I should state off the bat that this was my first gyokuro, and I haven't had the chance to try any other brands since. Furthermore, gyokuro needs to be brewed at a lower temperature than most teas; the first time I made it I didn't realize this, and the tea wound up tasting rather bitter. Properly brewed, however, there's no comparison. The taste is full and light and delicate, a sensory experience that merits savoring; if you have yet to experience it, I think you've missed out.

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Alex Zorach wrote: on September 29th, 2014

All the Gyokuro I've tried has echoed this experience--it's delightful, delicate but full-bodied and flavorful, when brewed properly, but poor and even pretty unpleasant if brewed with water that is too hot.

I haven't tried this one, but my experience with Maeda-en in general has been a little underwhelming relative to other sources of Japanese tea, so I'd encourage you to check out some others.

The problem with Gyokuro is that it can be very expensive. My favorites were from Aiya (a Japanese company) and the Heavenly Gyokuro from Harney and Sons, both are quite pricey though.

If you like this type of tea, I've found that some high-grade sencha can be nearly as good as it, at least to me (I'm not really a connoisseur of Japanese teas, although I do have my opinions). I had a really good sencha recently from Mellow Monk.

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