Wondering whether or not you got a premium gyokuro? In this guide, we’ll show you exactly what to check for!Â
We’ll break down the color, taste texture and sourcing of high quality gyokuro tea to see how it compares to low quality stuff.Â
Let’s get brewing! 🏆
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What to look for in premium Gyokuro
When it comes to spotting high quality gyokuro tea, here are the factors that you should look for. These are a good way to confirm that all the proper steps have been taken to ensure a superior flavor.
Leaf color
The leaf color should be an extremely dark green, almost black. This indicates a higher chlorophyll content of the leaves, which almost always means they have been shaded for a long time.
Leaf shape
Another unique step of the gyokuro production process is the additional rolling phase which turns the leaf into these thin needles. The real gyokuro producers are willing to invest in these specialized rolling machines, and this is the only way to produce these perfect needle shapes.
Stems
The stems of the tea plant will detract from the sweet and savory flavor of gyokuro, so producers will remove them. If you find a lot of yellowish stems in your gyokuro, it’s probably best to pass on it. The one exception is Karigane, a delicious tea made from the stems and leaves of gyokuro plants.
Texture
When you drink gyokuro, you’re not only meant to savor the flavor, but also the thicker texture as it glides over your tongue drop by drop. This rich texture is really what you want in a premium gyokuro.
Flavor
Of course the most important factor is the flavor of the gyokuro. This is ultimately what you are paying the higher price tag for, and if it isn’t there the tea is not worth the money. What you want to look for is a strong, sweet and savory flavor with very little bitterness.
Additionally, you may want some of these more marine flavor profiles like seaweed and brine, which can come with certain gyokuro. It is definitely an acquired taste but once you’ve had it a few times it will be hard to get enough!
Sourcing
The final thing you should look for in a Gyokuro is transparency in the sourcing. It is important to get premium gyokuro from a reputable farmer. We also believe that farmers shouldn’t use pesticides or chemicals when growing tea, which is especially difficult when it comes to gyokuro.
Luckily, we’ve found a talented gyokuro farmer that is able to produce flavorful, nutrient rich gyokuro without the use of pesticides or chemicals. His name is Mr. Sakamoto and if you want to try his premium gyokuro, you can find it on our website!
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What makes gyokuro premium
So what makes gyokuro premium? The flavor of gyokuro comes down to the long, labor intensive production process. This is also what makes the tea so expensive. 3 weeks before the harvest, the tea plant will be cut off from sunlight.Â
This stops the production of bitter catechins and allows the leaf to maintain more of its naturally sweet theanine. The plant also produces more chlorophyll to compensate for the lack of sun energy and this is why gyokuro leaves are a significantly darker shade of green than any other tea.
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Why premium gyokuro is important
Premium gyokuro can be one of the most expensive teas, so it is important to be able to spot fakes so you don’t spend good money on bad tea. Just because a gyokuro is sold as gyokuro superior doesn’t mean it’s high quality. Instead, you need to look for the color and shape of the leaves as well as the strength of the brew itself.
Why you don’t want to miss out
When you find that perfect premium gyokuro, the flavor is truly indescribable. It will taste more like a hearty bowl of soup than any tea you’ve had before, with a strong brothy, sweet, salty and even slightly marine flavor.
The flavor is truly one of a kind, and you really want to make sure you can identify a real premium gyokuro from the fakes.
