Gyokuro

Gyokuro green tea

Gyokuro - The finest green tea one can purchase. Less than half of one percent of all Japanese green tea ends up as gyokuro. About three weeks before harvest, the tea plants that are reserved for gyokuro are put under 90% shade. This changes the characteristics of the resulting tea considerably. Due to the extra labor and care involved, gyokuro green tea is considerably more expensive than other types of green tea.

How to Brew Gyokuro - Step-by-Step Instructions! 

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Products: 111 of 11
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  • Uji Gyokuro Yume no Ukihashi

    • A Tsuen Tea!
    • High Theanine!

    The highest grade of gyokuro sold from Japan's oldest continuously operating tea shop. 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.

    Uji Gyokuro "Yume no Uki-hashi" is a very high quality, first-flush gyokuro, this green tea is hand picked and is a proprietary blend of "Gokou" and "Yabukita" breeds of green tea, with the "Gokou" being prominent. Gyokuro 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! Since this is a connoisseur grade of gyokuro and is not considered a beginner's green tea, make sure to read our brewing instructions as it is brewed differently than sencha.

    Available in 100g packaging.

     
    Score: 5.00 (votes: 16)
    Reviews: 14
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    14
    60   – Reward points
    • $43.20 USD
    • 60   – Reward points
  • Uji Gyokuro Fujitsubo

    • A Tsuen Tea!
    • High Theanine!

    O-Cha.com is honored to offer gyokuro "Fujitsubo", supplied to us from the Tsuen family who operate Japan's oldest tea shop located on the banks of the Uji river. Uji Gyokuro "Fujitsubo"  is a very high quality, authentic first-flush gyokuro, this tea is a proprietary blend of Saemidori and Yabukita green tea with the Saemidori being prominent. Gyokuro is shade grown before harvesting, giving it a greener color and sweeter taste. Once you learn to make it properly, you will be hooked for life! Make sure to read our brewing instructions, as it is brewed differently than sencha.

    Available in 100g packaging.

    Score: 4.92 (votes: 13)
    Reviews: 11
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    11
    44   – Reward points
    • $31.82 USD
    • 44   – Reward points
  • Shirakawa Gyokuro

    • A Tsuen Tea!
    • Rare!

    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

    Score: 5.00 (votes: 11)
    Reviews: 11
    |
    11
    42   – Reward points
    • $30.82 USD
    • 42   – Reward points
  • Organic Gyokuro Haruto

    • Rare!
    • High Theanine!

    Organic gyokuro Haruto is a new variety of gyokuro that was only registered about 6 years ago and is relatively rare on the market. It is only grown by a handful of farms in Kyushu, with our particular gyokuro grown in Shibushi City, Kagoshima Prefecture. It is harvested earlier in the season than typical and the risk of frost damage is high. Because of the difficulty in growing it, the fact that it's a very new and rare breed, it's unlikely you will encounter this very often in the future.  We had the opportunity to carry it this year, we tried it, and we were quite impressed.

    This particular gyokuro is a very high quality green tea that has won awards in Japan. It is a variety with elegant sweetness and umami with dark green tea leaves.

    As you may be aware, there are not a lot of organic gyokuro green teas that are what you would call superb, but Haruto is an exception to that general trend. Yes, the price is a bit more expensive than your regular sencha green tea, but considering that less than 1% of all green tea is grown and harvested as gyokuro, and even more rare an organic one that's this superb, that's just how it rolls with a tea of this caliber. 

    We find this tea to be very delightful with complex, strong umami notes and after taste. Thoroughly delicious when brewed correctly, probably best made in a shiboridashi teapot with care. As with all gyokuro, it 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!

    This is not really a beginner green tea, care must be taken when brewing. Be sure to read our brewing instructions as it is brewed differently than sencha: How to Brew Gyokuro - Step-by-Step Instructions!

     

    Organic gyokuro Haruto is available in 100 gm packages.

    Score: 5.00 (votes: 1)
    Reviews: 1
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    1
    40   – Reward points
    • $28.80 USD
    • 40   – Reward points
    Out of stock
  • Uji Gyokuro Gyokuhō

    • High Theanine!

    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.

    Score: 5.00 (votes: 6)
    Reviews: 5
    |
    5
    39   – Reward points
    • $28.08 USD
    • 39   – Reward points
  • Uji Gyokuro Tsurujirushi

    • Rare!
    • High Theanine!

    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.

    Score: 4.78 (votes: 9)
    Reviews: 7
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    7
    34   – Reward points
    • $24.48 USD
    • 34   – Reward points
  • Yame Gyokuro
    • New!

