Dento Hon Gyokuro "Kiwami"

伝統本玉露 極

Origin
Yame, Fukuoka

Harvest
May 2023

Yame is a special place. It is defined by dramatic mountains and cascading waterfalls. It is also known to produce the best Gyokuro in Japan, making it home to the traditional craftsmanship for this kind of tea. Over 100 years of experience making Gyokuro lives in Yame and thus, the tea that comes from here has set the standard for Gyokuro around the world for a very long time.  

As the Gold Prize Winner of the World Green Tea Competition, “Kiwami” Gyokuro has received the highest honour. This tea is carefully handcrafted from the finest leaves of the Saemidori varietal. It is known for its “umami” and to exemplify gyokuro’s unique, savoury taste.

Its thin, dry leaves look oily and dense, like fine metal shavings and smell deep and strong in the gaiwan. When wet, they turn a thick, shocking green colour, appearing almost artificial, as though they were molded out of plasticine.

The mouthfeel of the first infusion is so spherical we feel spun around by it! Its flavour is low, sweet, and integrated. We do not feel inclined to pull individual tasting notes from it, but rather, to experience it for its wonderful texture: the round, enervating liquor doesn’t just sit in the mouth, but seems to suspend itself inside the whole body.

The second infusion is unexpectedly sweet, not something we are used to having foregrounded in gyokuro. It maintains its impressive and uplifted mouth feel, which is less fatty and dense than other Yame gyokuros. There is a very compelling synthetic quality to this tea, wherein it feels so abstracted from the plant it once was, which grew in the ground. After 4 infusions we eat the leaves: they are sweet and fresh, like a warm salad.  

Net weight 6g

. . .

Brewing Guide

Please read our detailed Gyokuro brewing guide here