Feuille de thé vert

The highest grade of gyokuro we sell from Japan's oldest continuously operating tea shop, Tsuen in Uji near Kyoto. Note that Uji Shirakawa Gyokuro is a very limited edition item, we are supplying it because the opportunity to offer it presented itself to us and we strive to supply the best of the best. We do not recommend that you purchase this rare item unless you have previously practiced brewing gyokuro. O-Cha.com is honored to offer this superb green tea supplied to us from the Tsuen family who have operated their teashop from same location on the banks of the Uji river since 1160.

Grown in nearby Shirakawa, this is an extremely high quality gyokuro. Gyokuro is shade grown before harvesting, giving it a greener color and sweeter taste. Less that 0.5 % of all green tea harvested in Japan ends up as gyokuro, and among those, this gem is near the top. This green tea is hand-picked (rare - see video tab) and is pure "Gokou" cultivar. Another unique aspect is that unlike the majority of gyokuro grown today, the shading is not done with modern shade cloth but instead using traditional straw and reed screening. The combination of hand-picking and traditional shading methods make this a very "old school" gyokuro.

Once you learn to make it properly, you wil be hooked for life! Since this is a connoisseur grade of gyokuro and is not considered a beginner's green tea, make sure to read our how to brew gyokuro page as it is brewed differently than sencha.

Because this is a rather rare and expensive, we are offering it at this time in 30 gram packaging

A very high quality first-flush gyokuro provided to us by another famous, centures old firm in Uji Japan. Uji Gyokuro Gyokuhō, like all gyokuro, is shade grown for about three weeks before harvesting, giving it a greener color and sweeter taste. Once you learn to make it properly, you wil be hooked for life!  Be sure to read our brewing instructions as it is brewed differently than sencha: How to Brew Gyokuro - Step-by-Step Instructions!

Available in 100gm packages.

One of our very our highest quality gyokuro, we offer Uji Gyokuro "Tsuru-jirushi" in 50 gram packages. From the same supplier as our already popular Gyokuro "Kamejirushi", this is absolutely the highest quality gyokuro we can obtain from this centuries old Uji firm. Shade grown before harvesting, it has a greener color and sweeter taste.

Once you learn to make it properly, you wil be hooked for life! As this is an expensive, high quality green tea be sure to read our gyokuro brewing instructions carefully as it is brewed differently than sencha.

Available in 50gm package.

This product is currently classified as shincha

It's our pleasure to be able to offer the outstanding Uji Sencha "Aoi", ("Green") from Japan's oldest teashop, Tsuen Tea. This item consists of yabukita leaves from the first harvest and is Tsuen's second highest ranked sencha, the first being their San no Ma. This lightly steamed sencha (asamushi) yields a very wonderful nice grassy aroma. Here is your chance to try some of the best of what Japan has to offer in Japanese green tea, directly from the banks of the Uji river.

Net Wt. 100 grams

A very high quality first-flush gyokuro provided to us by another famous, centures old firm in Uji Japan. Uji Gyokuro Shōun is shade grown before harvesting, giving it a greener color and sweeter taste. Once you learn to make it properly, you wil be hooked for life!  Be sure to read our brewing instructions as it is brewed differently than sencha: How to Brew Gyokuro - Step-by-Step Instructions!

Available in 100gm packages.

This product is also available for automatic monthly delivery!

From the first harvest, Kagoshima Sencha Yutaka Midori "Madoka" is a very special sencha from Kagoshima prefecture located at the southern tip of Japan. Madoka is quite similar to our original Yutaka Midori but is a bit less grassy, has a bit less steaming, and a bit more astringency, which means it probably also packs a bit more catechin punch. Brew with a bit more caution by paying particular attention to brew temperature and brew time.  Try some today!

Available in 100 gram packages.

From Uji, near Kyoto, Uji Karigane Gyokuro "Asagiri" is a high quality blend of first harvest gyokuro leaf and gyokuro stems. Gyokuro is shade grown before harvesting, giving it a greener color and sweeter taste. While this is a very delicious green tea in it's own right, since brewing gyokuro takes practice to perfect we feel this green tea also makes a very good introduction to gyokuro brewing at an economical price point. The added stems add a tartness to this green tea and the combination of the two make this one very tasty Japanese green tea.

