Three Gyokuro, Kyushu to Kyoto Uji- For Kyushu teas with my selection, I will discuss a gyokuro of Yame (dept Fukuoka), which brings me to my area following geographic, with two other gyokuro , from exp. Kyoto.
Fukuoka and Kyoto are the two main production areas of gyokuro , 50/50 quasi monopoly (we also manufacture in small quantities but which are not comparable).
If Gyokuro Uji 宇 治 玉露 is by far the most publicly known, the Yame Gyokuro 八 女 玉露 is equally appreciated by connoisseurs.
So much for the landscape. But what the
gyokuro 玉露? Simply put, this is a tea bushes are covered with about twenty days before harvest. In doing so, we get a tea rich in theanine, an amino acid responsible for the sweetness of the tea. It emerges as a fragrance very special called "Ooi-ka", which is found in the
matcha and
kabuse -cha, also shaded from the culture. Past harvesting, manufacturing method differs little from that of
sencha .
The Gyokuro tea is very mild, sweet even. Its taste is very particular and how to prepare it is equally important. It's the sweetness that is enhanced. For this, we use a lot of leaves, very little water. For four to five grams of leaves, we use only 30 ml of water, 50 ° C the first infusion. It appears that not a few drops of strong liquor, concentrated, rich, but without astringency. It is a kind of luxury espresso Japanese tea.
; Goko Samidori ; Okumidori
gyokuro All three of my selection are all gyokuro top flight, because it seems to me that Gyokuro low-end no interest.
How to present these three teas? In their most obvious difference:
cultivars.
For both of Kyoto and was Goko Samidori respectively. Both are popular cultivars shaded dedicated to culture, also frequently used for matcha .
For those of Yame was Okumidori. Cultivar sencha relatively widespread, popular for its beautiful color and softness. Here is a feature that is found frequently with gyokuro of Yamae use Variety of high quality, so naturally tending toward sweetness, but originally intended for open culture. I have already mentioned several times on this blog gyokuro Yame of the cultivar Yamaki.
Infusion:
So it seems to me that 2 minutes is perfect for both Uji, I do not let it infuse for qu'1min30s Yame.
Goko is undoubtedly the one who emerges the strongest perfume, a fragrance complex fruity and sweet.
Uji Both are more sickly and thick, whereas in the mild Yamae I perceive a challenging and refreshing note. This difference is significant difference between classical and cultivar to cultivar culture shaded.
Regarding the strength of flavor, Goko (Uji) and Okumidori (Yame) compete while Samidori (Uji) is more mellow.
Goko evokes the flavor of ripe fruits and dry fruits, such as notes of black grapes and prunes. This flavor is very resistant to successive influences, and even a third, no astringency is hardly felt.
Samidori, also very sweet, fruity flavor shows more discrete, and seems more like vanilla with notes of butter cooked. Over the infusions, it fades to let appear subtle touches of white grapes, and a slight astringency to the third.
Finally, just in my Yamae Okumidori cultivar. Power side, taste has nothing to envy Goko. It is a
gyokuro high quality so we stay on well in a similar vein, gentleness, of umami! But with this one I will not use the term "sweet" because we can sense a touch stimulating green, which comes against the point of meekness. Very difficult to define in words I dare talk about nuances that brought us here in the area of nuts or nut?
Maybe this gyokuro has less impact than the first two to discover that this type of large very special tea, but I also think the risk is too tiring less. There's lightness in the strength of taste, astringency of a thrust over the infusions which provides, freshness and color to the soothing world of gyokuro .
left, "during the second infusion," we see as very little water is used.
the right, the second infusion liquor .
The Gyokuro is a kind complex flavors very changeable, whether based on small differences in infusion, that over time, so I feared to have been unable to describe the depth.
After this trip that led us to the Kansai Kyushu (region of Kyoto and Osaka), I will stay next time in the Kansai region with two Kabuse -cha, one Kyoto, one of Mie (Ise-cha).
