Nan Mei Wild Tree - White Tea Review & Tea on the skin

Edited post on the 22nd of August 2014 for the new tea blog

Let's start with the Tea on the skin part...
I bought at Canadian Superstore (a while ago) 2 Demeter Cologne Spray bottles. One is Dragon Fruit and the other is Green Tea.

I recently visited the Demeter website (http://www.demeterfragrance.com/) and looked up a great deal of their selection. A few where about teas and tisane so I rounded up what I found!

From Demeter website

I've only tried the Green Tea one, but I can assure you it's nice. If you like light and sweet (and tea!) that's a great choice. It even got a 5 stars rating!

From Demeter website

Then there is the Earl Grey one. I'm really curious about this one, but reviews say 3 stars and half. I guess it means it's not for everyone and may annoy you. Unless you really dig Earl Grey tea.

From Demeter website

Chai tea can be customized in so many ways that I really don't know what to expect of this fragrance... I've had some Masala chai with chili peppers and Bailey's in it. So it makes me wonder how spicy and milky this one smells. Again, a rating of 3 stars and a half. I wish I could sample it... Smelling like Chai tea sounds wonderful!

From Demeter website

Now onto the tisane (herbal tea) section! Coriander has had a better rating than the Earl Grey and  Chai Teas with 4 stars! Coriander isn't for everyone and if I'm not mistaken that's the herb they put in my beloved Pho soups (Vietnamese type of soup)! I don't know if I'd like to wear that and my husband totally hates the stuff, but I totally get a kick out of trying something new! Hop! On my wishlist!

From Demeter website

Chamomile Tea is great at helping you relax whenever, but especially taken before bed. With a rating of 4 stars, I would most likely buy it to spray on my sleeping pillow. That would be a change from the lavender one I've used for years. Spraying (or imbibing!) a little cushion-pouch with it and then slipping it under your pillow would be a fantastic idea. I'm sold!

Demeter has a WIDE range of smells, from funeral house, to soil, to provence meadows... It's also a good gift for a mom that loves flowers as they have such a great selection! Lilac smells so heavenly! Too bad the fragrance doesn't fit me. I can still use it for the bathroom or as normal air freshener though.

And now, that white tea review you've been waiting for!

Nan Mei Wild Tree

China - Lincang region - Nan Mei valley
Purchased at the Camellia Sinensis

Given description on the website:
Grassy & peppery fragrances emanate from the infusion and its silky smooth liquor is citrusy, a characteristic flavour of wild tea. The minty finish is pleasant and refreshing.

Side note: When I will mention pepper and pepperiness as tasting or aroma notes, it's meant as a peppercorn kind of pepper, not a bell pepper.

Dry leaf:

• They look like open flowers, shaped like blades (that of a partisan or naginata)
• Each set of leaves has a bunch of leaves that look like they have grown inside one another like some Russian dolls sets (I've never seen tea leaves looking like that!)
• Fuzzy white duvet covers the light green-peach coloured leaves
• The leaves sets are hard at the base, but soft and tender at the tip
• They smell of hay, mint, green apples and sweet yellow tobacco (dried)

1st Steeping (一煎目):
45 seconds - 1 gaiwan filled with water - 3 tablespoons of tea - 75C
(Gaiwan technique)

Liquor:

• Clear and shiny
• Very pale yellow-peach colour. It looks like water to the unknowing eye...
• Peppery, dry hay, almost peachy smooth kind of smell. There is a sweetness like some mild smelling flowers... I'm thinking of edible flowers like orchids or something
• Sweet-sour juicy aroma like a pineapple/green apple mix

Taste:

• Peppery like pepper Jelly Bellys (I really can't shake that Jelly Belly taste now - For those who don't know them, they were part of the Bertie Bott's every flavoured beans from the Harry Potter movies, Jelly Belly tried to sell those and they had other flavours like grass, troll boogers, vomit, earthworms and green apple among other things)
• Mild, smooth and sweet flavour with a definite spiciness to it
• Flowing and somehow mouth watering
• It also reminds me of the grass jelly bellies (I guess I have a sweet tooth and strange tastes)
• The pepperiness really lingers at the back of the throat
• There's a mint finish, but I had to do a second cupping to notice it
• There's also that citrus taste, but it's more of a bitter citrus one like yuzu (Japanese citrus fruit)

2nd Steeping (二煎目):
30 seconds - 1 gaiwan filled with water - 3 tablespoons of tea - 75C
(Gaiwan technique)

Liquor:

• Clear & shiny
  
• Light pale yellow-peach colour
•  Peppery-lemongrass aroma
• Weak sweet exotic fruit aroma

