Shizuoka Gyokuro "Uraraka"

Shizuoka is so famous for its vast mountains and sencha, it took us a couple visits before we could look past these things and dive more deeply into its other treasures. We shouldn't have been surprised that fantastic gyokuro is produced here, but this tea has wowed us nonetheless.

Gyokuro production depends on shade, and the best ones are grown in the valleys of mountains where there is little direct sunlight. This makes the expansive mountain range and fertile valleys of Shizuoka an excellent place to grow gyokuro.

Unique to the making of gyokuro is that, at a certain point, the entire field is covered with screens designed to filter out even more light. This stresses the tea trees, causing them to strive for sunlight, increasing the amount of the amino acid l-theanine in their leaves. This constant striving for sun is what gives gyokuro its distinct mouthfeel, nutritional properties, and rich flavor.

Made from a rare varietal, Uraraka is only produced in very small quantities. This is a benchmark gyokuro for people looking for balanced, intense greenery. Dry, it smells very inviting, like concrete and cacao. Its taste lands pleasantly between a sencha and a gyokuro, with a forward astringency and grassy quality softened by a weighty, shade-grown mouthfeel.