Gyokuro Green Tea

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Gyokuro is the finest grade green tea one can purchase. It has been treasured by the Japanese for hundreds of years as the finest tea and has become quite popular amongst tea lovers around the globe who appreciate a fine cup of tea. In English, Gyokuro translates to Jade Dew, which is refernces to its green color and naturally sweet flavor.

Gyokuro is graded as the highest quality tea because of the process it goes through after the leaves have been harvested. 

Gyokuro is grown from the a small leaf tea known as Yabukita. Yabukita is a sweet tea that is used by the Japanese when making high quality green teas.

Gyokuro is made only with the youngest leaf buds of the spring harvest. The tea is grown under shade cover for approximately twenty days before the harvest begins. The effect of growing the tea in shade reduces photosynthesis in the leaf buds.

By reducing the photosynthesis process, the tea plant produces more chlorophyll. This changes the proportions of subtances like amino acids, sugars,flavanols, and caffeine which contribute to the taste, color, and armoa of the tea. As a result, the lack of sunlight produces a mild and sweet flavored tea.

The young leaf buds are then picked and lightly steamed to prevent oxidation. After steaming, the leaves go through a series of rolling and air drying stages. For gyokuro, the leaves are finely rolled and dried into a needle like form. Finally, the needle like tea leaves are left to mature for about one week to allow the tea to develop is characteristic flavors.

The three regions known for producing the highest quality Gyokuro tea are Joyoshi in Kyoto, Hoshinomura in Yame (Kyushu), and Okabe in Shizuoka (Honshu).


How to Brew Gyokuro

Gyokuro needs to be carefully brewed as it is a sensitive tea, to bring out its full flavor. Bring the water to a temperature of about 140 degrees Fahrenheit and add a slightly larger amount of leaf (around 2 teaspoons per cup) to bring out the special flavor of Gyokuro.

High-quality Gyokuro will allow you to reinfuse the tea for up to three times . The first infusion has caused the leaves to open, so brew the second infusion for about 30 seconds, and the third infusion for about 60 seconds.