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▼ Akira Hojo
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Gyokuro is often associated as the top of Japanese green tea. However, the characteristics of this tea is completely different from Sencha. We defined the Gyokuro as not the superior version of Sencha, but it is different category of Japanese green tea. The characteristic of Gyokuro is its leaf a very deep green color, flavor is like seaweed and taste is mellow, sweet and with body. In fact, Gyokuro could be produced from the same tea leaf cultivar as Sencha. The farmer uses very special method when producing tea leaves for Gyokuro. About 20-30 days in advance before plucking, entire tea garden is covered by black-colored sheet. The tea garden is seriously lack of sunshine. As tea tree is trying to survive, physiological changes are taking place. The tea leaf is not only physically changing but also changing the chemical composition including the typical flavor substances of Gyokuro. We select Gyokuro from Shizuoka, Okabe Town of Shizuoka Prefecture which is called Asahina Gyokuro.We urge you to enjoy the typical taste of Japanese green tea produced at the beautiful mountain surrounded by clean air and transparent alpine water.
Okabe Town is located north west of Shizuoka Town. The alpine river called Asahina River runs through the town, and both sides are surrounded by very steep mountains. The Asahina District which is located at the north of Okabe Town has hilly lands, and thanks to the typical mountain weather, it is suitable for producing good quality tea. Tea is produced here since the Muromachi Era. The Gyokuro was invented in year 1835. Tea garden was traditional covered by the bundle rice straws. Nowadays, Asahina (Shizuoka), Uji (Kyoto) and Yame (Fukuoka) are three major Gyokuro manufacturing areas in Japan.
Around 30 days in advance before plucking the leaves, the tea garden is covered with a black sheet. The penetration rate of sunshine in the beginning which is for 7-10 days is 65-70%, and from then onwards is 97-98%. The theanine which is a kind of amino acid is produced from the root and is transfered to the stem and leaves. Theanine is the substance representing the umami and sweetness in green tea. Green tea which contains higher percentage of theanine gives a mellower taste, on the contrary, tea leaves which contain a higher proportion of polyphenol such as catechins gives a bitter taste. When tea leaves are exposed to sufficient sunshine, theanine is degraded and converted into catechins. Therefore, blocking out the sunshine will inhibit the biosynthesis of catechins and theanine is proportionally increased. In other words, the typical taste of Gyokuro is made by blocking out the sunshine from the tea leaves.
The typical aroma of Gyokuro which is often associated as seaweed is composed by the substance named dimethylsulphite. The precursor of dimethylsulphite is called methylmethioninesulphonyl. This substance is also accumulated in tea leaves when the tea garden is blocked from sunshine. During this process, the tea leaves get steamed, which in turn produces a substance called dimethylsulphite.
The brewed Gyokuro leaves are very deep green in color compared with Sencha which is yellowish green. When the tea garden is covered and no sufficient sunshine reaches the tea leaves, it will rise to the surface of the tea leaves and produce more of chlorophyll which is the green pigment of tea leaf, in order to carry out photosynthesis. This is the reason why the color of Gyokuro is a deep green shade.
Asahina Gyokuro is mainly produced from the cultivar called Yabukita. The leaf is plucked by hand, therefore, the tea bush in the tea garden is not cut into “table-shape” but standing up.
Starting from the end of April till beginning of May, the first flush is plucked based on the standard of one bud and two leaves. The leaf is plucked after sunrise in order to avoid the morning dew. The tea leaves will be over heated during the steaming process if the morning dew is present on the leaves. As a result, the tissues of the tea leaves will be excessively destroyed and will not be able to produce fine quality tea leaves.
The process of Gyokuro is basically the same as Sencha. However, the leaf of Gyokuro contains more moisture and is tender, therefore extra care is required during handling.
Tea leaves plucked from different tea gardens is segregated. Different tea gardens carry different lot numbers and will not be mixed in order to establish their clear traceability.
Fresh tea leaves of Gyokuro contains high moisture and the leaves are very tender. Steaming is conducted only for 20 seconds which is shorter than Sencha. Applying a high temperature in steaming for short time consistently, will result in the the finished tea leaves product to be completely dried and it contains no condensed moisture.
Tea leaves has to be quickly cooled down and at the same time evaporate the moisture. Immediate reduction of the wet heat is very important to avoid secondary heating of tea leaves.
