What is gyokuro?

Gyokuro is one of the most luxurious Japanese teas – it produces only 4% of all tea produced in Japan. It began to be produced in the Uji region as early as the Edo period – 1835. Now most gyokuro is grown and produced in the Mie region – about 73 percent. Similar to matcha, its bushes are grown in the shade for about 3 weeks before harvest, but gyokuro is processed similarly to sencha - the result of the production process is loose leaf tea.

It is also interesting that gyokuro is grown in the shade in the so-called " shelf shaded " method, when the tea field cover is raised so that it does not reach the tops of the growing bushes. Meanwhile, another leaf tea grown in the shade (at least 7 days) is kabusecha – can be covered with direct field mulching, where the tops of the shrub rest on the mulching fabric as they grow.

Gyokuro is harvested early and only once a year – usually in May. Only the two most delicate upper leaves and the tip are harvested.

By the way, gyokuro means in Japanese " precious stone dew" (usually referring to jade – a bright green stone).

In later posts, I will write a recommendation on how to properly prepare gyokuro tea.