Taste:

• Light astringency
• Peppery, light lemongrass flavours that linger
• Light hay flavour
• Sweet, smooth, lightly viscous, coating the back of the throat

3rd Steeping (三煎目):
30 seconds - 1 gaiwan filled with water - 3 tablespoons of tea - 75C
(Gaiwan technique)

Liquor:

• Clear & Shiny
• Very pale yellow-peach colour
• Lemongrass and light pepper aromas

Taste:

• Light pepperiness, some lemongrass spiciness and light hay flavours
• Smooth, milder in taste
• Coats the mouth
• Light sweet-sour fruit in cheek that is pleasant
• Lingering minty finish

My reaction? "Love love it." It's a fantastic white tea. It's flavourful and complex. A real treat!
I gave it a 4.5/5 and I was being modest about it.

Now the wet leaves were interesting enough to also have a little mention here:
The fat little buds of light green to medium green colours are now tinged with a brown to deep red colour that is truly beautiful. And the smell! Oh, the smell! It smells wonderfully of lemongrass, maybe a bit of exotic fruits and definitely has a spiciness to it. As I mentioned, the citrusy part is more that of the yuzu fruit. It's not a sweet citrus aroma.

If you are interested in trying it out, the Camellia Sinensis sells it (that's where I got it from), they have a nice selection of white teas this year, so indulge!
Nan Mei Wild Tree White Tea Link

On this tea note, see you next time for a comparison between 2013 handpicked Shincha (still unopened) VS 2014 handpicked Shincha (just released and received)!

Uji Sencha & Premium Matcha (Hoshino Seicha-en) - Green Tea Reviews

Edited post on the 22nd of August 2014 for the new tea blog

Double review today!

Uji Sencha from yunomi.us and Premium Matcha from MATSU KAZE!

Let's go!

For this Uji Sencha, I presume it is from a 2013 harvest since I bought during Fall 2013 and yunomi.us keeps their tea up to date -- until a new harvest of that same tea comes to overthrow the old one! Long live the newer teas!

There is something unusual to this one. You cannot purchase it as a stand-alone product. Nope! I forgot because I mixed up my packages in the box (which I kept because I lack storage). Or rather, I didn't pay attention to the fact that his one is part of a set. A Studying set.
So basically, It's a random tea to help you develop your tea cupping capabilities!
It's from this study set here and can be found here: Yunomi Study Set 101

From the yunomi.us website (see link above!)

Now that you know and this is out of the way, here is the review on this green tea:

Uji Sencha

sold by yunomi.us

  

Dry leaf:

• Dark green with about 5% of light green leaves
• Flat needles, no powder but some particles
• Aroma of white creamy chocolate with milk chocolate (think Lindt chocolates)
• A bit of a green vegetative smell, but mostly, it smells like chocolate!

1st Steeping (一煎目):
~30 seconds -- 1 medium teacup of water (~125ml) -- 1 tablespoon -- 80C (I used 78C)
(Senchado technique)

Liquor:

• Creamy colour (not opaque but not clear either), some dust still visible at the bottom but it's blurry
• Colour is medium green-yellowish turning toward a peach colour slightly
• Buttery greens aroma with hints of rich white chocolate
• Almost soapy after-smell
• Light hay-like aroma

Taste:

• Smooth, sweet green attack that dissipates quickly and then replaced with a sweet buttery taste
• A little astringency
• Light buttery bitterness that's pleasant
• Tasting notes dissipate quickly, they're quite ephemeral
• Flowing, liquid, not much viscosity aside from the buttery feeling

2nd Steeping (二煎目):
~10 seconds -- 1 medium teacup of water (~125ml) -- the same 1 tablespoon -- 80C (Senchado technique)

Liquor:

• Almost opaque, much darker than the 1st steeping, some dust still visible at the bottom, but the whole liquor is quite blurry
• Darker (than 1st steeping) medium green-yellow colour, more green than yellow
• Shiny liquor
• A milder buttery green taste (compared to 1st steeping) with hints of white chocolate soapiness (it's not disagreeable, trust me)
• Hay-like in taste

Taste: (You'll be happy!)

• A milder buttery greens taste (compared to 1st steeping) but with hints of white chocolate!
• Almost watery, flowing, liquid
• Less smooth (than 1st steeping) with a little astringency
• Mild but pleasant bitterness
• Fuller in the mouth, but buttery as well! Yum!

3rd Steeping (三煎目):
~30 seconds -- 1 medium teacup of water (~125ml) -- the same 1 tablespoon -- 80C (Senchado technique)

Liquor:

• Dark-medium green-yellow colour
• Opaque but shiny
• Sweet, almost flowery, buttery greens and hay-ish aroma

Taste:

• Astringent! Astringency attack! Woah!
• Green bitterness that isn't so pleasant...

