Ryokucha Tea Bags
Gyokuro
Ryokucha Tea Bags
Gyokuro
Pre-Order
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Gyokuro is a shade-grown Japanese green tea developed to concentrate sweetness and umami in the leaf. This lot is grown above 300 meters on the Yamato Highlands in Nara and represents less than one percent of its producer's annual tea production. The cup has dense savory depth, restrained astringency, and a finish that recalls clear broth.
Shade-grown gyokuro from the Yamato Highlands
Blend of Yabukita, Saemidori, and Samidori
Concentrated umami with restrained astringency
Use cooler water and a longer steep for the first infusion. Use hotter water and shorter steeps for the second and third infusions.
Details
Origin: Yamato Highlands, Nara, Japan
Elevation: Above 300 m
Cultivars: Yabukita, Saemidori, Samidori
Processing: Shaded cultivation
Infusions: Up to three
Format: Tea bags
For Trade
Further Reading
Gyokuro from the Yamato Highlands
Shade and the Invention of Gyokuro
Gyokuro combines covered cultivation with the rolling methods used for leaf tea. The form emerged in the Uji area in the 1830s, when shaded shoots that had previously been associated with tencha were finished as a tea for infusion.
Covering reduces direct sunlight as the shoots develop. The resulting leaf can hold concentrated umami and sweetness while keeping astringency restrained. Temperature then changes what the tea releases: cooler water emphasizes savory depth; hotter water brings a fresher, more aromatic profile.
Less Than One Percent
This gyokuro is grown above 300 meters on the Yamato Highlands by Yamatoen. It accounts for less than one percent of the producer's annual tea production. The cultivar blend brings together Yabukita, Saemidori, and Samidori.
Yamatoen manages cultivation, finishing, and product making in Yamazoe, Nara. The producer received Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries awards at Nara tea competitions in 2025 and an Excellence Award in the 2026 Japan Agriculture Award. Those awards belong to the producer; this gyokuro is defined by its own shaded leaf, elevation, and small production share.
Drinking
Heals
We present Japanese tea and matcha as part of the Drinking Heals collection. In Japan, IPPUKU describes a brief pause—sometimes with tea, sometimes with a cigarette. Drinking Heals reimagines IPPUKU through Japanese tea. Inspired by the familiar warning “ Smoking Kills ” , it proposes another message: “ Drinking Heals .” A moment once associated with tobacco becomes a quiet ritual of water, tea, and time.
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