Gyokuro – Rick’s Tea Face
I felt very traditional today. Green Tea traditional. Japanese Green Tea Traditional. Gyokuro Japanese Green Tea Traditional. Gyokuro is as traditional as one can get when speaking of Japanese tea. Gyokuro’s origins can be traced back to the 1500’s. There are many Japanese green teas, with the traditional steamed sencha tea being the majority. But when the tea is shaded for the last 3 to 4 weeks prior to harvesting, in order to drive more of the “good stuff” we find in tea, including chlorophyll giving it the dark green color, into the leaves, it justifiably earns it’s English translation….Jade Dew. Some of the “good stuff” include flavonoids and polyphenols, both of which are antioxidants
It is Gyokuro which when slow ground becomes Matcha. So, just because it says “matcha” on the package, doesn’t make it so unless it from Gyokuro, grown and processed in this manner. A quality Japanese green tea will also have this cloudiness. Finer Japanese teas are rolled into tight needles, which can break off and settle to the bottom of the cup. Drink it all down to get all the benefits.
The taste of Gyokuro is somewhat sweeter than a standard sencha. The scent and flavor is also more vegetal, or grassier than other sencha tea. All green tea can be steeped multiple times, and with these stronger characteristics of Gyokuro, you can steep it less the first few times, unless you like very strong flavor as I like to call “broccoli water”.
These characteristics and how it is grown and produced are what is carried over into Matcha. But, while Matcha takes time and is as much of a ritual to properly prepare, steeping and sipping Gyokuro is a delightful experience, as I find with our other Japanese teas.
We buy Gyokuro and a number of other Japanese teas directly from families in Japan, who grow, process and sell their tea. Buying direct allows us to pass on lower prices without sacrificing quality.
If you have not had the experience of sipping a quality Gyokuro Tea, please click HERE.