Thé vert japonais à édition limitée

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 makes this a very "old school" gyokuro.

Once you learn to make it properly, you will 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.

Finally - An easier way to brew your favorite loose-leaf iced green tea!

• Simply turn the bottle upside down, add your favorite loose leaf sencha, gyokuro, or other tea, close the lid
• Fill with water from the top.
• Put into the refrigerator for about 6 hours.
• Enjoy!

Made from quality glass and stainless steel, in also has a nice neoprene outer cover to keep your beverage cold. 

Holds approximately 400ml (13.5 fl oz)

Measures 21 cm x 7 cm (8 3/4 in x 2 3/4 in)

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

We came across this rather unique Japanese health related product recently. Similarly Japanese made products offered to customers outside of Japan are usually priced at many times what we offer this fantastic product for. Made by an older, established company in Kumamoto prefecture Japan, this high quality persimmon soap produces a creamy lather and is blended with persimmon tannin, green tea extract, and red clay. It removes oxidized sebum, dirt. In Japan persimmon soap is often used as a solution to the dreaded old person smell (known in Japanese as kareishū 加齢臭) where it is of particular concern due to the high value placed on personal hygiene.

"Old-Person Smell" Really Exists, Scientists Say...

This soap contains high levels of persimmon tannin extracted from persimmon fruit. The tannin in persimmon fruit helps to abolish nonenal chemicals associated with old person smell and has a deodorant effect, acting to reduce body odor associated with seniors.

Persimmon leaf sushi has an antibacterial and deodorant effect. The persimmon tannin in it is believed to have a deodorant effect when it chemically reacts with body odor.

Added Green Tea Extract!

Unlike other expensive, competing products, green tea extract has been added to this soap. Green tea extract contains high levels of polyphenols (catechins), has an added astringency and deodorant effect, among other beneficial effects.

Having personally used this product ourselves, we can attest that it is a very pleasant general purpose soap in addition to it's other unique properties.

Country of Origin: Japan
Contents: 80 grams / 2.8 oz 
Product Size (width x depth x height): 67mm x 62 mm x 23 mm

 Sources

(1) http://healthland.time.com/2012/05/31/old-person-smell-really-exists-scientists-say/
(2) Amanda MacMillan - http://thechart.blogs.cnn.com/2012/05/30/scientists-confirm-existence-of-old-person-smell/