Fukamushi means "Steamed for a long time". The biggest mistake is the one that makes the gyokuro as a superior Japanese tea, in short, to think that the sencha is the average grade Japanese green tea, and the gyokuro the superior … Genuine Old Zhu Ni teapot for sale (nannoushan impulse purchase), What kind of coating is this in my tetsubin, Yixing Teapot makes roasted tie guan yin tasteless. Definition The tea is shade-grown for 20 to 30 days. One understands that one should not be a piker, nor on the quality of the gyokuro itself, nor the amount of leaves used, nor on time pass to enjoy this espresso Japanese tea. About a century before Gyokuro was born, in 1738, Sencha … It is finally there that the essential typical characteristics of the gyokuro emerge. I also thought the Asahina, which seems to be a kind of “niche offering,” sounded intriguing and am looking forward to your detailed product description. As I have already said, the gyokuro initially requires efforts, first of all to adapt to its method of consumption, but also to discovery, it is necessary to drink a certain number of them in order to better understand its depth. ( Log Out /  In order to remain in a very strict definition, the tea-plants are natural shape bush formation (unsharpened, uncut) “shizen-shitate”, and consequently the harvest can only be manual, and a second harvest is excluded. Finally, it is worth recalling that the concept of shincha, a new tea, does not apply to gyokuro (or to matcha), harvested and made in the spring, but generally only sold in the autumn after maturation. Gyokuro is in da house! Yet it is generally admit that it is a tea produced in shaded plantation. The idea of ​​luxury tea, drunk in a very exceptional way, disappears, and one even ends up considering it for everyday use, as a possibility offered among all types of teas. Sencha is produced much more widely though, and it doesn’t get shaded, so it won't have quite the same refinement of flavour or depth of umami. Bancha (番茶, ordinary tea) is a Japanese green tea whose main characteristic is that it’s a lower grade than sencha.While the cultivation and processing are identical to sencha, there is a difference in the … However, these two types of tea should not and cannot be compared this way. What is Gyokuro Tea? The shade must in principle be made under a shelf arbor (tana-gake), structure of 180-200cm high allowing shading with synthetic fibers or bamboo shade and straw. It is definition could roughly be apply to tencha. Green tea has many kinds of style such as Sencha, Gyokuro, Hojicha and so on. The idea that sencha is standard, average Japanese tea, and that gyokuro is the superior tea is completely wrong. At the very least, your tea vendor should tell you where his gyokuro comes from. Differences Between Gyokuro (Jade Dew) and Matcha Teas Also known as jade dew, gyokuro comes from the same plant as sensha, though the plant must be shielded from sunlight while … In this video, we see which cold brew green tea is better, a cold brewed Sencha or a cold brewed Gyokuro. This differs, even from Kabusecha which is a sencha variety grown under shade for one week. It would be a shame to do without it because the gyokuro is also finally a condenser of the caracteristics of Japanese teas : green, shaded, steamed, unique rolling method. I recommend shiboriodashi for the preparation of gyokuro. Why this article? Indeed, as with tencha (unmilled raw material for matcha), there is no clearly defined standard. Lines of 35 Kg (thus giving only 5-6 kg of aracha), now very rare for sencha, are still very used for gyokuro, we find even for very high-end, in Kyô-Tanabe by example, lines of 18K! Everyone has to try many and makes an idea by himself. When the second leaves sprout, shading begins, with the light cut off at 80-85%, and then after 10 days, a second layer (ni-ju-kake) filters 95% of the light, for another 10 days. While gyokuro is shaded for approximately three to four weeks, kabuse-cha is shaded for approximately one week. Is it possible to remove light scratches from yixing pot? It is like cheesecake, crazy delicious but not everyday. I'm all the way Gyokuro guy, but then I don't buy it that often these days as there are so many other types of tea to drink at stock. Gyokuro, Kabusecha, Sencha Each year in spring, our tea master sources high quality leaves from excellent Uji producers in the Kyoto prefecture to assemble a comprehensive range of flavorful teas … Change ), You are commenting using your Facebook account. Sencha is just a little more easy on the wallet and more a daily drink than Gyo..IMHO. Yet, more affordable, plantations under arbor but trimmed, with mechanical harvest, also give very good products, sufficiently typical. Unlike sencha, which is not shaded at all, gyokuro is normally shaded for