And so, the rating would have been 7/10, but because of the disappointing 3rd steeping, I give it a 6.7/10. I wouldn't call it an impressive tea, but because of the chocolate smell and taste, it makes it way awesomer! A definite "I wanna try!"

******      ******      ******      ******      ******       ******      ******       ******      ******

I had the pleasure to try this Premium Matcha from MATSU KAZE at a Japanese Green Tea Event with Michiko Ono in Calgary.
Here is the link to the Japanese Tea Tasting Events
Now, I paid $15 because I'm not a member of the center, but on her website, it says $35. I don't know if she raised her prices. I'm not aware that she did so maybe it's a typo. If you are in Calgary (or coming to Calgary), just send her an email and ask her (besides you need to contact her to reserve anyway). Even at $35, it's still completely worth it! And that local pastry chef... I have to know who that person is! Those pastries are DELICIOUS!

Anyway, this Matcha is pretty good but after trying it the original way, the way I used to make it kinda tastes like water! (laugh)

Well, let's see what's the review on it then...

Premium Matcha

From the region of Hoshino Seicha-en, Fukuoka Prefecture

Imported and sold by MATSU KAZE
--->Link to Premium Match at MATSU KAZE

Now I'm wondering, do you guys know that Matcha is de-veined and de-stemmed Gyokuro -- known as Tencha -- that is grounded into a fine powder? It is. It takes quite a long time to produce a lot of Matcha because you don't want to burn the tea, so you have to grind it slowly. One webpage I found says it takes 1 hour for 40 grams of Matcha to be produced.
Michiko Ono tells of her experience grinding it manually when she was in Japan last year. You can read it here (it has lots of pictures with captions, something I kind of lack on my own blog...):
Michiko Ono's Matcha grinding experience

And because I like to be thorough, here are the specs for this Matcha:
High grade, handpicked leaves are used. This is a specialty of the Yame region. It meets the high standards of Japanese tea ceremony masters. Sounds good to me!

Dry leaf:

• Nice rich medium bug-green colour
• Fine powder
• Chocolate and buttery greens aroma

Original preparation method (no steeping, only whisking) as instructed by MATSU KAZE:
2 grams of powder or 1 teaspoon -- 60-70 ml (1/4 cup) -- 80C
By the way, I used 1/4 cup to be more precise.

Premium Matcha from MATSUKAZEtea.com

Premium Matcha powder from MATSUKAZEtea.com

Liquor:

• Dark jade colour
• Very thick with pale jade green foam
• Smells buttery, sweet with a mild greenness to it, it kind of lost most of its chocolate aroma

Taste:

•  Very intense
•  Green attack that tapers off smoothly
• Green Gyokuro taste (obviously), it has an asparagus taste that lingers on and on
• Slight bitterness and astringency
• Somehow, it tastes powdery (probably due to the high amount of tea in the water)

At first, I thought there was too little water for the humongous amount of tea. I contacted Michiko who assured me that this is the way they do it during the tea ceremony in Japan. My version has more water and less tea and I used to like it that way, but after tasting this way, I cannot get over the fact that my version is too watery now! So I compared two different methods, one with a little more water and a bit less tea and my method which has way more water... I'll put my method up.

My technique (no steeping, only whisking):
2 big bamboo scoops (chashaku) of Matcha - 3/4 cup of water - 60C

Liquor:

• A nice thick pale jade foam covers the surface, below the liquid is dark jade green
• Creamy greens, buttery, asparagus, chlorophyll and snow peas aroma and maybe a hint of white chocolate
• It smells like those green tea chocolates from Melty Kiss
  

Flickr picture

 Taste:

• Smooth like drinking those thick hot chocolate drinks made from melted chocolate milk, just not as thick of course, don't get your expectations that high! ;)
• Green but mild in a comforting way
• Mellow and sweet, the creaminess lingers at the end of the mouth

• It feels so watery compared to the original way of preparing it! TT^TT

After comparing both, I have to admit the original way is better.... but I get more with less tea from mine so I can keep on drinking it for a little while longer before I run out...

Anecdote: After drinking the first bowl of Matcha (the one made the original way), I rinsed my mouth so I would taste more of my version, the second "steeping". I had to rinse my mouth 4 times until water I spit wasn't green anymore! It felt like rinsing rice... It totally coated my mouth.
It made me think that a few centuries away, nobles used to paint their teeth black. Maybe they actually didn't have to! Maybe they drank Matcha all the time until it coated their teeth a dark green hue! (laugh)

Probably not. But I like to imagine things like that. I like to think most people do, they just don't say it out loud. I hope or else I might just be crazy... :S

That's it!

