> Greetings and happy holidays.
>
> I was also looking for a recommendation. I'm curious if anybody knows
> of a reliable source for some quality Imperial Gyokuro. I have tried
> it from two different places. One source had a Gyokuro of questionable
> quality due to the vastness of the business in comparison to the rarity
> of the tea. The other was an independent tea shop in Savannah, but the
> Gyokuro seemed very mishandled. I gave them the benefit of the doubt
> and bought some, but after much experimentation, I can't get it to
> taste... good.
>
> Thanks!
> John Emiba

> snip
>
> [Dominic]

>> Not to burst any bubbles, but you'll never get any top quality Gyokuro.
>> Sorry to say, it costs a ton and is auctioned off instantly to massive
>> bids. For a number of years I had an inside connection and still only
>> managed to get second level Gyokuro and it cost an arm an a leg. That
>> being said you can get very good stuff from a number of places online.
>> Itoen, o-cha, uji all come to mind... but I'm sure there are more
>> places...Gyokuro is very difficult, only slightly rewarding, and IMO not worth
>> it.

>
> snip
>
> Dominic, to get a better picture, I'd like you to
> describe the difference between the "second level
> Gyokuro" that you exprienced and the lesser "very
> good stuff" available to us more readily. I've had
> what I *thought* was excellent Gyokuro from ...

> Thanks for the great responses and recommendations. I know there are
> plenty of alternatives and I am partial to Chinese teas in general.
> I'm just looking for a small amount of Gyokuro to satisfy my curiosity.
>
>
> I will look into these sources. And thanks for the recommendations on
> other fine Japanese varieties.

> Thanks for the great responses and recommendations. I know there are
> plenty of alternatives and I am partial to Chinese teas in general.
> I'm just looking for a small amount of Gyokuro to satisfy my curiosity.
>
>
> I will look into these sources. And thanks for the recommendations on
> other fine Japanese varieties.

> Michael Plant wrote:

>> snip
>>
>> [Dominic]

>>> Not to burst any bubbles, but you'll never get any top quality Gyokuro.
>>> Sorry to say, it costs a ton and is auctioned off instantly to massive
>>> bids. For a number of years I had an inside connection and still only
>>> managed to get second level Gyokuro and it cost an arm an a leg. That
>>> being said you can get very good stuff from a number of places online.
>>> Itoen, o-cha, uji all come to mind... but I'm sure there are more
>>> places...Gyokuro is very difficult, only slightly rewarding, and IMO not worth
>>> it.

>>
>> snip
>>
>> Dominic, to get a better picture, I'd like you to
>> describe the difference between the "second level
>> Gyokuro" that you exprienced and the lesser "very
>> good stuff" available to us more readily. I've had ...

> With some teas, the law of diminishing returns
> applies. That is, a tea for which you $1.00 or
> $2.00 a gram is 85%%/90%% as good as one that
> costs $50.00 a gram.

> I didn't think you were trying to split hairs, but
> I had the impression from your previous post
> that you had tasted a rarified version, and I
> wanted to get at the differences you experienced
> between that and the usual ones available to us.
> Truthfully, I'm far more interested in your
> impressions than in anything G&S has to say.

> With some teas, the law of diminishing returns
> applies. That is, a tea for which you $1.00 or
> $2.00 a gram is 85%%/90%% as good as one that
> costs $50.00 a gram.