This heritage grade gyokuro was made from only elite tea leaves that received the Excellence Award at the tea tasting competition in the gyokuro category. A gyokuro made by a tea master who has the skill necessary to maximise the umami and sweetness that is stored in the tea leaves. While pricey, you will not regret enjoying the "real" taste of gyokuro in this masterful gyokuro from AOI Seicha. Selected and blended from award-winning tea leaves The teas submitted to Prefectural, Regional, and National level tea competition from farmers are then bid upon by factories who refine the leaves and turn them into a finished product. Consistently buying the award winning gyokuro teas from these competitions, AOI Seicha then blends them to offer you the best of the best. Product Info Ingredients: Green tea Net Weight: 100 grams in original bag, 20-gram sized packed by Yunomi for your tasting convenience. Cultivar: Blended Harvest: Spring Cultivation & Processing Notes: Shaded for 3 weeks before harvest. Region: Aichi Prefecture Steeping notes First steeping - Tea: 3 grams. Time: 3-5 minutes. Water: 50C/122F, 80 ml.The purpose of this steep is to create an rich, umami syrup-like broth. Second steeping - Time: immediate. Water: 70-90C/160-195F, 200 mlIn subsequent steeps, you've already primed the leaves and extracted much of the umami, so enjoy the other flavors with water at hotter temperatures. Third / fourth steeping - Time: 30-60 seconds. Water: 70-90C/160-195F, 200 ml Remember, steeping at a hotter temperature extracts caffeine and bitter-tasting catechin (antioxidants) while cooler temperature extracts only the umami-tasting L-theanine and other sweet flavors. Since the bitter flavors overwhelm the umami flavors, we recommend the above. Also try cold steeping as well as ice steeping! Vendor Info Name: Aoi Seicha Type: Factory Established: 1910, company incorporated as AOI Seicha in 1966. CEO: Ayano Honda Employees: 60 Address: Kamiyashiki-7 Kamimachi, Nishio-shi, Aichi-ken 445-0894 Matcha for the North American market can be bought from U.S. subsidiary AOI Tea
