Gyokuro: A Tea You Experience, Not Just Drink
Hello everyone, this is Keko from the online team.
One afternoon, I had a delightful conversation with a customer.
They said softly:
"I know Gyokuro is considered a fine tea… but to be honest, I can’t quite tell how it’s different from other teas. I tried brewing it with hot water, and it tasted a little milder, more refined… but it wasn’t the kind of flavor that truly surprised me."
I smiled and replied,
"If you’d like, may I brew it for you next time?"
Gyokuro is not just “good tea leaves.”
It is a delicate tea whose flavor changes completely depending on how it’s brewed.
In front of the customer, I began preparing.
First, I carefully measured the leaves into a kyusu (a small Japanese teapot).
I poured hot water into a yuzamashi (water-cooling vessel), then into a teacup, letting it slowly cool.
After a while, I gently touched the side of the cup with my fingertips.
"What are you doing?" the customer asked.
"Preparing the water for Gyokuro," I answered with a smile.
Once the water cooled to about 60°C (140°F)—just warm to the touch—I poured it into the kyusu.
And then… I waited.
"You don’t pour it right away?" they asked.
"No. Gyokuro should be steeped slowly. We let the umami unfold quietly in the water."
After over a minute, I gently poured the tea into the cup, sharing every last drop evenly.
The result was a small serving—a clear green “drop of light.”
"Please, take your time tasting it."
The customer took a sip, and their eyes widened.
"Wait… is this really tea? It tastes like… dashi stock…?"
They were momentarily speechless.
Gyokuro is a tea you experience.
Brewed at an unusually low temperature, it yields a deep, broth-like umami.
The aroma is subtle, the bitterness almost absent, and a gentle aftertaste lingers softly.
It’s a completely different world from everyday sencha or matcha—
a cup that embodies the quiet luxury of Japan.
At Nakamura Tokichi Honten, we present Gyokuro not simply as a luxury tea,
but as an expression of Japanese culture—something to be enjoyed through time, care, and all your senses.
If you’ve never felt surprise or space to breathe from a cup of tea,
I invite you to meet Gyokuro—once, at least.
"So this… really is tea?" the customer murmured.
And in that moment, a quiet aftertaste bloomed in my own heart as well.