Gyokuro: How Do You Taste This Shade-Grown Tea?
Gyokuro is a tea of shaded leaves prepared by steeping. Compare its cultivation and serving method with matcha's.
By Roseline Zhou, Founder
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Want to taste a shade-grown Japanese green tea but prefer steeping leaves to whisking powder? Gyokuro fits that way of preparing tea. Its leaves are shaded before harvest and can make a sweet cup with a round, lingering savory taste the Japanese call umami. Grinding it still wouldn't turn it into matcha.
We'd taste it in small infusions to follow its subtleties from cup to cup. If you'd rather drink a large, lighter cup with a meal, there's no need to follow that ritual. The variety of Japanese teas also shows in the leaf and the way they're served.
Why are gyokuro leaves shaded?
Before harvest, gyokuro tea plants are protected from the sun. Their leaves are then steamed, rolled and dried. Ordinary sencha follows another growing method; matcha, another process.
Matcha comes from tencha, another shaded leaf, but one dried without rolling before it is milled. Shade doesn't make the two teas interchangeable. Kabusecha, another shaded leaf tea, generally spends less time under shade than gyokuro. We'd look at the actual leaf before comparing names or prices, then taste it.
How do you steep gyokuro?
Place the leaves in a small teapot. Pour in water cooler than you'd use for a lively sencha, follow the directions for the tea you've chosen, then separate the leaves from the water completely. Taste the first infusion before changing the dose or time.
A gaiwan, a small Chinese lidded bowl for steeping tea, can work too. It lets you pour quickly while holding back the leaves. To start, we'd choose a small teapot because serving is easier with it. If you're already comfortable using a gaiwan, keep it.
Moderately warm water can help you bring out umami without making the cup harsh. You may prefer hotter water and a livelier taste. Change just one variable between attempts to learn what you like.
What can gyokuro taste like?
Vegetal sweetness, umami and sometimes a hint of astringency can come together, depending on the leaves and the infusion. The name gyokuro doesn't promise the same sensation from every tea. Smell the dry leaves, then compare the first and second infusions.
We'd begin without sugar so it doesn't cover that roundness. If you deliberately pair the tea with a very sweet dessert, that test matters less. Choose according to the cup you'll actually drink.
Gyokuro, tamaryokucha and kukicha: what does each name tell you?
Tamaryokucha has curved leaves shaped by another processing method. With kukicha, you mainly steep stems and twigs: its name describes the material rather than the shade.
If your main question is whether to steep leaves or whisk powder, comparing matcha and gyokuro helps you choose by the preparation. We'd keep gyokuro for the pleasure of several small infusions. Matcha better suits someone seeking the texture of powder.