Every tea has a tale to tell. This is the tale of Gyokuro. One long winter in 1830s Japan, a travelling tea merchant visited tea farms throughout Uji. The plants had been covered with straw shades, protecting them from the frost. That year’s leaves produced an incredible flavour the likes of which had never been tasted before. This shading method became known as Oishitaen. In 1835, it was combined with the Sencha leaf-rolling technique to create the first ever Gyokuro. Today, Gyokuro’s leaves are still shaded before each harvest. And Gyokuro – or ‘Jade Dew’ – is considered Japan’s finest loose leaf green tea.
