Rightly said, the Gyokuro tea is a Japanese wonder. This is one unique variant of green tea with a distinct deviation from the standard sencha tea we know. Compared to the other type of green teas, the Gyokuro is not grown under the full glare of the sun, rather it needs some shading. The duration of this shading is usually longer than that of the covered tea (traditionally known as the kabuse tea).
Table of Contents
The Shading of Gyokuro
Talking about this shading requirement, the Gyokuro is conventionally shaded for about 20 days while the kabuse tea earlier mentioned is shaded for approximately 7 days. Surely the name “Gyokuro” itself sounds puzzling, right? Well, it is Japanese and translates into jewel dew or better still jade dew. This name is actually sourced from the color of the infusion of Gyokuro which is normally pale green.
Knowing More about Gyokuro
Without argument, we would easily crown the Gyokuro Tea as one of the finest tea Japan could ever produce throughout its history. Peculiarly, the Gyokuro Tea comes with its distinction that quickly separates it from other kinds of green tea.
This distinction so to say cuts across its unique flavor, particular coloration even as far as the way it is shaded, cultivated and processed. You surely stand to be marveled learning about the engrossing depth of the Gyokuro Tea.
The Growing Process
Fundamentally, the Gyokuro Tea is a steamed green tea particularly shade grown. As earlier pointed out, in the growing process, the Gyokuro is compulsorily shaded from the sun for a number of weeks (say three in most instances). This contributes largely to the formative process of this green tea variant in that the shading reduces the speed of growth of the Gyokuro.
With a slowed growth as explained here, the tea leaves of the Gyokuro are allowed an increased amount of time to add more flavor, as well as develop more depth.
Nutritional Content of Gyokuro
Remarkably the leaves of the Gyokuro are still high in chlorophyll despite not afforded the luxury of full sunlight (since they are shaded). Thus we see that the Gyokuro has this captivating green coloration. Talking about the nutritional component of Gyokuro, this tea is rich in amino acids most significantly the L-theanine.
This principally contributes to its special flavor and smoothness. The aroma of the Gyokuro is enchanting as well – not harsh but more like freshly buttered greens. Therefore, the Gyokuro tea is worth every sip!
How Gyokuro is Processed
The Gyokuro is a delicious tea, but there is, of course, a long way from the plant itself to that tantalizing Gyokuro tea you gulp enjoyably from your teacup. Let us therefore learn a bit about how the Gyokuro tea is processed.
Well, the whole procedure begins at the start of April. This is when the first fresh shoots of the season start appearing. In no time after the emergence of this fresh shoots, you would have to shade your Gyokuro tea plant for the mandatory 20 days we have earlier buttressed on.
What the shading entails
For the shading, you can use rice straw or even reed screens pertaining to the traditional style. The main idea here is to protect it from the direct impact of the sun. This targeted reduced sunlight exposure is to slow the rate of photosynthesis enabling us to eventually arrive at that high theanine, amino acid levels we aim for in our Gyokuro tea not forgetting that distinct umami-rich flavor worth dying for.
Drying and rolling your Gyokuro leaves
After you have harvested your Gyokuro leaves, the steaming comes in followed by the rolling process which would entail drying the Gyokuro leaves. Here in the rolling process, the fibers get reasonably softened so that the complete flavor of then Gyokuro is fully unleashed.
The rolling process spreads through many stages practically, from loose rolling all the way to rolling with a tight twist. This is aimed at shaping the leaves in that customary thin needle form they are popular for. Next, the leaves are sustainably dried to take off all the water content. On the long run, this maintains the quality of the Gyokuro tea.
Cold Brew Method of Gyokuro
Here we would be looking at the cold brew method of the Gyokuro precisely the first infusion process.
Steps
- Step 1: So to start with, add your tea scooping about a tablespoon of your Gyokuro into your teapot (preferably 12 ounces). Don’t forget to use your built-in mesh trainer. Note that an infusing basket wouldn’t appropriately work here.
- Step 2: Great, now add your water just enough to immerse your Gyokuro leaves. Precisely two ounces would do. More appropriate would be room temperature water.
- Step 3: Next is the steeping. This should take us the next 6 minutes or thereabout. Now you are getting there. Hope the anticipation is rightly boiling in you?
- Step 4: Perfect now is the time to decant. By this interval, your Gyokuro leaves would have sucked in enough water. So when you pour, make sure to allow the dribbling out of the infusion. You would have hit the perfect spot when you are left with say a tablespoon of your tea. In the case where you have an excess of a tablespoon, it is most probable that the quantity of water you added was too much.
Don’t bother that the small amount of tea that you would get from the first infusion. Despite the seeming reduced quantity, the quality is a top banger. The customary jade dew element the Gyokuro tea is notorious for is abundant here in the first infusion. The aroma too is heartwarming reminding you of those lovely relaxing humid days warming out at sea. And of course, the flavor is richly intact especially that spectacular umami flavor that forces us to ask for more.
