TeaForum.org

Hello.
China green: Lu Xue Ya
Teaware: Yixing pot, Huaning pitcher, cup is typical traditional Slovak ceramics

Great tea... distinctive flavour, not rough but mild and strong. Taste is grassy, smooth, sweet, but not sencha grassy type. I am sorry I can not express taste more precisely because of my poor English.

This tea is worth of try

pepson wrote: ↑

Mon Mar 20, 2023 10:43 am

Tea looks really neat in that pitcher!

teatray wrote: ↑

Mon Mar 20, 2023 10:59 am

pepson wrote: ↑

Mon Mar 20, 2023 10:43 am

Tea looks really neat in that pitcher!

Yes. There is nice contrast between blue pitcher and tea

I’ve been enjoying Ippodo’s Premium Gyokuro that is a limited production in the morning, and their Hojicha late in the evening after dinner. Highly recommend both. This gyokuro is a somewhat different from the premium we ran our Inaugural Tasting and Special Offer: Ippodo Tokusen Gyokuro 2020 with, it is milder and aged longer. The Hojicha is the best I’ve had with wonderful rich, roasted sweet nutty notes, and stands up as an after dinner tea that will not keep you up all night.

I’m exploring Hojicha if anyone has any other recommendations. I tried a few (Maeda-en, Yamamotoyama Hojicha) from my local Los Angeles Japanese markets, but they were dust compared to Ippodo’s rich complex brew. Let me know if you have any recommendations. I’m also going to roast some sencha I have and see how that goes, but it won’t have the twigs and lower caffein content found in later harvest.

Currently I'm drinking an order I just got from Hibiki-an. I've had a fair amount of different sencha, but only one other experience with gyokuro and it was just mecha. I've been fairly interested in exploring gyokuro more in depth.

I'd also like to note that I just got a Tiny Tokoname Kyusu from Tezumi for the sole purpose of drinking more Japanese tea. It's fantastic. Might be too small for some people, but for me personally I like to savor good tea in small amounts to make it more cost effective.

I got the gyokuro premium because it seemed like a good value. I know it's probably not the best idea to cheap out on this type of tea, but for the money I'd say it's pretty darn good. I'll probably use this as my baseline for comparison.

I'm interested in trying more and right now I have my eyes on Ippodo because they seem to be the best USA store that I can find. Open to other suggestions as well. Mainly looking for something that's more of what you'd expect from the tea traditionally. Not really looking for unique finds at the moment.

Randy the Intern wrote: ↑

Tue Mar 21, 2023 11:45 am

Currently I'm drinking an order I just got from Hibiki-an. I've had a fair amount of different sencha, but only one other experience with gyokuro and it was just mecha. I've been fairly interested in exploring gyokuro more in depth.

I'd also like to note that I just got a Tiny Tokoname Kyusu from Tezumi for the sole purpose of drinking more Japanese tea. It's fantastic. Might be too small for some people, but for me personally I like to savor good tea in small amounts to make it more cost effective.

I got the gyokuro premium because it seemed like a good value. I know it's probably not the best idea to cheap out on this type of tea, but for the money I'd say it's pretty darn good. I'll probably use this as my baseline for comparison.

I'm interested in trying more and right now I have my eyes on Ippodo because they seem to be the best USA store that I can find. Open to other suggestions as well. Mainly looking for something that's more of what you'd expect from the tea traditionally. Not really looking for unique finds at the moment.

Not an expert, not even an avid drinker--I do enjoy it but realized I also grow tired of it quickly. I like my sencha in tokoname, but with gyokuro I found it steals some of the best flavor notes. I get both more depth and more high notes in a small porcelain pot. Might be worth testing side-by-side?

Re Ippodo, suggest comparing prices in the global Japanese site (global.ippodo-tea.co.jp) vs the US site (ippodotea.com). IIRC, you usually get a better deal when buying from JP, but I'm not in the US, YMMV.

I've recently purchased from a few vendors, but most of the bags went unopened to my father (who likes how it keeps him awake & aware without side-effects).

• Marukyu Koyamaen - I found the top-shelf stuff pretty good (Chitose no homare); acc/to my father Hisa homare is also good but not the mid/cheap range. (company shop offers good prices/shipping: https://www.marukyu-koyamaen.co.jp/engl ... a/gyokuro/).
• Maiko - Didn't try, but my father liked their top-of-the-line offering, Yashiki no Cha, while also enjoying the mid-range Nan-Zen (10x cheaper)
• Thes du Japon - single origin, feel a bit one-dimensional to me but I've only tried 2 or so (and nothing stops you from blending yourself). My father enjoyed several and felt the price/quality was very good [fill your cart then switch to Japanese to pay in JPY for the best prices]
• Hojo - tried only 1 single origin as an iced tea (Hon Yama Hebizuka Gyokuro: not bad, not great) but I bet his selection includes some pretty good/interesting ones, judging from other teas

teatray wrote: ↑

Tue Mar 21, 2023 1:53 pm

Randy the Intern wrote: ↑

Tue Mar 21, 2023 11:45 am

Currently I'm drinking an order I just got from Hibiki-an. I've had a fair amount of different sencha, but only one other experience with gyokuro and it was just mecha. I've been fairly interested in exploring gyokuro more in depth.

