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Gyokuro is the most sought after and luxurious type of green tea from Japan. Also known as Jade Dew, this tea is considered as one of the most hailed and expensive types of Japanese tea. Cultivated in the shade and enriched with a naturally refined sweet flavour, this Gyokuro emerald green tea is sparkling quality in leaf form. This 2021 Great Taste award-winning No. 63 Gyokuro come from Ise Bay in Mie Prefecture which has 800 years of history for producing high-quality tea. The processing of Gyokuro is labour intensive and specialist, adding to the tea's expensive status. Our Gyokuro is made from tea leaves from the Okumidori cultivar, renowned for its sweet, smooth taste with very mild astringency and a vibrant green colour. These same shade-grown tea leaves also used to make some of our Matcha teas. Tea bushes are covered up to 3 weeks before harvest to prevent direct sunlight. This slows down growth, and causes the production of amino acids and theanine, creating a delicate and refined tea with a mild sweetness and pale green infusion. Leaves are then processed using the Sencha Rolling method (this traditional 6-step process is explained more in our What is Japanese Sencha blog) before they are put through machinery to shape them into their pointed states. This is also when the leaves are dried and then ready to be sorted and shipped to exporters. Perfect brewing technique for Gyokuro We recommend brewing Gyokuro with precision and care. We recommend using water no hotter than 60ºC and steeping for no more than 3 minutes. Due to the high quality of the tea, you can resteep Gyokuro multiple times, and the high quality leaves will keep their flavour for up to 4-5 servings. Since Gyokuro steeps at such a mild temperature, it is recommended pre-heating both the pot and cup to maintain the warmth of the tea as one drinks it. It is normally consumed very slowly to savour its distinctive flavour.