Description
GYOKURO - Japanese Shade Tea
(Japanese Style Green Tea)
CUP CHARACTERISTICS: A full flavored green tea that has a satisfying light refreshing character. Tending pleasantly vegetative with some briskness.
INGREDIENTS: Green tea
INGREDIENTS FROM: Japan
REGION(S): Kagoshima Prefecture
GROWING ALTITUDES: 200 - 1000 feet above sea level
GRADE(S): Shade Gyokuro
MANUFACTURE TYPE(S): Non fermented, Traditional process, Small batch crafted, Steamed
ANTIOXIDANT LEVEL: High
CAFFEINE LEVEL: Low
KOSHER: Yes
VEGETARIAN: Yes
VEGAN: Yes
ARTISANAL NOTES: Small batch blended and packed in Canada.
INFUSION: Deep olive hues
INFORMATION:
Prepare yourself for one of the truest expressions of tea craftsmanship on the planet. Organic Gyokuru, made according to exacting specifications that date to Japan's Edo period (1603-1868), offers a brew so pure, it is best enjoyed with a poem. To this end, we've found the perfect literary accompaniment: a verse committed to paper by famed Japanese poet Sen no Rikyu (1522-1591). Replying to the question, "what is tea?" the ancient poet wrote:
Tea is not but this.
First you make the water boil,
Then infuse the tea.
Then you drink it properly.
That is all you need to know.
Simple right? We thought so. The only catch is that achieving a tea as pure and simple as this Kagoshima-grown Organic Gyokuro takes hard work, and lots of it.
To start with, Gyokuro is produced only from hand-plucked tea grown between March and April when tea bushes flush, pushing up fresh new shoots. Complicating matters, for the first three weeks of production, the bushes are shaded with bamboo and straw, forcing the plants to produce more chlorophyll, deepening the flavor of the leaf. About two weeks after the shading has been removed, the tea is plucked. Extreme care is taken to select only leaves that are smaller than one inch in size. Anything larger and the tea will lose its fragrance and pliable, tender qualities. Next, the leaves are gently bruised and lightly steamed resulting in a fine, dark leaf with pungent depth and luscious green character.
STEEPING TIME
TEA CUP |
8oz (237ml) |
10oz (296ml) |
12oz (355ml) |
AMOUNT |
1 heaping teaspoon of "The Perfect Measure Spoon" |
1 heaping teaspoon of "The Perfect Measure Spoon" |
1.5 heaping teaspoon of "The Perfect Measure Spoon" |
MILD |
1-2 min |
1-2 min |
1-2 min |
MEDIUM |
2-3min |
2-3 min |
2-3 min |
STRONG |
3-5 min |
3-5 min |
3-5 min |
We recommend 4 min
TEA POT |
18oz (532ml) |
36oz (1064ml) |
48oz (1419ml) |
AMOUNT |
2 heaping teaspoon of "The Perfect Measure Spoon" |
4 heaping teaspoon of "The Perfect Measure Spoon" |
6 heaping teaspoon of "The Perfect Measure Spoon" |
MILD |
1-2 min |
1-2 min |
1-2 min |
MEDIUM |
2-3 min |
2-3 min |
2-3 min |
STRONG |
3-5 min |
3-5 min |
3-5 min |
We recommend 4 min.
SERVING RECOMMENDATIONS:
MILK NO, SUGAR NO, LEMON NO, MINT NO.
IDEAL BREWING TEMPERATURE: 85ºC/185ºF. For Food Safety reasons bring water to 100ºC/212ºF and let it cool down to 85ºC/185ºF.