Tea:

Region:

China

Grade:   

Special green tea - Japanese Gyokuro style

Manufacture Type:  

Steamed and pan-fired

Cup Characteristics:

Some pungency. Delicious green tea character with depth and body and a pleasant lingering finish.

Infusion:  

Tending bright forest green

CERTIFYING BODY: IMO - Sulgen Switzerland
CERTIFICATE NUMBER: 9934/10/01
REFERENCE NUMBER: 91L1010152

Information:

Though this tea comes from China it is produced to Japanese specifications on Japanese machinery. The base tea is from single buds that are only available during March and April - when the best green leaf is produced. To increase the chlorophyll tea bushes are covered with bamboo and straw shading from March 1 to March 20th (more or less). The leaves are plucked about 1-2 weeks after the shading comes off. The leaves are small - less than 1 inch but extremely fragrant and tender. The plucked leaves are gently bruised and then lightly steamed, producing dark green leaves that give a slightly pungent tea with depth and character.

Organic tea is produced without the input of chemical fertilizers or pesticides and herbicides. Unfortunately the yield per acre is lower and quite often quality can suffer compared to when fertilizers and others inputs are utilized. Nevertheless with good manufacturing techniques the cup characteristics can be maintained at a very high level - such is the case with this tea.

Tea was introduced to Japan from China in the 7th and 8th century. Records indicate that Japan’s Emperor Kammu created a government post called ‘Supervisor of Tea and Tea Gardens’ as Japan had begun to cultivate it’s own tea. That this post was in the medical bureau of the government indicates that even then, there was tremendous respect for the health aspects of tea. From 800 to the 1200AD Japan relied heavily on China for it’s tea supply. Because tea arrived in limited quantities from China tea became a luxury used for medicinal and spiritual purposes. A Zen Buddhist, Eisai Myoan returned from China (from what is now known as Jiangxi) with tea seeds and planted them at his temple. He soon realized that the quality was superior to any tea currently grown in Japan. These seeds formed the basis of Japan’s tea industry in the centuries to come. Further evidence of the correlation between health and tea is found in a book that Eisai wrote; Tea Drinking is Good for Health. He wrote that tea drinking confers many benefits including curing lack of appetite, diseases caused by poor quality drinking water, and beriberi (a vitamin B deficiency).

Brewing Instructions:

Hot Tea Brewing Method: Can be used repeatedly - about 3 times. Use water about 180’F or 80’C. Place 1 teaspoon of tea in your cup, let the tea steep for about 1-3 minutes.- do not remove the leaves from the cup. Once the water level is low - add more water, and so on and so on - until the flavor of the tea is exhausted. Alternatively, scoop 2-4 teaspoons of tea into the teapot, pour in boiling water that has been freshly drawn (previously boiled water loses most of its oxygen and tends to be flat tasting), steep for 2-4 minutes (to taste), stir (the leaves will sink), pour into your cup and enjoy ‘straight-up’.

Iced Tea Brewing Method: (to make 1 liter/quart) : Place 6 teaspoons of tea into a teapot or heat resistant pitcher. Pour 1 1/4 cups of freshly boiled water over the tea. Steep for 5 minutes. Quarter fill a serving pitcher with cold water. Pour the tea into your serving pitcher straining the leaves. Add ice and top up the pitcher with cold water. Garnish and sweeten to taste. [A rule of thumb when preparing fresh brewed iced tea is to double the strength of hot tea since it will be poured over ice and diluted with cold water.]