Gyokuro Tea - Ooen

Gyokuro is a high-quality Japanese green tea known for its distinctive umami flavor and cultivation process. Grown in shaded fields for several weeks before harvesting, it develops a rich, sweet flavor with a deep umami taste due to the enhanced chlorophyll and amino acids.

This Ooen gyokuro tea was made from the youngest buds which are hand-picked and machine-cut. The flavor is mellow with a fragrant finish, making it ideal for beginners trying Gyokuro.

This type of tea is harvested from a shaded tea farm (usually open-air, but covered with a standard synthetic netting from mid-April until harvest). After the new buds are picked, they are dried while being kneaded. Covering the tea plants increases chlorophyll in the leaves, making them richly green, thin, and soft. This enhances the umami while minimizing bitterness and astringency. 

Maruri Yoshida Meichaen, located in Uji, Kyoto, has been producing Uji tea for 16 generations since the Edo period, passing down the tradition from their ancestors. They continue to uphold traditional tea production techniques such as hand-rolled tea processing and the Honzu covering method, which shades tea plants with rice straw mats to enhance flavor and aroma. Their Uji tea is carefully picked from meticulously-managed tea farms and crafted with the highest level of skill. 

Since 1947, they have participated in the National Tea Competition every year and have won the top prize, the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Award, 20 times. The 14th generation owner, Yoshida Kisaburo was registered as intangible cultural heritage in Uji-City. Since then, they have managed the care of Japan's oldest tea farm, Kozan-ji Tea Farm, which is part of the UNESCO World Heritage site Kozan-ji Temple.

Location: Uji, Kyoto
Taste Profile: Umami
Cultivar: Samidori + Ujimidori (Blended)
Steaming Level: Light (Asamushi-cha)

Umami: ◾◾◾◾
Sweetness: ◾◾◾
Astringency: ◾◾◾
Aroma: ◾◾◾◾

Best for: Savoring in the morning when you want a gentle start to your day. The smooth, umami-rich flavor can awaken your senses without being overwhelming.

How to brew:
- Use 8g of tea leaves. (2 servings)

- Add 50ml of 120°F water
- Steep the tea for 1 minute and 30 seconds.

- Squeeze out every last drop before serving.

This is the first crop of 2024. 

100g