For next time I was thinking of covering something different but still related to tea (and herbal teas this time!).
Brace yourself for it's going to be it's intriguing! Mostly for the non-tea related products that are made by this company, but since I cover the tea part, it's okay, right?

See you next time!

Volunteering at a Japanese Cultural event and meeting with Michiko Ono of MATSU KAZE

Edited post on the 22nd of August 2014 for the new tea blog

Then I volunteered for a Japanese event in Calgary last month and I learned how to mochi! They tasted so good! I tried to make some at home and they were better than I ever was able to make them. Thanks to their teaching me! (+1)

At the Japanese event I volunteered, I met with Michiko Ono again. She is the owner of Matsu Kaze, an online shop that specializes in Japanese tea. Last year, I enjoyed a Japanese tea tasting event with her. For some reason all the other guests didn't show up and it was just me and my husband. It was personal and we really enjoyed it! We brewed about 5 different green teas (plus delicious sweets) which got my husband really into tea now (yay! +1!). When we met this 2nd time, we talked about new arrivals on her website and I was pleased to learn most of the things I was eager to get will be there within a few months. I want a mini kyushu tea pot for making gyokuro tea (the smaller the teapot, the better!) and tea from a region in Japan where a volcano spreads its ashes on the leaves of the tea, giving it a peculiar taste. I'm thinking Nagoya, but I'm pretty sure I'm wrong. I'll write more on this once I get my hands on it. In the meantime, you can wait with me by looking at her shop from time to time. Here is the link: MATSU KAZE - Authentic Fine Japanese Green Tea
During the event, Michiko talked about the tea ceremony and it brought to mind the delicious Matcha tea I bought from her. Once her event was finished, I approached her and we talked about it. It's a Premium Matcha and has a very interesting taste. I thought that next time, I should do a review of this tea. If you are interested, it's the Premium Matcha on page 2 of her website, but there'll be time to check that in more details next time!

I wanted to review for you today Uji Sencha, but I just noticed, there is no info as to the year, region or farm it's from on the package. I fear it's not enough for me to write a good review for you guys if I don't even know where my tea comes from! Hopefully, I'll get the info soon.
Since this review is already written, I might do it before the Matcha one which has not been noted yet in my tea book. It's one thing to enjoy a tea, another to take the time to dutifully write notes about it. I'm much more of a slacker when it comes to just tasting the tea. I just enjoy sips and gulps. When I tea cup a tea, I slurp it from a spoon, then I try a sip from the cup as well as the impression is different with both techniques and I want to make sure I get the most information out of it. I also don't put so much attention into the aroma and colour when I just drink it normally. I could care less about the colour as long as it's not strange and for the smell, I just go "mmh~ Smells nice" which wouldn't be good in a review! Hehehe~

Sorry to disappoint you! I'll get to it once I get a reply from the website I bought it from!

See ya soon!

Yellow tea review (wow wow!) Jun Shan Huang Mao Jian

Edited post on the 22nd of August 2014 for the new tea blog

Today is special! I review a type of tea that is often forgotten. Some say it doesn't exist... I beg to differ, you unbelievers!
Yellow tea is very real, very rare and precious...

I bought a few yellow teas from the Camellia Sinensis Store in Montreal and I thought my blog -- and you guys -- deserved to get a yellow tea review!

Without further ado, here it comes! Slowly, mellowly and deliciously:

Jun Shan Huang Mao Jian

from the Chinese gardens of Jun Shan Island, sold by the Camellia Sinensis store in Montreal

 http://camellia-sinensis.com/en/jun-shan-huang-mao-jian

This tea was processed in the Mao Jian style as stated in the name.

Dry leaf:

• Curled twisted leaves
• White fuzzy leaves amongst dark green ones
• Light mimosa flower smell, with a hint of peach and cream
• Creamy sweetness to it with honey wax scent

Steeping method: teapot (500ml / 2 cups yield)

5 minutes - 2 cups (500 ml) of water - 3 teaspoons of tea - 80C

Liquor: 

• Clear and shiny with a creamy viscosity to it
• Fragrant
• Light peach/ apricot, creamy smell
• Soapy mimosa smell, hay and sweet notes
• Yellow-hay colour

Taste:

• Clear taste, light sourness
• Sweet, no bitterness
• Flowery aftertaste reminding me of rose petals and how they almost feel bitter but aren't
• Light jammy feeling like raspberry or strawberry jam (as opposed to jellies)
• Some astringency
• Hay with some light mineral or metallic taste but that could have been me and not the tea as I've had this tea before and don't recall any metallic taste
• Smooth in the mouth
• Taste is light and delicate like a white tea and long in mouth
• Round and flowing
• Ascending notes that dissipate quickly into a less complex taste
• Mild spices like cinnamon and vanilla final
• Mild greenness to it

Wet leaf:

• Uncurled buds, some bud and 1 leaf duos
• Creamy medium yellow-green colour
• Chocolatey, cinnamon, asparagus, green, and mild spices smell

 I like yellow teas very much. If you like white teas and don't mind that they are so delicate this could be for you. Let me just make one thing clear: some say white teas lack flavour, and it can be true depending on the quality of white teas you've had... I had the chance to compare different qualities of the same tea; lower-end white teas do lack flavours. However, it is something that is less likely to happen (in my opinion) with yellow teas as they are already hard to get. Small farms will produce them and the yield is usually pretty small. So what I think is that very little tea selling shops will go to the trouble of sourcing them if they aren't of good quality as they tend to be rather pricy, both for the tea shop owner and the customer... but so worth it! I once had a yellow tea (not this one) that tasted different every time I had it (in a zhong). Once it even tasted like gingerbread and I fell in love with it. Maybe I will review it someday, but that one is very pricy as well so you'll all have to be patient!

I would say that compared to white teas, yellow teas are a bit stronger in taste, and may offer a broader palette of flavours and aromas, but are as delicate.

Happy tasting and may you end up with amazing discoveries...

Imari Sencha Imperial 2013 - The delicacy of the month - Green Tea Review

Edited post on the 22nd of August 2014 for the new tea blog

Four days, two posts. Not bad, right? I'll be starting class again next week, but by now I want to review another tea!

Yesterday I tested (my papilla are still very happy) the Imari Sencha Imperial 2013 by Chakoan. Right from the start, I'll let you know; I gave it 4.9/5!
Why is it .1 away from perfection? Because I still hope there is something better yet to come!

I've had delicious teapots of already prepared Gyokuro Tamahomare at the Camellia Sinensis Tea house and since it's a very expensive tea, I've been hoping to find its equal, in a more affordable format. Little did I know I would find it in a Sencha! I simply love this newly discovered tea and will make sure my house never runs out of it.

Here are my notes on it...

Imari Shencha Imperial 2013

by Chakoan

Dry leaf:

• Smells like vibrant, very green, fresh cut grass and chocolate truffles
• Fine needles, a few of them larger and flatter
• The leaves are mostly dark green colour with the larger bits being medium green
• Barely springy, breaks easily

1st Steeping Senchado technique
1.5 minutes - ~ 30 ml teacup of water - 2 heaped teaspoons - 80C

Liquor:

• Light yellow-green colour
• Little specks are floating on the surface
• Not completely clear, but shiny
• Smells like buttery chocolate (I guess like butter icing), warm rich truffles, seaweed and green
• Intense like a good Gyokuro Tamahomare (It's that name again!)
• Sweet buttery smell, vanilla
• Aromatic and generous

Liquor:

• Cooked veggies, asparagus, vegetal, almost like almonds
• Light bitterness in the back of the mouth that is truly delicious
• Buttery asparagus, seaweed, sweet, umami
• A little astringent, oily, flowing with a roundness in mouth
• Smooth and thick, it is ample, full and long in the mouth

Wet leaves:

• Nice medium unfurled leaves, small pieces are found mixed amongst them
• Shiny and soft-looking
• Buttery asparagus smell that is almost mineral

2nd Steeping Senchado technique
30 seconds - ~ 30 ml teacup of water - the same 2 heaped teaspoons - 80C

Liquor:

• A greener-yellow colour compared to the first steeping
• Little specks are still found floating on the surface
• Not completely clear, but shiny
• Smells sweet like cupcake icing that is green tea flavoured
• Buttery, green, milder in smell, seaweed is still a bit present, and white chocolate notes appear

 Taste:

• Lighter and more watery (still not enough to deter me)
• Cooked asparagus
• Light umami taste in cheek
• Unctuous with a roundness that is still exquisite, flowing, smooth and thick in mouth
• Less ample and full than the first steeping but remains long in the mouth
• A little astringency and very light bitterness to it

This tea would be my recommendation of the year if it weren't for the fact that the year is still young and I'm still hopeful. I'm waiting for this moment where I will sit, taste, and time will stop. I'll be shaken out of my marvellous torpor a few days later by an alarmed husband or a cat jumping on me thinking I'm a new scratching post that looks like the mistress.

