Gyokuro Tea
Gyokuro Tea is a tea that originates from Japan and is one of the most expensive and prestigious types of green tea known to man. It differentiates itself from other green teas because of the way it is grown. The majority of the time, green tea is grown in sun light, which is not the case with the Gyokuro tea. Gyokuro tea is actually grown in the shade rather than the sun. Generally, growers of this type of produce will shade their crop for around 20 days until it is fully grown. Once grown, the Gyokuro tea will be of a pale green color.
Brewing a Gyokuro tea is not like other methods of tea. As this is such a unique and expensive tea, it requires a special technique to ensure that all the sensuous flavors are released. Generally, brewers will need around 8 grams of Gyokuro tea for every 180ml of water. One thing that tends to be different in this process is the temperature that the tea will be brewed at. Other teas will be brewed at 75 degrees celsius or higher. The Gyokuro only needs to be brewed at 65 degrees and some of the higher quality ones will only need a maximum of 40 degrees celsius. The temperature is extremely important. The steeping process is extremely quick at usually less than two minutes, and as the steeping temperatures are not high, both the pot and cup should be heated prior to serving.
A lot of people assume that Gyokuro tea is the same as the Sencha, as its brewing methods are similar. The fact is that the Sencha is grown in a totally different way. The Gyokuro tea leaves are shielded from the sun for much longer. Unlike many other teas, this actually increases the amount of caffeine, and amino acids as well.
Whilst many people may assume that something like the Gyokuro tea does not have much of a market, they would be wrong. The market for Gyokuro tea is huge. This tea was developed by Yamamotoyama Tea Company, but there have been lots of variations of it over the years.
Gyokuro tea tends to be consumed during higher class social events. From a social stand point, this defines class and generally, only the wealthy will choose to drink it. The popularity surrounding the Gyokuro tea is never likely to be as high as other teas due to its high caffeine content, and its more intricate growing process makes it a more expensive tea.
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