Gyokuro Tea Benefits
For all the wonder the Gyokuro tea brings to your palate in terms of delicacy, it offers even more to your general wellbeing in view of its tremendous health benefits. Basically, the Gyokuro tea is a wealthy bank of vital antioxidants you need. So that there is so much good just a cup of the Gyokuro tea would do to your body. Let us look at some of these health benefits.
NO.1 Help with Weight loss
The Gyokuro tea would immensely help you build your muscle and burn those unnecessary fats. Who doesn’t like that well-toned and chiseled body well equipped with those lovely abs? The Gyokuro tea can help you with this aiding you to lose those extra pounds. The antioxidants richly contained in Gyokuro tea would speed your metabolic rate burning off excess calories even helping you build muscles.
NO.2 Protect You from Cancer
More than that, the Gyokuro tea will help you lower your risk of cancer. Isn’t this interesting? Courtesy of these said antioxidants contained in Gyokuro tea, your immune system gets sufficiently strengthened with the Gyokuro tea helping you to dispose of free radicals.
These free radicals are notorious for triggering the growth of tumor and cancerous cells. At the end of the day, the Gyokuro tea fortifies your body against bacteria, premature aging of your cells ensuring that you don’t easily fall to cancer invasion.
NO.3 Keep You Mentally Alert
Lastly, Gyokuro tea would improve your mental alertness. Thanks to the healthy caffeine composition in Gyokuro tea, you can be assured of stimulation, alertness and enhanced cognitive abilities. This way you always have a good level of concentration and focus. Aren’t you falling in love with the Gyokuro tea already?
Finest Type of Gyokuro: Uji Gyokuro
So now, let us talk a bit about the Uji Gyokuro. Quite a ridiculous name from the English perspective but this is one of the highest quality Japanese variants of tea. It would really interest you to know that 0.5 % of all of the green tea which Japan produces ends up Gyokuro.
For centuries, the Uji Gyokuro has greedily kept its crown as the finest of all the types of gyokuro. For one thing, it is greener and more remarkably – it is sweeter!
Cultivating the Uji gyokuro
Originally, the Uji gyokuro is more grown in native Shirakawa region in Japan. The Uji gyokuro strictly adheres to the historic tenets of growing and cultivating gyokuro. This explains its habitually superior grade as to why it is well prized and in high demand. In this case of the Uji gyokuro, the leaves of the green tea are shaded for a little less than the conventional three weeks we had talked about.
In most cases, the gyokuro is specially handpicked. Also significant to mention here is that the Uji gyokuro differs from the commonality of the other gyokuro variants in that the shading is not carried out with the commonly used modern shade cloth. In the case of the Uji gyokuro, reed screening is used.
Post-harvest procedures
Promptly after that, it is deep steamed immediately you harvest it. This is because as usual, we are aiming to retain a high amount of the chlorophyll ensuring that dazzling green color that makes you drool helplessly for a cup of the Uji gyokuro tea. For this tea, it is more appropriate you steep it with water at a moderate temperature. Somewhere between 140-160F is good enough.
Gyokuro vs Sencha
On the other hand, sencha tea, one of the most famous kinds of green tea is sourced from Yabukita. We would be emphatically examining the difference between Sencha and Gyokuro later in course of this piece. As for the Gyokuro tea, most times it could be made from distinct varieties like the Asahi, the Saemidori, the Okumidori…there we go again with the curious Japanese names right? Well, let us learn more about the dazzling Gyokuro Tea.
So here we are, looking at these two common types of green tea. You may be wondering what separates the gyokuro from its sencha green tea contemporary?
In honesty, while the sencha can boast of that captivating umami flavor; when compared to the gyokuro, it loses woefully. Specifically, regarding this umami flavor, the gyokuro wins sencha with a knock-out (KO)!
The Intensity of the Flavor
The intensity of the flavor is more in gyokuro than in the sencha tea. For the sencha tea, it brings in extra secondary flavors which could taste quite fruity. In other cases, the sencha has this herbaceous undertone to its flavor – sometimes this comes with a bit of bitterness. This counterbalances the sweetness helping the sencha tea with an impressive astringency which gives it that matured taste on the tongue.
Differences in Processing
The processing procedure differs slightly between the sencha tea and the Gyokuro tea. This difference lies in the mode the trees are grown. While we have the Gyokuro needing more shading, the sencha tea doesn’t need such shading.
This shading to a larger extent contributes to the difference in their taste considering the different levels of theanine and bitter tannin that comes with the shading process.
The Variation in Taste
For the Gyokuro, it doesn’t necessarily have that bitterness that accompanies the sencha tea. Well, Gyokuro also has its vegetal flavor in addition to that wealthy umami flavor. This gives Gyokuro tea that lovely buttery feel which makes it all great.
Both green teas are great although delving deeper, the Gyokuro tea is a common preference especially for the intensity of the umami flavor as well as being thicker and syrupy.
So there are we! We have extensively looked at the Gyokuro, its Japanese ancestry, its processing, brewing, health benefit and rounding things up by measuring the Gyokuro tea against the sencha. So haven’t you learned deliciously?
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