about three weeks before plucking. I do not particularly care for the strong umami that is produced by the shading of gyokuro, and I am in the lucky position of actually preferring the cheaper, more abundant tea. Green tea becomes a product when the tea-leaf grown in tea garden (tea plantation) is processed. Ippodo Matcha Matcha, gyokuro, sencha, hojicha, these are familiar terms to Japanese tea lovers, but to many Americans they’re still pretty obscure.To be honest, I think it’s hard to find really … On the occasion of their release on Thés du Japon of the 2017 selection of gyokuro, it is good to come back to this type of Japanese tea, whose name is ultra-known by every tea lover but often too misunderstood. Brewed like a sencha, the gyokuro is then very flat, subtle will say some, but simply without interest. To take advantage in the cup of these characteristics, the gyokuro is infused very concentrated, with very lukewarm water to further minimize astringency in favor of the umami. Fukamushi means "Steamed for a long time". Academic Calendar; College Documentation The best know places that produce gyokuro are Fukuoka prefecture (especially the city of Yame and surroundings, which produces tea known as Yamecha), Kyoto prefecture (the most popular coming from the city of Uji and surroundings, whose tea is called Ujicha), and Shizuoka prefecture (Shiz… I bought the Uji-hikari in March and thought I’d go with the Gokô this time (unfortunately, I didn’t realize there was a sampler until it was sold out–you snooze, you lose). Or the producer of tencha from Uji Matsubayashi Shohei, whose hoiro (the heated table used for tea drying) was destroyed in a fire, would have turned his leaves to a sencha producer, and would have called this tea gyokuro. Fukamushi Sencha- Fukamushi Sencha is the same as Sencha but it is steamed two or three times longer. It is said that Yamamoto Kahei, the sixth generation of Edo tea merchants, Yamamoto-ya, would have obtained clusters of leaves by kneading with the hand steamed leaves of tencha, and that, infused, would have given a good fragrance and a beautiful color , giving rise to the gyokuro. The name "gyokuro" translates as "jewel dew". A lot of umami certainly, but an umami powerful and tender at the same time, with also many aromas. It differs from the standard sencha in being grown under the shade rather than the full sun. The sencha is our Sencha Yudi from the yabukita cultivar and the Gyokuro is our Gyokuro … The process for Gyokuro green tea is similar to Sencha, except that about 3 weeks prior to harvest the tea leaves are hidden from sunlight. Gyokuro is brewed with temperatures around 122 °F. Gyokuro is shaded longer than kabuse tea. We also speak of an invention of the master of sencha-dô Ogawa Kashin. You can have two Senchas and compare them and find that they are both good but different. Looking forward to your 2017 gyokuro offerings and reviews; I’ve enjoyed the others I’ve purchased from TDJ. Yixing Teapot Pairing or Which Tea for which teapot? Sencha is another steamed green tea from Japan so they are quite similar. In Kyoto, some professionals cherish the gyokuro of one or two years. Nevertheless, in many cases shading is longer, sometimes up to a month. Gyokuro vs Sencha. For my part, I take a great pleasure, which I would never have imagined a few years ago. Kyôto / Uji has developed many cultivars dedicated to shaded teas, often selected from the seeds of local tea plants “zairai” (these are therefore cultivars in which Yabukita does not enter the genealogy, which is rather rare), for the gyokuro, Gokô and Samidori are the most famous, we can then mention Uji-hikari. The gyokuro set may reappear later (still in limited quantities) before the end of the year. Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. Another thing about Gyokuro is it doesn't show its region as much as Sencha. It spreads very quickly even in Uji. Many sellers, of which I am a part, prefer to present them as kabuse-cha (shaded very long, more than 20 days). Change ), You are commenting using your Twitter account. One gyokuro that was recognized as “Best Gyokuro of 2017” and one sencha. We must learn to appreciate this way of tasting, to savor these few drops of tea, then to contemplate the evolution of aromas on the 4 or 5 infusions that will offer these leaves. The gyokuro certainly possesses a palette of possibilities less wide than the sencha, and there is an effort, a first step to make to go towards him. Gyokuro is slightly sweeter than sencha and has is famous for its crisp, clean taste. I haven´t tried gyokuro yet...but I do have 50g of Yame Gyokuro on it´s way...should arrive sometime next week. When removed from sunlight, the leaves endure less photosynthesis, keeping strong-flavored amino acids in the plant and giving Gyokuro … I've tasted Sencha many times, but have never bought it. I, however, am a gyokuro fan, but don't find myself drinking it much because of price, quantity and that it goes bad quickly. Approx. Gyokuro is a type of shaded green tea from Japan. With 2 Gyokuro, you really just find one is strictly better than the other. Gyokuro vs. Sencha Some people are a bit confused about whether or not gyokuro has any link to sencha. Rcsm Mahavidhalay | Home; About us. My opinion is that these cultivars do not equal Gokô or Samidori for perfumes, but it is true that Saemidori is richer in umami, and therefore dominates the results of the competitions. Sencha is the term for traditional green tea in Japan, but this … Made by tea master Koga san, this award -winning dento hon gyokuro (traditionally made gyokuro with leaves shaded by rice straw) and this unique sencha … The main water-soluble components of gyokuro are theanine (an amino acid), caffeine, tannin and vitamin C. Theanine is the source of the tea’s flavor, caffeine the source of its bitterness, and tannin the source of its astringency. Change ). Its production method aims to minimize the tannins in the leaves in favor of amino acids, to obtain a tea very rich in umami, with very little astringency, and finally a very sweet, mellow, and greenish fragrance very typical of the long shaded teas. It is normally best to steep gyokuro … By the way, about my 2017 selection gyokuro, my recommendation for this year would be the Uji-hikari. Sencha can have sweetness and quite a bit of umami, but those qualities usually pale in comparison to gyokuro. If those of Yame are the most awarded at the competitions recently (the aspect of the leaves has an influence), I prefer those of Uji, which seem to me the most typical on the aromatic point of view. In this definition, sencha is the unshaded tea leaf that contrasts with the umami-rich shaded tea leaves that are gyokuro (shaded about 20 days) and kabusecha (shaded for 10-14 days). Wonderful write up on Gyokuro. Japanese greens aren't part of my daily routine, but I will splurge once in a while on some Gyokuro. The Asahina are also very interesting. I think of Sencha as slightly darker than Gyokuro… This is one unique variant of green tea with a distinct deviation from the standard sencha tea we know. Gyokuro is often referred to as a type of sencha, because the processing is very similar. However, once you become to get into it, it is a whole brand new universe that opens up, sensations that are not found in any other type of tea, Japanese or other. Nevertheless, traditional cultivars such as Yabukita (less and less), but also more and more Oku-midori, and especially the star Saemidori are also used. Processing as a sencha shaded leaves would have made it possible to use these plantations for new purposes. But the method of cultivation is different. Shading with tunnel type or directly placed on the trees are in principle excluded. Gyokuro is grown at a lower altitude than sencha, in a misty and rainy climate. Shaded at least 20 days, often much more, manually harvested on unpruned plantation for the best, the gyokuro … Definition: “GYOKURO – 玉露 – While the processing is the same as sencha, gyokuro is cultivated by shading for approximately three weeks prior to harvest.Various agricultural techniques … It is appreciated in a different way, by which I mean that its method of preparation makes it something that places it in a special field. The fresh tea leaves … Thank you very much for your comment. If it’s not stated, then it’s either blended from different regions, or it could even be made outside of Japan (this happens more often than you think). Rightly said, the Gyokuro tea is a Japanese wonder. We note that the gyokuro is not just a question of umami, but that there is a fascinating depth in the perfumes it develops. Compared to the other type of green teas, the … Sencha is just a little more easy on the wallet and more a daily drink than Gyo..IMHO. Although I’ve been “tea-ing” for quite a few years, I learned a lot from this, including that gyokuro is a relatively young style. While gyokuro tea comes from the same plant, camellia sinesis, as tencha and sencha, etc. 3 weeks prior to the plucking of … Gyokuro - Gyokuro … After harvesting, the production process is hardly different from sencha, with short steaming, and kneading with less pressure, the long shaded leaves being thin and more brittle. After plucking, tea leaves go through the same production process as sencha. Buying a gyokuro rather than a sencha thinking to be sure to have a quality tea shows a misunderstanding of this kind of tea. The biggest mistake is the one that makes the gyokuro as a superior Japanese tea, in short, to think that the sencha is the average grade Japanese green tea, and the gyokuro the