Gyokuro 2024 🇯🇵

Gyokuro
Japanese Green Tea
From Harayama, Wazuka, Soraku District, Kyoto Prefecture, Honshu Island, Japan

25g Tin
or
Zero Waste Refill (compostable bag) with discount code: REFILL

This tea is organically grown!

An exceptional Gyokuro with its elegant, fine leaves of deep green tones giving freshly cut grass aromas. The wet leaf is vibrant and tender with a light savoury umami aroma. The tea soup has an excellent quality and clarity with a pale gold hue. The taste, an initial tartness of flavour then, a soft, silky mouthfeel with a satisfying rich umami and gentle sweetness.



Harvested in May, this Gyokuro has been grown using the Yabukita cultivar that’s Tana shelf shaded for three weeks. This shading develops the deep green colour of leaf whilst also developing umami flavours and further nuances. By utilising this method, the levels of amino acid theanine and levels of caffeine are increased. It shares similarities to the cultivation of Tencha.



After harvesting the leaves undergo steaming, fine rolling process and drying, all with great skill and care by the Nakai family. 

Nakai was the first tea farm to be organically certified in Japan with tea fields free of pesticides, herbicides and synthetic fertilisers.

Nakai Tea Garden has enjoyed a 350 year history of tea cultivation in Wazuka, since the Genroku Era (late 1660’s). 
In 1986 the 6th generation Tea Master Michio Nakai switched to all natural cultivation for the health of the environment and fellow tea drinkers. This decision was met with alot of backlash at the time but Michio-san and family were committed, despite all the nay-sayers. After organic practices began, by 1993 the tea garden was producing excellent tea. 
In the same year, Michio-san with a group of founders created JONA - the Japanese Organic & Natural Foods Association serving an organic standards agency. This would lead to the Japanese Agricultural Standards or JAS being launched in 2000 by JONA.

Wazuka is a tea town in the southeastern area of Kyoto Prefecture. Wazuka has been a tea growing location since the Kamakura period as a main producer following Uji tea processing methods. It thought that the Kaijūsen-ji temple introduced tea to the area and Zen Buddhist monk, Shonin Jishin was the first to cultivate tea on Mt Jubu and then in Wazuka.

Gyokuro is a true rarity ~ less than 1% of all tea made in Japan is Gyokuro, due to the attention to detail and expertises needed in its production.

Brew Guide Per Cup:
Tea 1/2 teaspoon
Water 60ºc-70ºc / 300ml
Brew time 1 minute
Re-infuse leaves 2 - 3 times to personal taste.

Can be brewed as a cold infusion for a refreshing sweet flavour.