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Spring Gyokuro
Type: Green Tea
Harvest: May 2022
Cultivar: Saemidori
Elevation: 300m
Location: Kirishima, Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan
Tasting Notes
Dry Leaf: Deep-Steamed and Broken Leaves. Creamy Green Beans.
Wet Leaf: Steamed Asparagus.
Liquor: Cloudy Green.
Taste: Buttered Zucchini. Aged Parmesan Cheese.
Method
Gyokuro, often translated as “Jade Dew,” is a premium Japanese green tea known for its distinct sweet and umami flavor profile. This results from the shading process in which the tea plants are covered with mats for several weeks before harvest. This method, discovered in the 1800s using bamboo mats, boosts chlorophyll and caffeine levels and gives Gyokuro its dark green color.
Terroir
Terroir is of paramount importance for high-quality teas. Kirishima, a small city in Kagoshima, is remote and features access to clean spring water. This provides ideal growing conditions for many crops beyond tea, including specialty fruits like the Satsuma Mandarin. Kirishima is characterized by its unique microclimate and mineral-rich soil, which imparts distinct and desirable flavors to the agricultural products grown in the area.
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