What is Gyokuro「玉露」
Type of tea: 玉露「Gyokuro」 Cultivated variety (cultivar): ごこう「Gokou」
Shading period: 26 days
Gyokuro is an exquisite tea known as the "King of Japanese Green Tea," produced through a unique method called "Tana" (shading). It involves shading the tea plants for over 20 days to enhance the richness of its umami flavor.
d:matcha's Gyokuro is cultivated through organic methods, making it exceptionally rare. The cultivar of this Gyokuro is Gokou which is the special native cultivar of Kyoto Prefecture. The abundance of flavor-packed, tender tea leaves makes it a delectable treat even for insects.
Shading:
The production of gyokuro is extremely specific. The leaves must be indirectly shaded for a minimum of 20 days. This 'indirect shading' is achieved by utilizing a shelf that is specially built around the targeted tea field. Layers of black gauze cloth are then draped from and around this structure. Indirect shading eliminates the weight and potential friction of the cloth, providing a stress-free environment for the young shoots to grow. Though direct shading with black light-shielding sheets is feasible for Gyokuro cultivation, it can damage the new tea buds due to the weight and heat of the sheets. Using the "Tana" allows us to shade the plants from a distance, resulting in higher-quality Gyokuro. However, setting up the "Tana" incurs significant costs. At d:matcha, we collaborated with local tea farmers and installed the "Tana" ourselves.
Seicha Processing:
For teas like Kabusecha and Gyokuro, which have a longer shading period, the tea buds grow more, leading to the inclusion of unnecessary parts like stems during harvest. After the tea leaves are harvested, rolled, and dried, excess stem or powder are thus carefully extracted. This is called "shitate" processing. To further emphasise the charm of our tea, d:matcha works closely with wholesalers during this processing phase. Tea leaves are also gently reheated, but not to the point of roasting, to further highlight the aroma and taste of the tea.
At d:matcha our gyokuro is produced with the gokou cultivar. Native to Kyoto Prefecture, the characteristics of gokou become extremely all the more distinct when the leaves are shaded.
Determining the timing of the harvest for young gokou shoots however, is always a challenge. During the first flush, we constantly monitor the tea fields to discern the right day to harvest. If the young shoots have had the chance to harden, this would result in a gyokuro with a very harsh aroma.
By utilizing the unique features of the gokou cultivar and following traditional methods of production, we hope to produce for you delicious gyokuro unlike any other.
Watch how we harvested our 2024 Gyokuro!
