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Gyokuro Saemidori Cha Meijin

Gyokuro Saemidori Cha Meijin

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Learn all the secrets of the Gyokuro Saemidori Cha Meijin

The gyokuro saemidori cha meijin is a light and sweet gyokuro made by the legendary gyokuro farmer Mr. Sakamoto in Shibushi. This tea has a warm sweetness, with notes of caramel and brown sugar.

Taste

Gyokuro Saemidori Cha Meijin flavor chart

Discover the results of Nio Teas’ 4 step tea tasting method

When examining the flavor of the gyokuro saemidori cha meijin, we take into account both its aroma and its taste profile, paying close attention to how the tea interacts with the palate. We consider factors such as dryness, acidity, minerality, sweetness, and umami. In addition to the mouthfeel, we also like to take a look at the texture of the tea, otherwise known as the mouthfeel.

When it comes to gyokuro, we also like to judge the vegetal taste profile of the tea, which is a defining characteristic of a lot of gyokuro. By evaluating the flavor in these ways, we can gain a more comprehensive understanding of the tea's quality and overall sensory experience.

Step 1 - Observing the Appearance

The leaves of this tea are a dark green color and rolled into large, thin needle shapes.

Step 2 - Assessing the Aroma

The aroma coming off of the wet tea leaves is very sweet and slightly vegetal, with notes of brown sugar and cookies

Step 3 - Tasting the Tea

The gyokuro saemidori cha meijin quickly overwhelms the palate with this thick, syrupy sweetness. The sweetness is on the warmer side, with a hint of caramel and butterscotch. The strong umami flavor follows the sweetness and adds depth to the structure of the tea. The tea finishes with a smooth sweetness that lingers on the palate.

Step 4 - Evaluating the sensation on the palate

The sweet and umami flavors really dominate the taste profile of the gyokuro saemidori, leaving little space for much of the acidity and minerality. The tea coats the palate with a dense consistency and there is only a small hint of acidity and no dryness.

100% Organically grown and Ethically Sourced

We like to work exclusively with farmers who cultivate tea plants without the use of pesticides or chemicals. This approach yields remarkable results not only in terms of tea flavor but also in the health of the tea fields.

We have observed that tea farmers that follow this practice are not only able to grow great tasting green tea, but they also encourage the flourishing of wildlife in the surrounding areas.

Nio Teas Unique Organically grown sourcing process

  • A thorough taste test of each individual tea
  • Communication with the farmers about how the teas are produced and what unique benefits they provide
  • Visiting the tea farms in person to ensure the tea is being produced with care and attention to detail
  • Walking around the tea fields to ensure there is a rich biodiversity and healthy soil
JAS Japanese Agriculture Standards logo

JAS Certified

When you see JAS on our packaging, this stands for Japanese Agriculture Standards, which certify products as having been grown without the use of pesticides or chemicals. This certification is regulated and managed by the Japanese government. 

To make sure that our tea is completely grown organically, we require the larger farmers we work with to produce this JAS label, which can be obtained through soil samples and testing. 

We recognize that smaller tea farmers may not have the resources to obtain JAS certification, so we accept their products under the "pesticide free" label, without requiring JAS certification. Our screening process is designed to be fair and accommodating, providing opportunity to these smaller producers, while also maintaining a high standard across our product line.

How to prepare the tea

To prepare the gyokuro saemidori, you can use a longer brewing time and a lower brewing temperature. The reason you use a lower temperature is that the gyokuro saemidori is meant to be a celebration of these sweet and savory flavors and these are best extracted at a lower temperature. If you brew the leaves too hot, you may end up with a bitter tasting tea.

The reason you use a longer brewing time is that the gyokuro saemidori has very tightly rolled leaves. These leaves require a full 2 minutes to expand and fully release their flavor into the water.

  • icon of a teapot with temperature brewing instruction in degree for 60 degree celsius and 140 degree fahrenheit

    Step 1

    Before you prepare the tea, make sure you heat up the water to a temperature of 60 degrees Celsius or 140 degrees Fahrenheit. This is the ideal temperature for the gyokuro saemidori.

  • icon of 5 grams of tea leaves

    Step 2

    Add 5 grams of gyokuro saemidori cha meijin to your kyusu teapot or shiboridashi.

