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Gyokuro Imperial Green Tea Cha Musume

Gyokuro Imperial Green Tea Cha Musume

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Learn all the secrets of the Gyokuro Imperial Green Tea Cha Musume

The Gyokuro Imperial Green Tea Cha Musume is a classic Yabukita Gyokuro from Mr. Sakamoto that has a strong umami flavor and pleasant floral tasting notes.

Taste

Gyokuro Imperial Green Tea Cha Musume flavor chart

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

When examining the flavor of the Gyokuro Imperial Green Tea, we not only like to consider the aroma and tasting notes, but also how the tea interacts with the palate. We examine different aspects of the tea such as dryness, acidity, minerality, sweetness, and umami. In addition to the sensation, we also like to take a look at the texture of the tea, to see how thick or thin the consistency is.

For gyokuro, we also add an additional criterion and that is the vegetal taste profile. This is an aspect that exists in all Gyokuro teas, and we like to evaluate and compare this characteristic on a spectrum.

Step 1 - Observing the Appearance

The leaves of the gyokuro imperial green tea cha musume are a dark green color and rolled into these large, thin needle shaped leaves.

Step 2 - Assessing the Aroma

The aroma coming off of the wet tea leaves is sweet and slightly earthy, with hints of seaweed and flowers.

Step 3 - Tasting the Tea

The gyokuro imperial green tea cha musume begins with a mouthwatering acidity that quickly diverges into a strong umami that dominates the mid palate. As the umami flavor subsides, it makes room for a slightly grassy, sugar cane sweetness and a hint of cucumber. The finish is slightly dry with a touch of minerality and as it subsides, it leaves behind faint floral undertones.

Step 4 - Evaluating the sensation on the palate

The gyokuro imperial green tea cha musume has a strong, thick mouthfeel that coats the palate and allows the flavors to quickly materialize. There is a distinctive sweet and umami flavor that dominates the taste profile, with small glimpses of acidity and minerality that tingle the sides of the tongue. The tea has some strong steamed vegetable characteristics, but these are well balanced by the sweetness leading to the sugar cane and sweet cucumber tasting notes.

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

  • Individually taste testing each of the teas and assessing their quality

  • Communicating with the farmers about how the teas are produced and the unique aspects of each one
  • Visiting the tea farms in person to examine the care and attention to detail paid to the production process.
  • Exploring the tea fields to make sure they are a habitat not just for tea plants, but also a diversity of flora and fauna
JAS Japanese Agriculture Standards logo

JAS Certified

When you see the JAS logo on our packaging, this is an acronym that stands for Japanese Agriculture Standards. This is the Japanese government's way to certify which products have been grown without the use of pesticides or chemicals. 

We require the larger farmers we work with to produce this JAS label, which can be obtained through soil samples and testing. This allows us to be sure the teas are produced using strictly organic methods.

We recognize that it may be difficult for smaller tea farms to obtain JAS certification due to costs, so we accept their products under the "pesticide free" label. We like to provide an opportunity to these smaller producers, while also maintaining a high standard of quality across our product line.

How to prepare the tea

In order to prepare gyokuro imperial green tea, it is recommended to use a lower brewing temperature and a longer brewing time. This is because the tea is intended to highlight its sweet and savory flavors, which are best extracted at lower temperatures. 

If the tea is brewed at a higher temperature, it may result in a bitter taste. Additionally, the tightly rolled leaves of the gyokuro imperial green tea require a full 2 minutes to fully expand and 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 your green 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 Imperial Green Tea.

  • icon of 5 grams of tea leaves

    Step 2

    Add 5 grams of Gyokuro Imperial Green Tea 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 undisturbed in the water for 2 minutes.

  • black icon of a cup of tea

    Step 4

    After the tea leaves are done brewing, you can pour out your tea and if you have a kyusu teapot it 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

    In the first brewing of the Gyokuro Imperial Green Tea, you may notice its sweet and savory flavors to be the most pronounced. However, don't discard the tea leaves just yet as they still contain plenty of flavor! To extract more from the tea, add hot water to the teapot and let the leaves steep for an additional 20 seconds for each subsequent infusion.

  • icon of glace of matcha latte with ice cubes

    Cold brew

    In addition to working great with hot water, the Gyokuro Imperial Green Tea 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 teas like this one, but you may also like it in a shiboridashi. If you really want to produce this concentrated “shot” of umami flavor we recommend using the shiboridashi but the kyusu works best for daily brewing. 

Alternative without teaware

If you don’t have a teapot at home, the next best alternative for the Gyokuro Imperial Green Tea 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 renowned Gyokuro imperial green tea is proudly produced by Mr. Sakamoto, an organic green tea farmer from Southern Japan with decades of experience in the industry. Mr. Sakamoto has pioneered sustainable techniques to produce incredibly flavorful gyokuro tea without resorting to pesticides or chemicals.

In our frequent meetings with him over the years, we have been consistently impressed by Mr. Sakamoto's unwavering commitment to his tea fields. Instead of taking shortcuts, he has invested extra time in developing his own organic fertilizer, using natural compounds like organic compost and sedimentary rock mulch.

Thanks to Mr. Sakamoto's fertilizer, the soil in his tea fields is rich in nutrients, which enables the tea plants to produce robust and healthy leaves without harming the surrounding ecosystem. Given the difficulty of producing challenging teas like gyokuro using conventional methods, Mr. Sakamoto's gyokuro tea is truly exceptional.

map with the location of kagoshima tea fields in Japan

Sourced in Kagoshima

Japan

Grown in the town of Shibushi in Kagoshima, Japan, the Gyokuro imperial green tea thrives in the southern region of Kyushu. The area is known for its warm subtropical climate, seasonal rainfall, and fertile volcanic soils, all of which contribute to the tea's exceptional quality.

Cultivar and tea plant variety

The gyokuro imperial green tea is made using the Yabukita cultivar, the most popular tea plant variety in Japan. This cultivar is easier to grow, which makes it good for a beginner’s gyokuro like this.

  • Yabukita

    Yabukita is a widespread cultivar in Japan thanks to its resilience. It can withstand the comparatively cooler climates of Shizuoka, which is where almost half of Japanese green tea is produced. This cultivar is known for having a strong umami flavor as well as a distinc vegetal characteristic.

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Free Worldwide Shipping & Delivery

At Nio, we provide free shipping for all orders by selecting the most cost-effective shipping carrier based on your country. Typically, delivery takes 5-7 days for customers in the U.S. and E.U, whereas those outside these areas may expect a waiting period of up to 10 days. However, if you require a faster delivery time, we offer express delivery options for a nominal fee.

Order issues

If you encounter any issues with your order, please don't hesitate to contact us, and we will resolve it as quickly as possible. For the best response time, please send us an email at info@nioteas.com. Alternatively, if you have a quick question, you can contact us via direct message on Instagram at @nio_japanese_green_tea.

Payments

We accept all major credit cards, PayPal, and Apple Pay for payment. In addition, we also accept payments through bank transfer. If you prefer to pay by bank transfer, please choose this option at checkout, and we will provide you with the necessary details to complete the transfer. Once we receive your payment, we will immediately send out  your order.

Returns & Refunds

Our aim at Nio is to ensure that every customer has a positive tea-drinking experience. If you're not satisfied with the tea you receive, please inform us, and we will send you a replacement. You don't need to return the original tea; instead, feel free to share it with a friend who might enjoy it.

Gyokuro Imperial Green Tea Cha Musume learning plateform

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