Gyokuro

The finest grade of Japanese green tea, gyokuro is sweet with a unique and mildly astrigent aroma and mellow umami.

The tea leaves are cultivated using the ooishita method, which involves shading the young tea leaves from direct sunlight for around 20 days after they first start to appear.

This distinctive process inhabits astrigency, producing tea leaves with large amounts of "theanine," an amino acid that enhances umami.