Remember those links I shared on previous posts for yunomi coupons? well now is the time to try them and experience awe in the mouth! :)
Aufwiedersehen!

Houjicha 2012 by the Ogose Tea Farm - Green Tea Review

Edited post on the 22nd of August 2014 for the new tea blog

Hello readers!

I bought some teas last year around summer time and recently found that unopened package of Houjicha from Japan. I was blessed today with a baby-free day so I did a lot of things... Amongst them was to taste a new tea! I also received a nice book for Christmas: The Tea Drinker's Handbook by François-Xavier Delmas, Mathias Minet and Christine Barbaste. I noticed all those names were French so I wondered if this was a translation of a French version... After a little research it turned out that yes, the original is French and VERY pricy. I'll stick with the English one, thank you! It was the same for the "Thé" book versus "Tea", the translated version was much cheaper (which I purchased of course)! My tea-related book collection is starting to look very well. I own about 11 of them some even in German and some about etiquette, even one about a Japanese samurai's experience on tea. But enough of my vain and proud rambling about books, onward to tea!

For the tea review of today, I give it a 4/5, which is almost too high, but I found I just really liked how good this tea made me feel. I'd drink it every few days no problem (Gotta leave some space for other teas.)!

And just for reference, here is what I mean when I say the liquor colour is "ocre":

From Wikipedia about the colour "Ocre"

Houjicha 2012

By the Ogose Tea Farm in Japan

Dry leaf:

• Rough medium length and large needles
• Colours of dried autumn leaves: medium to dark greens and browns with a little light browns
• Dry feeling in the hand with a little spring left in it
• Smells of nuts, peanuts, cashews, sunflower seeds, sweet, earthy, honeyed nuts

1st Steeping (Senchado technique)
30 seconds - ~30 ml teacup of water - 1 heaped teaspoon - 100C

Liquor:

• Ocre colour with a little peach colour
• Dust at the bottom of the cup
• Clear and a little shiny
• Smells like sunflower seeds, smoke and hazelnuts
• Pollen sweet aroma

Taste:

• Cantaloupe attack, melon fruits, sweet
• Low astringency, powdery
• Medium-small body
• A bit silky (supple, slightly oily liquor)
• Watery texture
• Little smoked hazelnut taste that fades slowly

Wet leaves:

• Dark green and brown
• Very shiny
• Very aromatic (floral-like) like a cross between a lightly oxidized wulong and a little nutty like a longer oxidized wulong

2nd Steeping (Senchado technique)
15 seconds - ~30 ml teacup of water - 1 heaped teaspoon - 100C

 Liquor:

•  Lighter ocre-peach  colour than the 1st steeping
• Dust at the bottom of the cup
• Clear and a little shiny
• Smells almost floral like a short oxidized wulong
• Smells like smoked hazelnuts and (not smoked) sunflower seeds
• Pollen sweet aroma

Taste:

• Mild watered down hazelnut palate with a lingering sunflower seed taste
• A little more robust in the middle (as opposed to start and finish tastes) which gives it a slightly stronger body at that moment
• A bit silky, water texture
• A little sour finish not unlike green apples

While I think this tea definitely lacked body, I found that both steepings brought something interesting and worth tasting. That cantaloupe peak at the start of the first tasting was realy surprising and a little exiting! I didn't expect cantaloupe and I liked it. I found that the cantaloupe was more noticeable if I slurped the tea with a spoon so you might want to try that if you fail to find the taste. Then again, you might find something totally different and quite as interesting! I'd like to hear about that.
The 2nd steeping brought a bit more body, but just as I thought it was a bit boring, the sour green apple taste kicked in! Yum yum for green apples.

If you find yourself trying any Houjicha, don't be shy and share your thoughts on it!

Ja matta ne~

The long awaited Kurihara Gyokuro Green Tea Reviews!

Edited post on the 22nd of August 2014 for the new tea blog

Greetings to all, hope you all had a fancy time during the holidays that you celebrated or not!

I found out that I had already cup-tested 3 out of 4 of the Gyokuro of 2013 from the Kurihara family farm after trying out the 4th one. Goody!

Picture from Yunomi.us
One of the best Japanese tea shops out there!

 I won't make you wait too long:

 First and foremost, I gotta be fair... I didn't steep the teas all the same way. The first tea was steeped at 45C as per the instructions from the Kurihara farm, then I lost those instructions, so I had to refer to the Yunomi.us instructions which are as good in my opinion. Then, after attending a very  personalized (we were only 2 people) Japanese  tea tasting event, I tried to brew my 2nd and 3rd  teas (Premium & Heritage) in a smaller teapot (since there exist smaller kyushu teapots, but I don't own any yet.) used for Gong Fu Cha service. The 4th tea also used less water and a smaller amount of tea as I learned that I can use a small-medium sized teacup to measure the amount of water needed (roughly 30-40ml) and 1 heaped teaspoon per said cup of water. Turned out rather delicious. You'll see!

