2024 Uji Handpicked Gyokuro

2024年 手もみ玉露

Gyokuro Handpicked 2024

Gyokuro is not our everyday tea. Our everyday tea is sencha, which can be enjoyed anytime. Gyokuro, however, is reserved for when we're in the mood for a deep dive into umami. There's that special 'it’s Gyokuro time!'. For deep umami, we'd choose gyokuro over sencha.

Here’s our preferred gyokuro brewing method:

5:30~40
1. Steep 1: 60°C, 90s
2. Steep 2: 60°C, 30s
3. Steep 3: 70°C, 40s
4. Steep 4: 80°C, 50s
5. Steep 5: 90°C, 60s

Pour in a single continuous pour. We do not rock our gyokuro back and forth, although we sometimes do with sencha. We recommend treating gyokuro delicately and using a single pour.

Our Impression:
The taste is reminiscent of fish roe (ikura), which might sound strange, but it's surprisingly addictive. It’s an intense experience that stimulates our minds yet provides a calming energy without causing a headache.

This is an Autumn release Gyokuro. While there are shincha versions of gyokuro, the major release season for these teas is in autumn, after they've had time to mellow and develop more umami.

The shape of your brewing vessel matters. Shallow, low-volume vessels tend to lose heat faster. Our shiboridashi holds 40 ml, so it doesn’t have the density compared to a 100 ml flat bottom kyusu.

Other Brewing Method Options:
Your mileage may vary. Here are some general recommendations:
- Standard: 5:60, 90 seconds (follow the above temperature guide)
- Sencha style: 5:120 ml, 60 seconds, 60-80°C

Ultimately, it's a balancing act between temperature, time, and leaf quantity for all steeps, and you should use what you enjoy as well as what your body can take. Usually, with green tea (whether Japanese or Chinese), the procedure is to increase the temperature and use shorter steeps. Once again, lower temperature = longer steeps.