Kagoshima Gyokuro 玉露, 50g

Green tea very rich in umami
Harvested in Kagoshima, Japan
Production by Mr. Sakamoto
No pesticides

In July 2023, we visited Mr. Sakamoto, a famous producer of gyokuro teas. Tea cultivation in his family goes back 100 years, he represents the 3rd generation of operators. After personal tragedies, 35 years ago, he converted the entire farm to organic. This currently covers 400 ha.
Mr. Sakamoto showed us the loose and therefore living earth of his fields.
He treats her very carefully; he also produces the bokashi fertilizer himself for his gyokuros and sells it to his neighbors.

Gyokuro is what we call a shade tea: as soon as the buds appear, or at the latest three weeks before harvest, the tea plants are protected from sunlight. They grow under tighter and tighter nets, the blocked radiation increases from around 70% at the start to over 90% at the end.

Photosynthesis naturally produces catechins, a source of astringency; by shading the tea plants, the production of catechins is slowed while the proportion of theanine, a source of umami , increases. This is the reason why certain Japanese teas such as gyokuro, but also kabusécha or matcha, are partly aged in the dark.

sweetness★★
umami ★★★
body ★★★

Brewing time