that's fine, it's not a specialty in Taiwan and their green tea production is fairly recent anyway. I'm sure in time it will improve as it matures.

Incidentally, the Ito-En bottled green teas from Japan are actually produced in Taiwan. So maybe there is good quality green tea to be had there :)
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Bok
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Mon Jul 08, 2019 7:44 pm

@LuckyMe agreed, Taiwanese green teas are mostly bland and usually end up as cold brew if I get gifted one. I would never buy them.

I don’t care much for green in general, but if so then Chinese green please.
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leafmajor
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Fri Jul 12, 2019 2:37 pm

Since it's Friday, I'm trying a couple single cultivar senchas from Thes du Japon. Florent's brewing is too strong for me so I'm using more water(180ml instead of 70) and that seems to suit me well.
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debunix
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Sun Jul 14, 2019 9:52 am

Bok wrote:
Mon Jul 08, 2019 7:44 pm
@LuckyMe agreed, Taiwanese green teas are mostly bland and usually end up as cold brew if I get gifted one. I would never buy them.
I had at least one purchased from Norbu in 2012 that was quite lovely and I'd buy again in a minute, 'Nantou spring tips'. With all the fine tea grown in Taiwan, I think there must be some fine greens from small producers that just don't make it out to the wider market.

Today, I'm enjoying another session with Spring Sun sencha from Obubu. This packet got brought to work to share and then slipped down between others in the tea drawer so it's lost a little of the floral sweetness but it's still pleasingly vegetal. Brewing up in the Yamada Sou blue kyusu and drinking from the blue yunomi.

(Still no hint of any off scent or flavor from the lovely deep blue cup, as was being discussed elsewhere).
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Victoria
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Sun Jul 14, 2019 11:19 am

@debunix I’ve been admiring Sou’s blue yunomi, is as it light and thin as it appears in photos ? They also look beautiful to handle.

Interesting, I haven’t had any green teas from Taiwan, just the spectrum of oolong and blacks. I’m thinking as a result of the Japanese occupation from 1895-1945, and their suppression of green tea production from that time, culturally a silent self-imposed restriction was set in place.
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