Kōyō - Uji Gyokuro
RishouenCarefully blended from both machine and hand-picked leaves from across Kyōto and Uji, this gyokuro represents the refinement and elegance of Uji tea, using cultivars known for their excellence as shaded tea—samidori, uji-hikari, saemidori, and gokou.
Uji city in Kyoto has long been at the centre of Japanese tea and has been famed for its high-quality matcha production for centuries, dating back to the 12th century. The shading method used to produce modern matcha (c. 16th century) along with sencha (1737) and gyokuro itself (1835) were all invented by Uji farmers looking to push the boundaries of tea quality. Though the name Ujicha remains associated with high-grade tea, most tea branded as Ujicha is produced in the neighbouring towns of Ujitawara, Minamiyamashiro, Kizugawa, and primarily Wazuka.
Uji city in Kyoto prefecture has long been at the centre of Japanese tea and has been famed for its high-quality matcha production for centuries, dating back to the 12th century. The shading method used to produce modern matcha (c. 15th century) along with sencha (1737) and gyokuro itself (1835) were all invented by Uji farmers looking to push the boundaries of tea quality.
Though the name Ujicha remains associated with high-grade tea, most tea branded as Ujicha is produced in the neighbouring towns of Ujitawara, Minamiyamashiro, Kizugawa, and primarily Wazuka.
Brewing Instructions
Traditional
Hot Tea
Use 4-8 g (0.14-0.28 oz) of tea leaves for every 50 ml (1.69 oz) of water, use 90 ml (3.04 oz) for later infusions
Heat your water to 45º C (113º F), adding 10º C (18º F) for each subsequent infusion or cool boiling water by pouring it into a yuzamashi, into the cups, then into the teapot
Let it steep for 2 minutes (30 seconds for 2nd infusion, +15 seconds for each subsequent infusion) before pouring slowly until the last drop. Enjoy!