Effectively drying by agitating the tea leaves under the hot air. At the same time, mixing will soften the leaves.
This is the only process conducted without heat. The machine moves in circular motion with pressure that spread the moisture of the tea leaves evenly. The tea leaves generate heat due to the friction. Therefore, at regular intervals it is necessary to loosen the tea leaves to release the heat.
A rotary dryer is used, gently rolling the tea leaves to promote drying; reducing moisture, and twists the tea leaves into a finer shape.
It is a reciprocal movement of the back and forth motion, combined with circular movement twisting the tea leaves into a needle shape. High quality Sencha appeares to be dark green in color, shinny and solid.
After the final rolling, tea leaves still contain moisture. Further drying will necessary to reduce the moisture up to 5%. These leaves are called Aracha (crude tea). Areca does not undergo the firing process. Comparing with the finished product, the flavor of fresh leaves and bitterness is very strong.
The purpose of firing is as below:
Each tea wholesaler will purchase Aracha as raw material, and based on their individual process, they will conduct firing. This is how they create their original quality. Subsequently, they will blend a few kinds of tea and create a wholesaler’s original brand.
However, in most of cases, Gyokuro is not fired in order to retain its original characteristic.
Unlike the Sencha process, Gyokuro is not introduced to the market during spring right after its production. It will be kept for a few months from autumn to winter in order to get tea leaves well matured which will make it taste very mellow and sweet.
The characteristic of Gyokuro is deep umami and sweetness. It is very thick and has a soupy like consistency, with a very sweet after taste. Please note that the brewing method of Gyokuro is very different from Sencha.
In you are using tap water, it is necessary to use a water filter that consists of activated carbon filter. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be able to enjoy the authentic taste of tea. If using a commercial mineral water, it is important to choose the natural mineral water. Never use distilled water or reversed osmosis processed water. These water lack of mineral content and thus the taste of tea is too soft and a little plain. Soft water is better than hard water. Brewing tea with hard water makes taste bitter while soft water makes taste gentle and sweet. The softness of water is written on the mineral water bottle as TDS: total dissolved solid. You need to choose the water that TDS is below 200mg/liter.
Go to further information about suitable water for brewing tea >>
We recommend 2 different styles of brewing. 1. Traditional style and 2. Modern style. The traditional style uses less water, extremely lower temperature and long brewing time. It gives very thick taste like soup and strong body. As for modern brewing method, we follow almost the same method as brewing sencha. Use less quantity of leaf, higher temperature and shorter brewing time than brewing sencha. It gives very strong flavor and gentle sweetness. Based on my experience serving Gyokuro to many customer, majority of my customer enjoy morden brewing method.
About 6g of tea leaf for 100ml of water. Tea is drunk in very high concentration.
It is important not to use boiling water. Boiling water should be poured into an empty glass or any container and let it cool down until about 50 degree C. It is as low temperature as shower.
The brewing time is about 2 minutes. The second brewing is for less than 10 seconds at the same temperature. Customer tends to feel that less than 10 seconds may not be long enough. However it is sufficient since leaf has been soaked in hot water while tea leaf is left inside teapot. Second brewing is the most critical brewing. If you brew too long at 2nd brewing, you would not be able to enjoy the rest of brewing.
Traditionally, a pitcher is not used for brewing Japanese tea. Tea is directly poured from the tea pot into respective tea cups. In order to make the concentration evenly, we have to pour one cup after another,a few times until the last drop of tea. The purpose of pouring until the last drop is to extract the concentrated liquor. This is important as tea leaves must be filtered well and kept without water to avoid the liquor becoming bitter and stewed. Besides, it prevents tea leaves from being over cooked. In addition, tea after filtration will be ready for second brewin. However the usage of pitcher is highly recommended as it is very practical for brewing nice cup of tea. With the pitcher, you can mange to keep teapot always empty as soon as brewing is completed.
After pouring the tea, you have to make sure leave the lid open to avoid further steaming of tea leaves.
Banko purple clay and Tetsubin makes the taste of Gyokuro even better. It is mainly thanks to the iron that released from the equipment. The iron enhance the depth of after taste in particular.
