06 Sou Organic Gyokuro Green Tea 50g
Original price was: $59.99.$55.00Current price is: $55.00.
Made from Seimei, a rare new Kagoshima cultivar. Deep umami, remarkably low in bitterness, with a warm grain-like aroma and a sweetness that lingers beautifully.
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Description
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.
Pick Green is certified organic green tea sourced from Sakamotoen, a family owned tea farm in Kagoshima, Japan. Sakamotoen has been producing green tea for almost 100 years.
Sakamotoen – Kagoshima, Japan
What is Gyokuro Tea?
Gyokuro is admired as the highest grade of Japanese green tea. The name “gyokuro” translates as “jade dew” in reference to the bright green colour in the cup. It differs from the standard sencha (a classic unshaded green tea) in being grown under the shade rather than the full sun. Shading causes both the amino acid theanine and the alkaloid caffeine in the tea leaves to increase, which yields a sweet flavour.