Standard Gyokuro 2013

(Spoiler: I had vanilla-chocolate body lotion on... Something to mind in the future.)

Dry leaves:

• Dark green with a little bit of lighter green colours
• Short thin leaves rolled like hay (needles) and a very good amount of powdery bits
• Looks delicate
• Smells buttery, green, sweet like vanilla & white chocolate (see spoiler up above :S), light asparagus nose
• The leaves seem light and fresh when squeezed. They would rather bend than break

1st Steeping (Kyushu teapot - Senchado technique)
 2 minutes - 80 ml (1/3 cup) water - 8 grams of tea - 45C (as instructed by the Kurihara farm)

Liquor:

• Light vibrant green
• Shiny, forgot to note down whether or not it was opaque... Most likely.
• Smells like dry leaves, buttery, green, sweet like vanilla & white chocolate (see spoiler up above :S), light asparagus nose

1st Taste: Intense asparagus, sweet, round, smooth
2nd Taste: Almost like eating a whole bunch of boiled greens (asparagus, spinach)

Wet leaves:

• Smell like butter, asparagus, almost milky
• Look like nice soaked dark & light green hay

2nd Steeping (Kyushu teapot - Senchado technique)
~20 seconds - ~80 ml (1/3 cup) water - Still the same 8 grams of tea - 80C

Liquor:

• Camo green, opaque and a little shiny
• Smells like creamy asparagus

1st Taste: Bitter, open, a bit astringent
2nd taste: Like drinking the juice of a dark crushed fresh tree leaf. However, when you drink it normally (not slurping), it doesn't seem so bitter and more round.

3rd Steeping (Kyushu teapot - Senchado technique)
~25 seconds - ~80 ml (1/3 cup) water - Still the same 8 grams of tea - 80C

Liquor:

• Colour is even darker and opaque, still a bit shiny
• Smells like creamy asparagus

1st Taste: Round, smooth, buttery, no bitterness, less "tasty"
2nd Taste: More bitter, still smooth though. Tastes like crushed, fresh young leaves. When swallowed, it's almost creamy.

4th Steeping (Kyushu teapot - Senchado technique) - because I felt I could stretch it that much
1 minute - full kyushu teapot (normal small one) - Still the same 8 grams of tea - 80C

Liquor:

• Clear green leaf colour, shiny
• Smells a bit like asparagus

1st Taste: Light smooth, astringent, fresh leaf taste
2nd Taste: Same as 1st taste, but less astringent, almost a sour point at the tip of the tongue at the very beginning.

Notes: I was disappointed by the lack of "marine" taste (seaweed). It's obviously not a Tamahomare, but not bad either. Very intense at first.

I also tried to cook the tea leaves...
So I used olive oil & cut pieces of garlic that I sautéed ~1 minute. I added the wet tea leaves, some Cyprus salt and a little bit of pepper. I sautéed the whole for ~1-2 minutes, then added a small piece of butter on top. Mixed and let the butter melt.
It wasn't bad. But maybe I would have added a little soy next time to give it a little kick as it lacked a bit of flavour. My husband found it a bit bitter. Some pieces of leaves were still a bit hard. 3 stars out of 5.

Premium Gyokuro 2013

Dry leaves:

• Dark green with very little light green colour
• Short thin leaves rolled like hay straw (needles) and powdery bits
• Smells like cream of spinach and asparagus cooked with butter and cream
• Felt a bit dryer than expected when squeezed, but still a bit springy

1st Steeping: Gong Fu Cha teapot
2 minutes - 80 ml (1-3 cup) water - 8 grams of tea - 60C

Liquor:

• Light yellow-green colour, clear
• Smells like creamy spinach, sweet

Taste:
A bit intense, a bit bitter, interesting taste at the beginning at the back of the mouth. Something green and veggie-like and sweet

Wet leaves:

• Nice green colour, look almost mashed
• Smells like warm thick grass that has been cut and piled and has warmed up under the sun

2nd Steeping: Gong Fu Cha teapot
~20 seconds - 80 ml (1-3 cup) water - same 8 grams of tea - 80C

Liquor: Thick, shiny, viscous dark green colour

Taste: A bit bitter, actually, pretty bitter, astringent, but smooth and palatable at the same time. Tastes like tree leaves and hay. It's hard to taste much because of the bitterness.

