Gyokuro from Asahina, Tsuyu-hikari cultivar from Thés du Japon

Gyokuro from Asahina, Tsuyu-hikari cultivar

Tea type
Green Tea
Ingredients
Not available
Flavors
Alkaline, Beans, Bitter, Broth, Cashew, Cinnamon, Green, Irish Cream, Kale, Marine, Marzipan, Round, Seafood, Shellfish, Soybean, Sweet, Sweet Potatoes, Tree Fruit, Umami, Wheatgrass, Thick, Cheesecake, Eucalyptus, Fish Broth, Lima Beans, Pineapple, Spinach
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Loose Leaf
Caffeine
Not available
Certification
Not available
Edit tea info Last updated by derk
Average preparation
140 °F / 60 °C 2 min, 0 sec 5 g 5 oz / 148 ml

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3 Tasting Notes View all

  • “After trying ice-brewing again, I decided it wasn’t for me. Since I have so many teas at home I’d rather drink, this had the potential to become severely neglected. It’s definitely good enough...” Read full tasting note

From Thés du Japon

Along with the hillsides of Uji (in Kyôto Prefecture) and Yame (in Fukuoka Prefecture), Asahina, which is at Okabe in the town of Fujieda in Shizuoka, is one of the three regions famous for producing gyokuro. This gyokuro from Shizuoka, grown along Asahina River, has a unique, deep fragrance.
Today, there are few producers that still handpick their gyokuro from unpruned shizen-shitate tea gardens, and the ones that still do are now old. They continue to shade their tea gardens, not with synthetic coverings, but with handwoven straw covers (komo). This gyokuro from Asahina was made using the Tsuyu-hikari sencha cultivar. The Tsuyu-hikari variety tends to have a lot of umami, making it interesting for shaded teas, which also have strong personalities. It is a cross between Asatsuyu and Shizu-7132, two cultivars with very distinct aromas.
The infusion is intense, rich in umami, and is highlighted by a touch of astringency. Nonetheless, it is in no way tannic. The aromas are above all sweet, yet there are also slight bean notes. The aromas that appear with the powerful umami evoke sugarcane and cinnamon.
This is a gyokuro with characteristics of the Tsuyu-hikari cultivar that nonetheless keeps the exciting flavours of Asahina gyokuros on the palate.

Type of tea : gyokuro
Origin : “Asahina”, Okabe town, Fujieda city, Shizuoka prefecture
Cultivar : Tsuyu-hikari
Shading: 20 days (ceiling-shelf covering)
Harvest : April 26th, 2021, handpicked

Brewing suggestion

Quantity of leaves: 5 g (1.5 tsp) Quantity of water : 30 ml / 1/8 cup Water temperature : 50°C (122°F) Brewing time : 100 seconds

About Thés du Japon View company

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3 Tasting Notes

1610 tasting notes

After trying ice-brewing again, I decided it wasn’t for me. Since I have so many teas at home I’d rather drink, this had the potential to become severely neglected. It’s definitely good enough that I didn’t want to toss the leaf, so I took it to work to see what I could do with it there.

Turns out the key to my appreciation for this tea lies in a much lower leaf-to-water ratio than is custom for gyokuro. I let the cup of dispenser hot water sit while I dive into these involved projects I’m working on and by the time I come up for a breather, the water has cooled to gyokuro brewing temperature or lower. Take a big pinch of leaf (3-4g) and let it steep for several minutes (a 2nd steep, too). The resulting cup effects my mood and work pace in a very beneficial way. I detect almost no bitterness and the low, deep, thick and rich umami is lightened enough that my body and tastebuds do not protest. With longer steeps, some eucalyptus and pineapple can come out in the aftertaste.

Flavors: Alkaline, Cheesecake, Eucalyptus, Fish Broth, Kale, Lima Beans, Marine, Pineapple, Seafood, Spinach, Thick, Umami

Preparation
3 min, 0 sec 10 OZ / 295 ML
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