superior grade quality. Gyokuro vs. Sencha Gyokuro is a premium variety of Japanese green tea. I've given them both a pretty fair trial, and for me, what I like best about them comes through more in the sencha than the gyokuro. If the gyokuro could be distinguished by its mode of culture, it is still more by its mode of consumption that the gyokuro differs from the sencha. Gyokuro from Asahina – Japanese Tea Sommelier, Friday Roundup: September 10th – September 16th – Tea for Me Plese, Friday Roundup: September 10th - September 16th - Tea for Me Please, Follow Japanese Tea Sommelier on WordPress.com, Thés du Japon / Teas of Japan official fanpage, Senchas from “Nord-Kantô”, second part: Sayama, Senchas from “Nord-Kantô”, first part: Sashima. In addition, direct contact may damage the leaves; and this method does not constitute protection against frost unlike the shelf type shading. There seems to be a lot of sencha fanatics here but I got the impression that people who prefer gyokuro are underrepresented. The Gokô is very aromatic and typical of Uji gyokuro. Indeed, if the gyokuro is brew and approached in the same way as a sencha, the result will be very bad, not allowing to appreciate the very special characteristics and qualities of this type of tea very typically Japanese. But these efforts will not be in vain, they will open a new and unprecedented area in the geography of teas. I love a good Gyo but they arent cheap so, for me, its more of a special occasion tea..while sencha on the … Compared with sencha, the shade-cultivated gyokuro … ( Log Out /  Having gyokuro should be a somewhat special occasion, well IMHO. In the cup, one gets only a few drops of nectar, dense, rich, aromatic, powerful. It is grown almost exclusively in the Kyoto region. However, many gyokuro from plantations in direct shading will be found on the market, for a very questionable result. It is therefore believed that there is not a single creator name to put on the gyokuro, but rather the product of collective efforts to adapt to the tune of time. Thank you for a most comprehensive essay. But also so that those who choose to buy some do not do it for the wrong reasons, and can appreciate it at its true value. Between those produced in Uji, Yame and Asahina, there are important differences. While most sencha is from the Yabukita cultivar of Camellia sinensis, gyokuro is often made from a specialized variety such as Asahi, Okumidori, Yamakai, and Wouldn't a exclusive tea like gyokuro have a bigger following on TC? Preparation and consumption First to explain what the gyokuro really is, to try to get a message about it, to make it better appreciated by a greater number of amateurs. Kabusecha is a special Japanese green tea in-between gyokuro and sencha. Kabusecha. 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Under shade for one week always, be an essential element of diversity `` gyokuro '' translates as jewel... The term for traditional green tea from Japan kind of tea should not and can not be in,... Very aromatic and typical of Uji gyokuro receive notifications of new posts email! Of this kind of tea of sencha fanatics here but I will once. The term for traditional green tea from Japan gyokuro set may reappear later ( still in limited )... Yixing Teapot Pairing or which tea for which Teapot this year would be the.!, which I would never have imagined a few years ago somewhat occasion! Sometimes limited to only one layer Calendar ; College Documentation Fukamushi Sencha- Fukamushi sencha is same. Products, sufficiently typical than Gyo.. IMHO as sencha between those produced in,! A type of shaded green tea with a distinct deviation from the standard sencha tea know... N'T show its region as much as sencha but it is a tea produced in shaded plantation set reappear. Your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts email... - gyokuro … gyokuro vs. sencha gyokuro is then very flat, subtle will say some, but …... Of Yame gyokuro on it´s way... should arrive sometime next week You can have Senchas! Being grown under shade for one week a quality tea shows a misunderstanding of this kind of should! The gyokuro set may reappear later ( still in limited quantities ) before the end of leaves... Some gyokuro produced in shaded plantation to say what will be found on the trees are in excluded... The year that people who prefer gyokuro are underrepresented constitute protection against frost unlike the shelf type shading sencha-dô Kashin... Steamed green tea from Japan superior tea is a premium variety of Japanese green tea Japan... Are quite similar the Uji-hikari still in limited quantities ) before the end of the gyokuro is the same,. Standard, average Japanese tea, and that gyokuro is shaded for approximately three to weeks! 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