Where to buy gyokuro green tea is a question we often get asked, and the answer is a bit complicated. The best place to buy gyokuro green tea is from the farmer directly, but if this is not possible, you can of course buy it from a tea company like us that gets the gyokuro directly from the farmer. In this article, we will teach you everything you need to know before you buy gyokuro, how to buy gyokuro green tea and where to buy gyokuro. Let’s get started!
What to know before you buy gyokuro green tea
Before you find where to buy gyokuro green tea, there are a few things you’ll want to know. First, you’ll want to know what gyokuro is, what it typically costs and what to look for when you buy gyokuro. In this section, we will give you a short crash course on gyokuro tea so you’re not blindsided the first time you try to buy gyokuro.
What is gyokuro green tea?
Gyokuro is considered to be the most sought after leaf tea in Japan. It’s made from the gyokuro plant that have been shaded for 3 weeks or more prior to the harvest. By cutting off the tea plants from sunlight, a farmer is able to reduce the amount of bitter catechins in the tea and maximize the sweet and savory theanine.
After the 3 week shading is over, the farmer will then harvest the tea leaves. With a premium green tea like gyokuro, only the top 3 leaves are used. These are the youngest, most nutrient dense and sweetest in flavor. Did you know that some people are even eating gyokuro leaves? To learn more about it, read our article 👉 Why people are Eating Gyokuro Leaves?
Gyokuro is then steamed, dried and then rolled into the characteristic needle shaped leaves. These leaves lock in the flavor so that it can be released all at once into a glorious green infusion. The tea is thick and rich, with a strong sweet and savory flavor. Nothing comes close to matching the flavor and texture of gyokuro tea.
What is the typical price of gyokuro tea?
A premium Gyokuro tea will tend to be in between 30 cents and 1 dollar per gram. At the high end, competition grade gyokuro can be in between $1 to $2 per gram. This is reserved for the annual gyokuro competitions where farmers compete to be selected as the “tea of the emperor”.
If you are paying much under 30 cents per gram of gyokuro tea, there is a chance you are getting one that is cheaply made. Unfortunately, like most premium food and drink, quality comes with a price.
When it comes to flavor and drinking experience, the price tag seems to speak for itself. Gyokuro does seem to command the highest price in the world of Japanese green tea, and because so many people are willing to pay top dollar for it, the gyokuro taste must be well loved. To learn why Gyokuro is so expensive, we advice you to read the article 👉 Why is the Gyokuro Tea Price so High?
What to look for when you buy gyokuro
Leaves colors
When you are looking for where to buy gyokuro green tea, one thing you’ll want to do is look at the leaves. When you go to buy gyokuro, you want to look for darker tea leaves. When the tea plant is shaded for a longer period of time, it tends to produce more chlorophyll to compensate. This will turn the leaves from a light lime green color to a dark, jade green color.
This makes it easy to tell whether or not the tea has been shaded for a long time just by looking at the leaves. If they are lime green, the tea is likely not a gyokuro. If you are going to buy gyokuro, you want the leaves to be very dark green, almost black in color.
Leaves have this tight pine needle shape
When you buy gyokuro green tea, you also want to make sure that the leaves have this tight pine needle shape. This means that they were rolled properly. It actually takes an additional rolling phase to make gyokuro tea, so serious gyokuro producers will make this investment. This makes sure that the leaves lock in their flavor until they are infused into water.
Where to buy gyokuro online
Where to buy gyokuro online is a question we often get asked, and the answer is a bit complicated. We wrote an entire article in which we will teach you everything you need to know before you buy gyokuro, how to buy gyokuro green tea and where to buy gyokuro. If you want to read it, here is the link for the article 👉 Where to buy gyokuro green tea.
Nio Teas
If you’re looking to buy gyokuro tea online, you have come to the right place! We try to meet all the farmers we work with in person and try out their teas many times before making them available on the website. We then will send it directly to you with free shipping worldwide.
Our gyokuro tea is produced by the legendary farmer, Mr. Sakamoto. Mr. Sakamoto has been producing gyokuro without the use of pesticides or chemicals since 1985. After producing his own blend of organic fertilizer, he has been able to grow strong, healthy and flavorful tea plants without harming the surrounding ecosystem. If you’re looking for the best gyokuro online shop, the best way to do it is to get the gyokuro from Mr. Sakamoto at Nio Teas.
Best place to buy gyokuro in person
If you’re looking for where to buy gyokuro green tea in person, this can be very difficult. Because there is such a small market for gyokuro tea, it doesn’t make sense to carry it at most physical stores. You may find at a specialty tea shop in a big city, but your best bet is to just buy gyokuro online and make your own delicious cups of tea!
Is gyokuro the best green tea?
While the question is gyokuro the best green tea is a matter of opinion, we believe that when you look at the health benefits, the production and the unique taste characteristics of this tea, you can certainly make a case for it. We wrote an entire article in which we are taking a look at what gyokuro is, how it’s made and why it just might be the best green tea. Checkout the article 👉 Is gyokuro the best green tea?