  • icon of a teapot with time brewing instruction of 2 minutes

    Step 3

    Pour in 150ml of water and allow the tea leaves to sit and brew in the water undisturbed for 2 minutes.

  • black icon of a cup of tea

    Step 4

    After the tea leaves are done brewing, you can pour out your gyokuro and the teapot will automatically filter out the leaves so they don’t end up in your cup. Enjoy your tea!

  • icon of a teapot with time brewing instruction of 20 seconds

    2nd brew

    Just add more hot water to the teapot and let the leaves brew for 20 seconds for each additional infusion. The leaves will only need a brewing time of 20 seconds because they have already been opened up by the first brewing.

  • icon of glace of matcha latte with ice cubes

    Cold brew

    The gyokuro saemidori can also be prepared with cold water to make a sweet and refreshing cold brew! If you want to learn how to cold brew this tea, you can read our article all about cold brewing gyokuro.

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Necessary teaware

The Kyusu teapot is the best tool to prepare gyokuro tea, but you may also like it in a shiboridashi. If you really want to produce this concentrated umami flavor we recommend using the shiboridashi but for daily brewing, the kyusu works best. 

Alternative without teaware

If you don’t have a teapot at home, the next best alternative for the gyokuro saemidori is a tea

strainer. Because the tea leaves don’t have the same amount of space as they do in the teapot, the strainer won’t produce quite as rich of a flavor as the teapot, but it will give you a way to sift out the tea leaves and keep them out of your cup.

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mr sakamoto farm in japan

Location of production and farmer

Information about the farm

The gyokuro saemidori is produced by Mr. Sakamoto, the legendary Organic green tea farmer in Southern Japan. Mr. Sakamoto has been working in the tea industry for decades, and during that time he has discovered a sustainable ways to make super flavorful gyokuro tea without using pesticides or chemicals. 

After meeting with Mr. Sakamoto a few years in a row, we never stop being impressed by his dedication to his tea field. Instead of taking the shortcut, Sakamoto took the extra time to develop his own organic fertilizer. He uses a combination of natural compounds, including organic compost as well as a mulch made from sedimentary rock.

The fertilizer made by Mr. Sakamoto provides nutrients to the soil of the tea plants, allowing them to produce strong and healthy tea leaves, without harming the natural ecosystem. It is very difficult to produce a challenging tea like gyokuro without using conventional methods, which makes the gyokuro from Mr. Sakamoto a very special tea indeed. 

map with the location of kagoshima tea fields in Japan

Sourced in Kagoshima

Japan

The gyokuro saemidori is grown in Kagoshima Japan, in the far south of the island of Kyushu. More specifically, the tea is grown in the town of Shibushi, in an area that benefits from warm, subtropical climates, seasonal rainfall and rich, volcanic soils.

Cultivar and tea plant variety

The gyokuro saemidori Cha meijin gets its name because it is made using the saemidori cultivar, one of the most sought after tea plant varieties for Japanese green tea.

  • Saemidori

    Saemidori is a rare tea plant variety that is typically reserved for premium Japanese green teas like gyokuro and matcha. By using this cultivar in the gyokuro saemidori, Mr. Sakamoto is able to produce a really rich, sweet gyokuro tea. The reason saemidori Gyokuro teas are so special is because this cultivar is more delicate and requires more skill and labor to produce.

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We offer free shipping on all orders using the most cost-effective shipping carrier for your country. Delivery typically takes 5-7 days for customers in the U.S. and E.U, while customers outside these areas may experience a wait time of up to 10 days. If you want a faster delivery time, we have options available at a small additional fee.

Order issues

If you have any issues with your order, please feel free to reach out to us and we will address it as soon as possible. The best way to contact us is through email at info@nioteas.com. If you have a quick question, you may find it easier to send us a direct message on Instagram at @nio_japanese_green_tea.

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While we accept all major credit cards, PayPal, and Apple Pay we also can accept payments via bank transfer. If you prefer to pay by bank transfer, you can select this option, and we'll provide you with the necessary details to make the transfer. Once payment has been received, we will send your order out right away.

Returns & Refunds

Our goal is for every customer to have a positive tea drinking experience with Nio. If you're unhappy with the tea you receive, please let us know, and we'll happily send you a replacement. Rather than returning the tea you ordered, just keep it and share it with a friend that might enjoy it.

Gyokuro Saemidori Cha Meijin learning plateform

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