Gyokuro Green Tea

Our WellTea Gyokuro represents the pinnacle of Japanese green tea. It is shaded prior to harvesting, which stresses the tea plant, resulting in a higher chlorophyll content. In the cup, this creates a fuller body and bolder vegetal quality.

Part of Gyokuro’s revered reputation and uniquely smooth and characteristically sweet taste comes from the unique methods with which it is harvested. The young bushes from which the leaves are plucked are kept in the shade from the sun with dark straw mats. At the end of 20 to 30 days the leaves are then plucked using the “Tana” method, requiring great care and expert technique.

After they are hand picked, the leaves are then steamed lightly before being rolled, twisted and dried. The process for making Gyokuro tea is the opposite of Japan’s other popular type of tea, Sencha, which is left exposed in the sunlight. Shading the tea plants helps to turn Gyokuro leaves a vivid, chlorophyll-rich green and is what gives the tea produced an elegant sweet flavour.

As is customary with most Japanese teas, our Gyokuro exhibits mixed grading consisting of both small and larger leaf pieces and very fine particles to create a full and brothy cup that, according to Japanese tea culture, creates a harmonious infusion revealing the full breadth of the leaf.

In addition, the light green infusion exhibits a sweet and nutty flavor that is smoother and less bitter than our Sencha.