Details:

This is Japan’s best green tea (made from single buds that are picked only in April/May. In an effort to develop increased chlorophyll (making them dark green) and reduced the tannin (giving a sweeter flavor with no bitterness), the tea is covered with black curtains or bamboo and straw shades for 3 weeks in early spring. The leaves are small - about 3/4’s on an inch long and extremely fragrant and tender. Immediately after plucking the leaves are taken to the factory and steamed for about 30 minutes to seal in the flavor and arrest fermentation. Next they are fluffed with hot air and pressed and dried to 30% moisture content. Repeated rolling takes place until the tea develops long thin dark green needles at which time it is finally dried to a 4-6% moisture content. Gyokuro has been referred to as “history, philosophy and art in a single cup.” This is the best green tea of Japan. Usually brewed in a Kyushu (special Japanese teapot) and served in handless cups.

The Japanese take the tea drinking very seriously, the better it is the more they is willing to pay for it. It is not uncommon that some Gyokuro’s sell for more that $1000.00 per pound - arguably the most expensive tea in the world. Why is Gyokuro so expensive?? ......... Old Tea trees are shaded to reduce the effect of photosynthesis and there is almost an insane cachet that seems to be unique to Japan about drinking rare green teas.

Cup Characteristics:

A full flavored green tea that has a satisfying light refreshing character. Tending pleasantly vegetative with some briskness.

Infusion:

Very bright.

Grade:

Gyokuro

Manufacture Type:

Shade grown and steamed green tea

Region:

Japan - Shizuoka Prefecture

Regional Information:

Shizuoka Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chubu region on Honshu island. The capital is the city of Shizuoka.

History & Origin:

Japanese tea gardens look quite different from tea plantations in other parts of the world. The bushes are cultivated in long rows and trimmed so the row has the appearance of a long dome. In Shizuoka Prefecture it is said that the tea gives the impression of smooth waves of green, undulating over the landscape. This curved form of the tea bush gives the largest plucking table (the area where the new shoots used in high quality tea production grow is called the ‘plucking table’ - not only in Japan but in other parts of the tea growing world as well). It is on the long regularly shaped plucking table that the pickers take the leaves and the new buds. In the early season plucking is only done by hand, but once the first few weeks pass, mechanical plucking is the preferred method. The Japanese have been very innovative in this aspect by developing a curved machine that is handheld but clips the tea bush with automatic scissors that look like electric hair clippers.

Tea has always had a place in Japanese life. It has been used to show respect to honored guests, as a medicinal drink to aid digestion after meals and in the “tea ceremony” whose rules were laid down by Rikuyu. Recent research has revealed numerous chemical and mineral components in green tea. Japanese green tea contains the following components: Theanine, Catechins (polyphenols), Flavonoids, Vitamins C, B1, B2, Niacin, Caffeine, Amino Acids and Minerals F, Zn, Mn, Cu, and Se.

Hot Tea Brewing Method:

The secret is to use water between 120’F to 150’F. Place 5 heaping teaspoons of long thin leaves into a 3-cup teapot. Let the tea steep for about 2 minutes. Pour off the tea completely and begin enjoying a cup of enchantment. The leaves can then be re-infused with water between 135 - 160’F and on the third and final brewing use water between 150’F and 180’F.

Iced Tea Brewing Method:

(not recommended)

Tea & Health

No matter what your age, tea delivers a multitude of health benefits that range from: being cardio-protective, a good source of fluid and being friendly to your teeth. As educated people we know the importance of eating a balanced diet that contains five portions of fruit and vegetables, plenty of complex carbohydrates and restricted amounts of saturated fat. However, when it comes to what we drink, even health experts can get a little confused. In a recent survey of health professionals, only 23% of GPs thought that tea could be included in the daily fluid allowance, whereas more than a fifth of practice nurses believed tea to contain the same amount of caffeine as coffee.

Not All Tea Is the Same

Roughly 2.5 million tons of dried tea is produced each year, and about 20% of it is "green tea", which is made by steaming the fresh tea leaves lightly, and drying them quickly. The rest of it is called "black tea", and it involves fermentation of the fresh tea leaves. For medicinal purposes, green tea is considered superior to regular black tea, since it has as much as five times more of the polyphenols that are of interest to us as potent anti-oxidants and cancer preventives. The composition of the green tea varies with the geography, climate, seasonal fluctuations and the methods used in growing it. When tea is harvested, they are supposed to take only the leaf bud and the two adjacent young leaves. Older leaves are considered inferior, and they have much less of the medicinal polyphenols. Usually, a good quality green tea has about 10% by weight of polyphenols. Our teas are of the best quality which promotes the high concentration of polyphenols.