About Gyokuro Green tea

It took me a while to finally try Gyokuro green tea. But once I did I was instantly hooked. My first thoughts were why it took me so long, but objectively speaking I was just busy fully enjoying other Japanese teas – kukicha, sencha, genmaicha, oolong, hojicha - and then totally immersed into matcha rituals.

Gyokuro never seemed to enter a scene, but once I finally brewed myself a cup of one of the finest and most prized Japanese teas I never wanted to go back to regular green tea and was always looking forward for a moment to enjoy my newly discovered taste sensation.

It’s light and uplifting making it a perfect morning wake-me-up or afternoon pick-me-up tea. My favourite time to have gyokuro is after lunch hours. I boil the water, let it cool down to the right temperature which is about 60C, pour it over tea leaves and let it brew for 3 min.

I have to be precise – have tried to rush the process and use hotter water, or had let the tea brew for longer, but the results were considerably different. Too much heat seemed to diminish the taste and dull the sweetness. Sticking to the right temperature and the brewing time turned out to be very important while preparing gyokuro.

Why Gyokuro tea tastes so good? In terms of growing methods, it’s similar to matcha – both are shade grown. Shading from the direct sunlight allows the plant to retain more chlorophyll rather than converting it to bitter tannins. It also allows to create higher level of theanine and fructose contributing to the natural sweetness. Once picked, the leaves are steamed to prevent oxidation, rolled and dried to ensure the freshness and aroma. In Japan it is called “jade dew” to convey its premium quality and exquisite taste full of complex umami flavour.

Clearspring Gyokuro green tea comes from Kyoto and Kyushu areas, known to produce the finest teas in Japan.

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