Gyokuro Japanese Green Tea is considered Japan's finest. This tea is a steamed green with full flavor and a satisfying light refreshing character.

The tea is made from from single buds that are picked only in April/May. In an effort to develop increased chlorophyll (making them dark green) and reduced tannin (giving a sweeter flavor with no bitterness), the tea is covered with black curtains or bamboo and straw shades for 3 weeks in early spring. The leaves are small - about 3/4" long and extremely fragrant and tender.

Immediately after plucking, the leaves are taken to the factory and steamed for about 30 minutes to seal in the flavor and arrest fermentation. Next, they are fluffed with hot air, pressed, and dried to 30% moisture content.

Repeated rolling takes place until the tea develops long, thin, dark green needles at which time it is finally dried to a 4-6% moisture content. Gyokuro has been referred to as "history, philosophy, and art in a single cup", and is usually brewed in a kyusu (special Japanese teapot) and served in handle-less cups.

The Japanese take tea drinking very seriously, and the better it is, the more they are willing to pay for it. It is not uncommon the some Gyokuro’s sell for more than $1000.00 per pound - arguably the most expensive tea in the world.

The reason Gyokuro is so expensive is because old tea trees are shaded to reduce the effect of photosynthesis. There is almost an insane cachet that seems to be unique to Japan about drinking rare green teas.

We recommend brewing Gyokuro a little differently than traditional green teas. Use twice the amount of dried tea leaves, along with a slightly lower brewing temperature (120-140° F), and steep a little longer (90 seconds rather than 1 minute).

Check out our English Tea Blog for more information on Gyokuro!