GYOKURO - Japanese Shade Tea (Japanese Green Tea). COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: Japan. GRADE: Gyokuro. MANUFACTURE TYPE: Shade grown and steamed green tea. CUP CHARACTERISTICS: A full flavored green tea that has a satisfying light refreshing character. Tending pleasantly vegetative with some briskness. INFUSION: Very bright. INGREDIENTS: Premium green tea. TEA INFORMATION: This is Japan’s best green tea (made from single buds that are picked only in April/May. In an effort to develop increased chlorophyll (making them dark green) and reduced the tannin (giving a sweeter flavor with no bitterness), the tea is covered with black curtains or bamboo and straw shades for 3 weeks in early spring. The leaves are small - about 3/4’s of an inch long and extremely fragrant and tender. Immediately after plucking the leaves are taken to the factory and steamed for about 30 minutes to seal in the flavor and arrest fermentation. Next they are fluffed with hot air and pressed and dried to 30% moisture content. Repeated rolling takes place until the tea develops long thin dark green needles at which time it is finally dried to a 4-6% moisture content. Gyokuro has been referred to as “history, philosophy and art in a single cup.” This is the best green tea of Japan.