Interesting facts: Drinking pure (a bit warm in my case) H2O after the tea made the water taste super sweet.

Notes: This tea is too bitter and intense... Might be because of the first steeping's temperature, I don't know... I did a  3rd steeping afterwards and it was much better and smoother.

Experiment!
I melted unsalted butter in a pot, added the gyokuro wet leaves, then added salt and pepper. I cooked the mix for a while, mixing from time to time, then I added organic 3.25% milk, added more salt and pepper to taste and voilà! Crème de Gyokuro!

Creamy, buttery, slightly bitter (only a little in my opinion) and as good as leek or spinach cream! :9 4.3/5

Heritage Gyokuro 2013

Dry leaf:

• Dark green with a little lighter green colours
• Flat needle-like leaves with some powder
• Smells like cream of Spinach cooked with butter and cream

1st Steeping: Gong Fu Cha teapot
2 minutes - 80 ml (1/3 cup) water -  8 grams of tea - ~50C

Liquor:

• Medium green-yellow colour
• Opaque but not completely as I can still see powder deposits at the bottom of my cup
• Smells like buttered greens with cream

Taste:

• Intense, sweet, green, umami, with a lightly smoky taste at the back of the mouth on the 3rd sip. Very intense like something bitter, but it isn't really bitter. Quite overpowering with a creamy taste
• Creamy and smooth

Wet leaves:

• Vivid medium green colour
• A bit like mashed leaves lightly squashed together
• Green smell, reminds me of the taste of its liquor, just less intense
• Asparagus and cream smell

2nd Steeping: Gong Fu Cha teapot
~20 seconds - 80 ml (1/3 cup) water -  the same 8 grams of tea - ~70C

Liquor:

• Much more opaque, almost muddy
• Darker green and a little yellowish

Taste:

• Almost bitter, but still smooth
• Less sweet
• Green taste
• Intense but less than the 1st steeping
• A little smoky, especially after a few sips when breathing out through the nose
• If you drink water in-between sips to clear the previous taste in the mouth, it almost feels like the moment it enters your mouth, the water tastes like coffee!

3rd Steeping: Gong Fu Cha teapot
~25 seconds - 80 ml (1/3 cup) water -  the same 8 grams of tea - ~70C

Liquor:

• Lighter, clearer, green-yellow colour
• Green sweet smell

Taste:

• Smooth but a little astringent
• A bit sweet, a bit smoky
• More watery, will not sustain another steeping
• More drinkable as an everyday type of tea or in bigger quantity
• Green taste

Notes: One particularity of the Gyokuro teas that I like is the tenderness of the leaves

Experiment: Dipped the wet leaves in garlic dumpling sauce (Six Fortune brand) and it was good.

Kurihara Heritage Gyokuro 2013

Dry leaf:

• Dark green flat needles with a little of lighter green
• NO POWDER
• Buttery dry spinach smell

1st Steeping: Senchado
2.5 minutes - 1 small-medium teacup of water (~30ml) -  1 heaped teaspoon - 50C

Liquor:

• Light yellow-green colour
• Shiny but opaque
• green, spinach, buttery, seaweed, almost perfume-like

Taste:

• Intense at first then weakens and slowly taper off
• Sweet, green, light asparagus
• Mellow, none to barely any astringency
• Rolls in the mouth like a good Tamahomare (Another Gyukuro, the expensive kind)
• Very insignificant bitterness

Wet leaves:

• Sweet broccoli, green smell
• Vivid medium green colour with a little bit of paler green
• Looks like cooked spinach, the leaves look beautiful

2nd Steeping: Senchado
30 seconds - 1 small-medium teacup of water (~30ml) -  same 1 heaped teaspoon - ~60C

Liquor:

• Medium grey-green with some yellow colour
• Less opaque, shiny with some translucent specks on the surface
• Light sweet powdery green smell

Taste:

• Less sweet
• Green taste
• More liquid, less viscous
• Slight bitterness at the end
• Very drinkable as is

3rd Steeping: Senchado
30 seconds - 1 small-medium teacup of water (~30ml) -  same 1 heaped teaspoon - ~70C

 Liquor:

• Clearer, light-medium grey-green-yellow colour
• Small green specks at the bottom and translucent specks at the surface

Taste:

• Lacks taste, a little green taste
• Slight metal taste

Notes: Very agreeable in the mouth, more of an every kinda feeling than the previous gyokuro grades. It would seem this grade is only suitable for 1-2 steeping as it becomes quite bland quickly.


Verdict: This last grade is the best so far!

That's it, folks! I gotta run now as it is the 31st and already 7:10pm! Happy New Year to all! :) May this new year be even better than the last. Make lots of wishes!