Country of Origin: Japan
Leaf Appearance: deep green, large balls
Ingredients: sencha green tea
Steep time: 1 minute
Water Temperature: 160 degrees
Preparation Method: glass test tube steeper
Liquor: pale, greenish
I received this tea as part of a shipment from Yunomi’s Tea Club. It is definitely one of the most unusual green teas that I have come across. The leaves are rolled into balls as a by-product of sencha processing. I’m reminded of Cha Tou, or puerh nuggets, which are also a by-product of tea production. I have a feeling that these will taste much nicer though. The taste fell somewhere between gyokuro and sencha. It was delicate and light but still had a nice bit of vegetal astringency and plenty of umami flavor. The second infusion was actually a bit stronger than the first because the tea balls had unfurled. +Yunomi.us suggested eating this tea as a snack and I decided to give it a try. I found it a bit too bitter for my liking but it might not be bad as part of a trail mix type mixture with something sweet.
Gyokucha sample provided by Yunomi.