A Universe of Flavors in a Gyokuro Bottle

You can find many varieties of green tea, such as sencha, matcha and hojicha. Its rich flavors and beautiful colors of gyokuro tea (high-grade green tea) continue to attract many enthusiasts.

The umami of gyokuro is obtained by growing the plant in the shade when it is still very young. One of the most famous places for the production of gyokuro is the city of Yame, in Fukuoka Prefecture. Yame has been awarded the first prize of the Zenkoka Cha Hipyonkai (The National Tea Fair) as the best place to plant gyokuro for 20 years in a row.

How does Yame City achieve this despite its relatively low gyokuro production? A municipal official and technical instructor from the city of Yame, Takao Shiimado, clears up our doubts.

“We overcame many obstacles by working hard to get Yame gyokuro tea to be awarded the best at the National Tea Fair,” Shiimado said. “On one occasion, we shipped Yame tea to Kyoto by plane, which was considered the best place for the production of gyokuro, and we asked the local producers for advice on how to roll the tea leaves; the most important step in production. ” Shiimado recalls. “Normally, farmers are very jealous of their traditional techniques when it comes to rivals from other prefectures. But I think they felt our passion for tea and graciously shared their secrets with us.”

At the same time, Yame has sought to adopt new varieties in the gyokuro cultivation process. “About 30 years ago, we started using ‘Saemidori’, a bright green, slightly bitter variety with some sweetness and full of umami. The taste was impressive, but the delicate variety is affected by low temperature and difficult to grow.” Sometimes we only manage to grow a reasonable amount every four years,” Shiimado said.

“On top of everything, I think the high quality of Yame gyokuro comes from following the dento hon-gyokuro production process to the letter, which requires a lot of strict conditions,” Shiimado revealed. For the tea to be recognized as Within hon-gyokuro, it must pass many specific requirements such as the proper use of fertilizer and manual harvesting of the leaves, a long and laborious process.”Our gyokuro is made with great attention to detail and hard work. The quantity is limited, but its taste and aroma are extraordinary.”

Yasuhiko Kiya, a green tea evaluator, manager of a tea shop in Yame, shares with us the secret of the best preparation and tasting of Yame dento hon-gyokuro. “My favorite is koori-dashi , which uses melting ice to slowly brew the tea. Brewing at a low temperature decreases the bitterness of the tea and accentuates the umami to the fullest,” Kiya said. “Gyokuro’s strong, sweet flavor and umami are enriched when prepared this way.”

Hoping to bring Yame’s dento hon-gyokuro prepared in this way to more people, he led them to the creation of bottled koori-dashi tea, which encapsulates the rich flavor of gyokuro.

It is a bottle of “Superlative” tea, the highest rank awarded by the National Tea Fair. Perfectly capturing the umami and nutrients of the leaves, this bottle is best enjoyed in small portions: 25-30ml in small liqueur glasses, and sipped slowly like a whiskey, is ideal.

This rich-flavored tea pairs very well with traditional Japanese sweets, although more popular ones also lift their flavor, such as chocolate with a high cocoa content, or “blue” cheeses, Kiya said.

There are plans to export this bottle, so it is expected that it will soon be found in restaurants in many parts of the world. So don’t miss out on the opportunity to enjoy this delicious non-alcoholic drink at an elegant dinner party, or perhaps for a relaxing break.

You can find more details of Yame Dento Hon-gyokuro, and even purchase it, on their website https://yame-teashop.com/