I'd also like to note that I just got a Tiny Tokoname Kyusu from Tezumi for the sole purpose of drinking more Japanese tea. It's fantastic. Might be too small for some people, but for me personally I like to savor good tea in small amounts to make it more cost effective.

I got the gyokuro premium because it seemed like a good value. I know it's probably not the best idea to cheap out on this type of tea, but for the money I'd say it's pretty darn good. I'll probably use this as my baseline for comparison.

I'm interested in trying more and right now I have my eyes on Ippodo because they seem to be the best USA store that I can find. Open to other suggestions as well. Mainly looking for something that's more of what you'd expect from the tea traditionally. Not really looking for unique finds at the moment.

Not an expert, not even an avid drinker--I do enjoy it but realized I also grow tired of it quickly. I like my sencha in tokoname, but with gyokuro I found it steals some of the best flavor notes. I get both more depth and more high notes in a small porcelain pot. Might be worth testing side-by-side?

Re Ippodo, suggest comparing prices in the global Japanese site (global.ippodo-tea.co.jp) vs the US site (ippodotea.com). IIRC, you usually get a better deal when buying from JP, but I'm not in the US, YMMV.

I've recently purchased from a few vendors, but most of the bags went unopened to my father (who likes how it keeps him awake & aware without side-effects).

• Marukyu Koyamaen - I found the top-shelf stuff pretty good (Chitose no homare); acc/to my father Hisa homare is also good but not the mid/cheap range. (company shop offers good prices/shipping: https://www.marukyu-koyamaen.co.jp/engl ... a/gyokuro/).
• Maiko - Didn't try, but my father liked their top-of-the-line offering, Yashiki no Cha, while also enjoying the mid-range Nan-Zen (10x cheaper)
• Thes du Japon - single origin, feel a bit one-dimensional to me but I've only tried 2 or so (and nothing stops you from blending yourself). My father enjoyed several and felt the price/quality was very good [fill your cart then switch to Japanese to pay in JPY for the best prices]
• Hojo - tried only 1 single origin as an iced tea (Hon Yama Hebizuka Gyokuro: not bad, not great) but I bet his selection includes some pretty good/interesting ones, judging from other teas

Thanks for the suggestions.

I've had Matcha and Shincha from Marukyu Koyamaen in the past. It was without a doubt the best matcha I ever had (even next to Ippodos). The shincha was so good for 1 infusion. The first infusion would hit the highest high note I've ever gotten from sencha, but all the infusions after that were dog water. Like really bad. Ater that experience I've seen many on here suggest that shincha is basically a meme and just not worth it. I was curious what their gyokuro and regular sencha were like, but I feel like I never see many mentions of them made on here. I'd be happy to order from them again in this case because I know their quality is good for the most part.

I've had matcha from Maiko. It was one of their cheapest ones, but it was still pretty decent for what I paid. Never had their loose leaf.

Thes du Japon I see mentioned on here countless times. But I have no clue what to get from them. They offer so many varieties of region and cultivar specific pickings and I don't have enough depth of experience to choose. Seems more like the end of the rabbit hole of Japanese tea to me. Would be happier to order from them if I had any clue what I actually liked.

I've browsed Hojos selection several times, but I've never had his tea. Probably would have pulled the trigger on something already if he had a formal online store. The whole email process with him takes away my ability to make impulse purchases.

Randy the Intern wrote: ↑

Tue Mar 21, 2023 11:45 am

I'm interested in trying more and right now I have my eyes on Ippodo because they seem to be the best USA store that I can find. Open to other suggestions as well. Mainly looking for something that's more of what you'd expect from the tea traditionally. Not really looking for unique finds at the moment.

Nice filter on that Tokoname kyusu, I bet the pour is fast and smooth. Ippodo’s Premium gyokuro is a very good traditional bench mark to compare other gyokuro off of. Order asap because this is a limited production and will run out fast. Like @teatray suggested, I order from global Kyoto shop, rather than NYC shop, because prices are cheaper (even though shipping is higher).
O-cha has reliably good gyokuro especially Limited Offers and Tusen’s gyokuros - Yume no Ukihashi, Fujitsubo, and other gyokuro like Okabe Shizuoka.
Maiko: Yamashita's Gyokuro "5 High quality Gyokuro set" -Nomigoro, Shuppin Gyokuro, Yamashita Jirushi
I’m sure Thes-du Japon has good gyokuro, I just haven’t had any I can recommend yet.

