About this tea
What makes it unique is the leaf. Sou is made from Seimei, a cultivar developed in Kagoshima, and only registered in 2017. Its name is written with characters meaning clean, pure tea, and very few farms grow it. Sakamoto-san is one of the few, and it has become a signature of his work.
Seimei was bred for exactly what gyokuro drinkers look for. It is unusually high in theanine, the amino acid behind umami and sweetness, and unusually low in catechins, the compounds behind bitterness and astringency. Shade it the way Sakamotoen does and you get a cup with deep, generous umami and almost nothing sharp in it at all.
In the mouth it is soft and full, with an aroma closer to warm grain than cut grass. Think oats and malt rather than anything green. The sweetness is broad and generous, and the finish settles on the tongue and stays there long after the cup is down.
This is the one to reach for when you want a tea to pay attention to, and it repays every bit of it. From the single spring harvest, lightly steamed to keep the leaf intact. Water rested to 60 degrees, a small pot, two minutes, poured out completely. 50g makes 25 to 37 cups.
