Gyokuro - Kagoshima

Gyokuro is one of Japan’s most highly prized green teas, distinguished by 21 days of shading before the spring harvest. From Kagoshima, this limited-release Gyokuro has a deep green appearance and concentrated umami, balanced by delicate sweetness and a remarkably low level of astringency.

*Limited Spring Harvest*

£31.00 GBP

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Size 100g

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Packaging

Our teas are designed with sustainability in mind. Loose leaf teas and tea bags are packed in recyclable pouches, and our tea bags are fully compostable, perfect for your home food waste bin.

Storage

Store your tea in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight. Keep pouches sealed between uses to preserve flavour and character. Most teas remain enjoyable after their best-before date, though blends with added flavours may lose their intensity after this date.

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Description

Gyokuro occupies a special place among Japanese green teas. Rather than allowing the plants to grow in full sunlight, the tea bushes are shaded for a few weeks before harvest. This is the defining feature of Gyokuro and one of the reasons it commands such a high price. By restricting sunlight during the final stage of growth, the leaves develop a deeper green colour and a distinctive concentration of umami and sweetness. Japanese agricultural guidance describes Gyokuro as one of the finest grades of Japanese green tea, traditionally shaded for around 20 days before harvest.

This Gyokuro comes from Kagoshima and is made from the spring harvest, when the tender new growth is at its most prized. The tea was shaded for 21 days using the tunnel shading method, extending the period in which the developing leaves were protected from direct sunlight. The resulting leaves are finely shaped and intensely green, producing a concentrated infusion with deep umami, gentle sweetness and a lingering finish.

Gyokuro is also brewed very differently from most green teas. A relatively high quantity of leaf is combined with a small amount of cooler water, allowing the savoury sweetness and umami to come forward while limiting the extraction of more astringent flavours. It is a tea that rewards attention rather than speed, and one that can be enjoyed through several infusions as its character changes.

For experienced Japanese tea drinkers, Gyokuro represents an opportunity to explore the effect of extended shading at its most pronounced. For those new to it, this limited Kagoshima spring harvest offers a chance to experience one of Japan's most distinctive and celebrated green teas.

Origin

This Gyokuro comes from Kagoshima, on the southern island of Kyushu, one of Japan’s major tea-producing regions. Kagoshima has become particularly important to Japanese tea production, with its warm climate and extensive tea-growing areas supporting a wide range of cultivars and styles.

This is a spring-harvest Gyokuro, produced from the first flush of new growth. The spring harvest is particularly important for Japanese green tea because the young shoots provide the tender leaves used for high-grade teas. For Gyokuro, this spring growth is cultivated under shade before picking, making the harvest and cultivation method inseparable from the tea's identity.

The result is a Gyokuro that combines Kagoshima's modern importance as a tea-producing region with one of Japan's most traditional and demanding green tea production methods.

Processing

The defining stage of Gyokuro production takes place before the leaves are harvested. For this tea, the plants are shaded for 21 days using the tunnel shading method, with dark fabric positioned above the tea bushes to restrict direct sunlight. Extended shading is fundamental to Gyokuro production and is typically carried out for around 20 days or more.

Reducing sunlight changes the way the developing leaves grow and alters their chemical composition. Shading helps preserve higher levels of theanine while reducing the formation of some compounds associated with bitterness and astringency. This is central to Gyokuro’s characteristic umami and sweetness.

After picking, the fresh leaves are steamed to prevent oxidation. They are then cooled, rolled and dried through a series of stages that gradually shape the leaves and reduce their moisture. The finished tea retains its distinctive deep green colour and fine, tightly rolled whole-leaf appearance.

The combination of spring harvesting, 21 days of shading and careful leaf processing creates the concentrated character that distinguishes Gyokuro from Sencha and other Japanese green teas.

Gyokuro and Matcha are both highly regarded Japanese green teas, but they are produced and prepared differently. Gyokuro remains a rolled whole-leaf tea and is brewed by infusing the leaves in water. Matcha is made from shade-grown tencha leaves, which are dried and ground into a fine powder before being whisked directly into water.

Brewing the Perfect Cup

Gyokuro is traditionally brewed with a higher quantity of leaf and much cooler water than most green teas. The lower temperature helps draw out the tea's umami and sweetness while limiting bitterness and astringency.

Leaf: 5g per 100ml water
Water Temperature: 50–60°C
First Infusion: 90 seconds–2 minutes
Second Infusion: 30–60 seconds
Further Infusions: Gradually increase the temperature and infusion time

For the best experience, use a small teapot or brewing vessel and avoid rushing the first infusion. Gyokuro produces a concentrated cup with relatively little water, allowing its deep umami and sweetness to take centre stage.

For a more traditional preparation, use around 10g of leaf with 60ml of water at approximately 50°C and allow the tea to infuse for around two minutes. This produces an intensely concentrated first infusion and is a particularly good way to appreciate the depth of a high-grade Gyokuro.

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Gyokuro - Kagoshima