Gyokuro (Loose Leaf)

Gyokuro is Japan's most prestigious green tea, shade-grown for three weeks before harvest to concentrate chlorophyll and amino acids, particularly L-theanine. This creates a tea that's simultaneously energizing from caffeine and calming from L-theanine - alert relaxation, focused but not anxious. The shading process also reduces bitterness and increases sweetness.

The flavor is intensely umami - savory, almost brothy, with natural sweetness and virtually no astringency. It's vegetal in the best way, like fresh-cut grass after spring rain or steamed edamame. The leaves are a brilliant jade green, and when properly brewed, the liquor is a luminous green-gold.

This is a tea to pay attention to, not gulp down while checking email. Traditionally brewed with cooler water (140-160°F) and shorter steeps (1-2 minutes) to preserve its delicate character. Multiple infusions reveal different aspects of the tea. The first steep is sweet and full-bodied; later steeps become more subtle and nuanced.