The quatity of tea leaf can be calculated by the formuma that "Divide the Volume of Water by 5". For example: the volume of teapot = 200ml; 200ml/50 =4g. You need to measure 4g of tea leaf for 200ml of water. On the contrary to the traditional brewing method, use more volume of water. Teapot that size is in about 150-220ml is just nice for one person.
Cool boiling water down to 70-80 degree C. Stick to the same temperature over the series of brewing until you feel taste is no long remaining. At last increase brewing temperature so as to bring out the remaining taste and flavor.
Gyokuro leaf is much more tender than sencha leaf. Brewing time should be slightly shorter than how we brew sencha. For sencha, the first brewing is for 1 mins For Gyokuro, 30 seconds to 40 seconds is long eough. The second brewing must be kept less than a few seconds. The theird brewing also the same. From the forth brewing, increase to 10 seconds and for the each subsequent brewing add additional 10 seconds.
Banko purple clay and Tetsubin makes the taste of Gyokuro even better. It is mainly thanks to the iron that released from the equipment. The iron enhance the depth of after taste in particular. For this brewing method, we also recommend red clay teapot. With higher temperature, aroma and flavor comes up more intense which synclonizes with the character of red clay.
Most of Green Teas can be brewed in cold water. The higher the grade, the more suitable it is with cold water brewing. In particular, Gyokuro is second to none when it comes to cold the water brewing.
1. Measure 1 table spoons of tea leaves for 500 of water.
2. Pour in water into glass jar or bottle and leave it for more than 30 mins. It is also good idea to put tea leaf directly into Pet Bottle.
3. Very gently stir the container in order to even out its concentration.
4. Usually the taste of tea is getting thicker when it is brewed for more than a few hours. In this case, top up additional water. Eventually tea can be brewed more than 1 liters per 1 table spoons.
1. Measure 4-6g of tea leaf for 200ml of water.
2. Pour water into clay teapot and brew it for 3 mins.
3. For second brewing, brew for 20 seconds. Alternatively you can also swtich to hot water from second brewing onwards, if you wish. With hot water on second brewing, pour boiling water and brew for less than a few seconds. Since tea leaf is very cold and wet, the temperature drastically drops to less than 60 degree.
The benefit of cold water brewing is Tea can last for whole day and the taste is natural sweet and refreshing. Thanks to the cold water extraction, the level of caffeine in tea is extremely low. You would not suffer from sleepless night. It can be
even enjoyed by kids.
Once a bag of tea is opened, please finish it within 3 months if you wish to enjoy its freshness. From the medical point of view, it is safe to consume the tea even if it is kept for a few years. However the freshness disappears if it is kept for too long. Tea must be tightly sealed before it is kept. Tea should be kept in ambient and dry conditions such as in the living room, but it must be completely away from humidity. Tea should not be kept in the kitchen as the environment is very humid. Avoid enclosed area such as inside the cupboard or drawer as these places are damp. Also avoid opening the bag of tea in humid atmosphere. It is recommended to open the bag during a sunny day or under air-conditioned atmosphere. Once tea leaves absorb moisture, deterioration of tea will be triggered within a few days. Tea will then give an astringent taste, sometime it tastes sour. The fresh aroma also becomes weaker.
The quality of tea lasts longer if it is kept in the fridge. However we strongly recommend you not to keep tea in the fridge. When tea is withdrawn from the fridge, there is usually condensation. Once tea is exposed to moisture during condensation, the quality will deteriorate within a few days. The higher moisture content in the tea leaves will trigger oxidation and it will completely destroy the quality of tea.
Here’s one frequently asked question: what happens if bag is sealed using tape or tea is packed in zipper bag and kept inside the fridge?
For your information, these simple sealing methods are not sufficient. When the bag is withdrawn from the fridge, it is cold inside the bag and therefore causes negative pressure. Air will be drawn from outside and condensation will occur. In addition, if the bag is taken in and out from the fridge very often, this will cause heat stress to the tea leaves as temperature is increased and decreased very frequently. If tea is kept in the fridge, when it is withdrawn from the fridge, it is necessary to leave it in ambient atmosphere for more than 24 hours in order to warm up the tea leaves. Based on our experience, 12 hours is not long enough. We may think tea is warmed up, but inside the bag, the tea leaves are still cold due to insulation effect.
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