The highest quality gyokuro “Yame Traditional Gyokuro
Yame City is an agricultural city with a population of about 65,000 located in the southwestern part of Fukuoka Prefecture. The world-renowned “Yame Tea Traditional Gyokuro” is produced in a mountain village described in “Nihon Shoki” (Chronicles of Japan).Gyokuro is not a variety, but a cultivation method.While sencha is generally harvested several times a year, starting with the first tea, followed by the second and third teas, gyokuro is only the first tea.Most of the harvest is done by hand.The biggest difference between gyokuro and sencha is that the entire tea plantation is covered with a cover (kabuse) two to three weeks before harvest to block out the sun.Catechins, the bitter component of tea, increase through photosynthesis.
The lack of photosynthesis by blocking out the sunlight leads to an increase in atenin, which is a flavor component, and as a result, the gyokuro tea has a strong flavor.In addition, the Yame Traditional Gyokuro tea must be hand-picked and covered with natural materials such as straw.By adhering to these rules, Gyokuro has been awarded “GI” status, won the top prize at the National Tea Fair for 20 consecutive years, and won the Grand Prix at the Japanese Tea Competition in Paris, thus maintaining its position as the world’s best tea.The leading expert on this gyokuro is Mr. Yoshiaki Miyahara of Hoshino Village, who has won first place in Japan three times at the National Tea Fair.The gyokuro he produces is an ultra-premium product that once sold for 10,000 yen for 8 grams.Right in front of his house is a tea plantation the size of a large vegetable garden, lined with freshly harvested tea plants with conspicuous branches.
Tea is grown in heaven and earth
I had the impression that tea fields were lined with many tea trees on sunny slopes.This is a rather small field,” (Nakata) “But anyway, the soil is good.If we grow tea here carefully, we can produce delicious gyokuro.”
Mr. Miyahara says, “It is ‘heaven, earth, and people’ that grow tea.Heaven is the sunlight, earth is the soil of the field, and people are the key.Although it is a small field, Mr. Miyahara’s field has all of these things.
We put straw on top of the enclosure to shade it from the sun.We change the location and thickness of the straw depending on the weather, and from four days before harvest, we raise the shading rate to 99%,” says Mr. Miyahara.
Gyokuro is roasted slowly in lukewarm water, and the color is bright.Gyokuro is not to be drunk in large gulps.Gyokuro is not to be drunk in large gulps, but to be savored slowly.Just a few drops of Mr. Miyahara’s Gyokuro will fill your mouth with a surprisingly rich flavor and sweetness. It has a rich but gentle taste,” says Nakata.
Hoshino Village, as its name suggests, is known for its beautiful starry sky at night, and for the fireflies that swarm around it in early summer, creating a beautiful, fleeting light.Enjoy the best tea in the clear air.I was able to spend a luxurious time that is not possible in the city.
