Iccha Kariban

This reminds me of Gyokuro because it shares so many of the same attributes. It's a high altitude shade grown Japanese sencha which is steamed and retains its bright green color.  

Iccha Kariban means "flower fragrance" and it is a recently developed cultivar being grown on the southernmost Japanese island where the salty breeze from the ocean mist the tea plants giving it a unique flavor. It isn't well known yet and is a much better tea than the price would suggest. 

It's forgiving to steep and almost never turns bitter or astringent on you. The mouthfeel is extremely soft and mellow. The fresh taste of flowers and vegetal, chlorophyll, fresh life, springtime all swirl through your mouth. It's easy to drink large amounts of this green tea. Its enjoyable hot of course, but quite lovely when cold steeped or iced.  

Tasting Notes: Buttery, Vegetal, Orchids

Steep: 1 Tbsp of tea for 12oz water. Water temperature: 170. Steep time 3 minutes. Subsequent steepings, 1 minute. Sweetener: No!!

Approximately 5 Tbsp in a 1 ounce package.