Randy the Intern wrote: ↑

Tue Mar 21, 2023 2:46 pm

I've had Matcha and Shincha from Marukyu Koyamaen in the past. It was without a doubt the best matcha I ever had (even next to Ippodos). The shincha was so good for 1 infusion. The first infusion would hit the highest high note I've ever gotten from sencha, but all the infusions after that were dog water. Like really bad. Ater that experience I've seen many on here suggest that shincha is basically a meme and just not worth it. I was curious what their gyokuro and regular sencha were like, but I feel like I never see many mentions of them made on here. I'd be happy to order from them again in this case because I know their quality is good for the most part.

I've tried a few M-K sencha and kabusecha and wasn't impressed. I have a suspicion that only the few highest-priced products per category are really good, but the price/quality ratio for them is not that great. Maybe it's different with matcha where they seem to have a strong reputation (or do they in Japan? not sure, but int'ly they seem widely stocked and recommended). BTW I do like shincha, even if people scoff at it, I like the freshness. The ones I've tried did make more than 1 good steep.

Thes du Japon I see mentioned on here countless times. But I have no clue what to get from them. They offer so many varieties of region and cultivar specific pickings and I don't have enough depth of experience to choose.

Most of their gyokuro is so well-priced in comparison to top-shelf JP vendor cans, it probably makes sense to just try some, esp. if you also feel like exploring their sencha.

Brewing some yunnan craft greens pitcher style

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CqEIEjDu ... MyMTA2M2Y=

LeoFox wrote: ↑

Tue Mar 21, 2023 3:42 pm

Brewing some yunnan craft greens pitcher style

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CqEIEjDu ... MyMTA2M2Y=

I've asked for recommendations from this vendor. Hopefully he'll be able to direct me to greens that aren't too bitter or vegetal. I find that bowl or pitcher steeping cuts down on the bitterness compared to steeping gongfu.

Does anyone have a good source for Anji Bai Cha, Bi Luo Chun, or Dragonwell (though that tends to be pricy)? I don't need the pre-Qingming stuff, just some nice green tea to throw in a cup as the weather gets warmer.

GaoShan wrote: ↑

Wed Mar 22, 2023 6:57 pm

......... I find that bowl or pitcher steeping cuts down on the bitterness compared to steeping gongfu............

I prepare green tea & goashan in a porcelain bowl; &, I do like to avoid bitterness. I think it may help but of course choices of temperature, steeping time, & amount of leaves used are most important. I haven't been going over 88C nor 30 seconds of steeping using a modest amount of leaves.

For green tea, I have been drinking the Lishan Dong Pian which I have written about w/ great praise. (You can look on my vendor thread for that.) I am still very positive about this tea & believe it meets what you like. Nonetheless, to my surprise & slight dismay, is that after a packet has been opened for a week the leaves don't tolerate botched preparation. In the first week if I answer the phone & steep too long, it's not a problem, but leaves of an open packet that were exposed to air for 2 weeks or so, need to be prepared properly to be very delicious.

Ethan Kurland wrote: ↑

Wed Mar 22, 2023 8:11 pm

GaoShan wrote: ↑

Wed Mar 22, 2023 6:57 pm

......... I find that bowl or pitcher steeping cuts down on the bitterness compared to steeping gongfu............

I prepare green tea & goashan in a porcelain bowl; &, I do like to avoid bitterness. I think it may help but of course choices of temperature, steeping time, & amount of leaves used are most important. I haven't been going over 88C nor 30 seconds of steeping using a modest amount of leaves.

For green tea, I have been drinking the Lishan Dong Pian which I have written about w/ great praise. (You can look on my vendor thread for that.) I am still very positive about this tea & believe it meets what you like. Nonetheless, to my surprise & slight dismay, is that after a packet has been opened for a week the leaves don't tolerate botched preparation. In the first week if I answer the phone & steep too long, it's not a problem, but leaves of an open packet that were exposed to air for 2 weeks or so, need to be prepared properly to be very delicious.

I also tend to use less leaf when bowl steeping, and probably use more water as well. That could definitely be why it produces less bitter tea. However, the tea is too hot for me to drink 30 seconds after I pour the water, even at 185F, so I tend to let it steep longer.

It's interesting that your Lishan Dong Pian would change so fast. It would be hard to finish a 50 g bag in less than two weeks unless that was all you were drinking.

The Lishan Dong Pian does not need to be finished in 2 weeks. Just after a week it is fussy, making me be very careful about the steeping time. I often do some stretching while tea is steeping which takes 20 to 30 seconds usually but my mind might wander..... Anyway, if I am mindful, the leaves are fine for a bit longer than 2 weeks but I doubt a lot longer

I don't know much about green tea but if it is like gaoshan, I expect it at its best for about 3 weeks & then still good for maybe quite a long time. Lately I don't want my tea for good experiences but for really excellent cups or sessions.

Party time at my house. Ken Cannata on the decks pumping out the olfactory delights. Hand rolled gyokuro from Yoshida Meichaen on tap.