    Yame Gyokuro

    • High Theanine!
    • Popular!

    A "select", high quality first-flush gyokuro grown in Yame, Japan. Over 50% of all gyokuro grown in Japan comes from Yame. We probably priced Yame Gyokuro a little too low, this tea is priced at a bargain for what it is and which customer reviews seem to confirm. Gyokuro 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! Make 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.

    Score: 4.78 (votes: 40)
    Reviews: 33
    |
    33
    30   – Reward points
    • $21.60 USD
    • 30   – Reward points
  • Uji Gyokuro Shōun

    • High Theanine!
    • Popular!

    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!

    Score: 4.73 (votes: 11)
    Reviews: 7
    |
    7
    28   – Reward points
    • $20.16 USD
    • 28   – Reward points
  • Uji Gyokuro Kamejirushi

    • High Theanine!

    Currently one of our very highest quality gyokuro green teas (the unsolicited reviews speaks for themselves). We obtain Uji Gyokuro "Kamejirushi" from a rather famous, centuries old firm in Uji City, near Kyoto.  Gyokuro 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! 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: How to Brew Gyokuro - Step-by-Step Instructions!

    Net Weight 50 grams.

    Score: 4.95 (votes: 19)
    Reviews: 17
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    17
    25   – Reward points
    • $18 USD
    • 25   – Reward points
  • Karigane Gyokuro Asagiri - From Uji

    • High Theanine!
    • Unique!

    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.

    Score: 4.64 (votes: 14)
    Reviews: 12
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    12
    22   – Reward points
    • $15.84 USD
    • 22   – Reward points
  • Gyokuro Green Tea Bags

    • Unique!

    New & Improved Gyokouro Tea Bags...

    We finally came across a gyokuro green tea bag of a high quality that is worthy of our lineup. Unlike the vast majority of green tea tea bags you run across, each of our Gyokuro Green Tea Bags consists of 5 grams of high quality gyokuro leaf (not tea dust).  There are a few gyokuro stems in this tea bag which give the tea a slight astringency but the main flavor is gyokuro all the way.

    This tea bag comes in a triangular, biodegradable (not plastic or nylon) mesh infusion bag, and will not affect the taste as traditional paper teabags are known to do. A wonderful grassy aroma awaits you when you open the re-sealable package.

    As of November 2020, the tea bag material used for our Uji green tea bags is composed of a starch based biomass material derived from plants. In addition to the filter, the laminate on the tag and string of this product also incorporate the same environmentally-friendly material.

    One package includes (16) five-gram high quality gyokuro tea bags, try some today!

     

    Notes on Brewing this gyokuro tea bag

    To brew this successfully, you do need to take temperature into consideration. A good proceedure is to use TWO cups to brew this tea.

    1) In your first cup, add hot water (90 ℃ / 194 ℉) and allow it to sit for about a minute. The temperature will drop (see detailed product  images).

    2) Next, pour the water from the first cup into a second cup. The temperature will drop further (see detailed product  images).

    3) Lastly, put the teabag into the first cup (which is now pre-warmed) and pour the water from the second cup back into the first cup with the tea bag. 55℃ / 131℉ is the perfect temperature, brew this for 2.5 to 3 minutes (this is longer than for sencha). Place your used tea bag into the second cup for subsequent infusions.

     

     
    Score: 4.13 (votes: 8)
    Reviews: 5
    |
    5
    16   – Reward points
    • $11.66 USD
    • 16   – Reward points

Bestsellers

  • Yame Gyokuro
    • High Theanine!
    • Popular!
    Score: 4.78 (votes: 40)
    Reviews: 33
    |
    33
    • $21.60 USD
    • 30   – Reward points
    • New!
  • Gyokuro Green Tea Bags
    • Unique!
    Score: 4.13 (votes: 8)
    Reviews: 5
    |
    5
    • $11.66 USD
    • 16   – Reward points
  • Uji Gyokuro Yume no Ukihashi
    • A Tsuen Tea!
    • High Theanine!
    Score: 5.00 (votes: 16)
    Reviews: 14
    |
    14
    • $43.20 USD
    • 60   – Reward points

While special care should be taken when brewing gyokuro (lower brewing temperatures, pre-heating of all tea ware, etc), the end result is certainly worth the effort. Consider enjoying O-Cha.com's connoisseur grade gyokuro green teas today! Know that all O-Cha.com gyokuro green teas will have been stored under refrigeration and freshly packaged within a very short time frame (1-2 weeks) from when you place your order!