Gyokuro Shade-Grown Green Tea
Gyokuro is the crown jewel of Japanese green tea — shade-grown for three weeks before harvest, which forces the leaves to produce an extraordinary concentration of L-theanine and chlorophyll. The result is a tea that is simultaneously sweet, umami-rich, and deeply grassy, with almost none of the bitterness you might associate with green tea. For cold brew, gyokuro is absolutely exceptional: steep it in cold water for 6–8 hours and you get a silky, jade-coloured infusion with a flavour profile unlike anything else in the tea world. It is also one of the most caffeine-rich teas available, making it a brilliant morning alternative to coffee. Because the leaves are so delicate, gyokuro rewards patience — use water no hotter than 60°C if brewing hot, or go cold brew to extract the sweetness without any astringency. A small tin goes a long way, and the flavour experience is genuinely unlike any other tea you have tried.
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