It is prepared in exactly the same way as regular gyokuro, meaning more leaf brewed at a lower temperature for a longer period of time. Use 10 grams per 300ml or less of water. Be sure to pre-heat teapot and teacups and brew at 55-60C (131~140F) for 1.5~2 minutes: How to Brew Gyokuro - Step-by-Step Instructions!

Available in 100gm packages.

This organic green tea hails from Kirishima Kagoshima and is of course harvested from the first round of young leaves. Medium-steamed (chūmushi) this Organic Sae Midori has a lovely green color.  With a strong aroma, flavorful umami taste, and nice balance of astringency, this organic sencha is nicely balanced and is one of our best aquasitions of the year.  As with all of our loose leaf green teas, packaged in nitrogen flushed packaging.

Price shown includes 100 grams of tea per package

Packed with umami and one of our personal favorites, this delicious green tea comes from Kagoshima and is of course harvested from the first round of young leaves.  When we first offered this in 2017, we knew we would buy it the moment we tried it. Organic Sae Midori asamushi is a light steamed green tea of the Sae Midori clone and is somewhat rare to be processed in the light steamed form. This product is both flavorful and aromatic, much more so than the typical deep steamed Sae Midori. If you are a light-steamed green tea fan, you should really enjoy this one.  As with all of our loose leaf green teas, packaged in nitrogen flushed packaging.

Note - While we will try to get a larger inventory this year, know that this tea usually sells out every year by December.

Price shown includes 100 grams of tea per package

Grown organically in the mountainous Kirishima area of Kagoshima. This is a rather exclusive product, only the tips of the young tender buds are used. Light steamed, this sencha has a medium body and carries a rather intense, nice grassy aroma and an unusually strong umami flavor. Organic Kirishima Asamushi Sencha has a very nicely balanced astringency, aroma and taste. The quality of this tea got our attention and we decided to carry it for those organic green tea enthusiasts who demand the very best. Very delicious, we are confident you will enjoy this product. As with all of our loose leaf green teas, packaged in nitrogen flushed packaging.

O-Cha.com's package includes 100 grams of tea.

Grown organically in the mountainous Kirishima area of Kagoshima Prefecture. Lightly steamed, organic Kirishima Zairai sencha has a light yellow green color to it, medium body, and rather unique taste and aroma due to it's high iron content.  Zairai means "native" in Japanese and refers to the fact that this tea is from no known modern cultivar and is a close derivitive of the original tea plants imported into Japan from China in the 14th century. Since it is "wild" and grown from seed instead of cloning, there is quite a lot of variation between individual plants which gives the leaf a non-uniform leaf structure and charactaristics of a blend. Although it is considered a hardier plant to culitviate, the lack of leaf conformity, in addition to lower yield than recent clones does not encourage growers to grow it means you will not come across this unique tea often.

Very delicious, here's your chance to experience a green tea with characteristics of the teas of old Japan. As with all of our loose leaf green teas, packaged in nitrogen flushed packaging.

Available in 100 gram packages

This organic kabusecha green tea comes from Kirishima City, Kagoshima and is of course harvested from the first round of young leaves. Organic Kabusecha is grown for 14 to 20 days under 45% shade before harvest giving it taste characteristics of both sencha and gyokuro. This version comes from the Yabukita clone and is lightly steamed.  The aroma is unusually strong, it has a lovely green color and is quite flavorful.  Brew as you would for sencha. As with all of our loose leaf green teas, packaged in nitrogen flushed packaging.

Price shown includes 100 grams of tea per package

From the first harvest in Uji. Kabusecha is grown in the shade for 14~20 days before harvest under 45% shade, giving it characteristics of both sencha and gyokuro. A sweeter, less grassy and more vegetal, less astringent taste than regular sencha, you can definitely taste vegetive hints of gyokuro.  It is easy to brew, not overly astringent, medium steamed, has a lovely green color, and is reasonably priced making it an all around versatile winner of a green tea. Although it has hints of gyokuro, be sure to brew it as you would for sencha, not gyokuro.

Available in 100 gram packages.

This product is also available for automatic monthly delivery!

This organic green tea hails from Kirishima Kagoshima and is of course harvested from the first round of young leaves. Light-steamed (chūmushi) Organic Sencha Meiryoku has a lovely green color.  Medium aroma, somewhat low astringency, this organic sencha is nicely balanced, easy to make, and easy to drink - one of our best aquasitions of the year.  As with all of our loose leaf green teas, packaged in nitrogen flushed packaging.

Price shown includes 100 grams of tea per package