Gyokuro, a shaded tea is one of the most treasured teas in Japan. It is usually enjoyed in important meetings or with close friends. The careful preparation in the presence of the attendees. The first tasting sip in silence, observing the different textures and flavours of the golden liquid… all this is part of the experience of drinking a Gyokuro a la Japonesa.
And then there is the European way to prepare a Gyokuro: just one teaspoon per cup, 60ºC water temperature and a whooping 2-3 min of steeping time. These numbers do not add up to the Japanese way of doing things.
How to prepare your tea depends on your personal preference.
European preparation: energy and flavour
My usual mode od drinking Gyokuro: like green tea.
Shaded tea is like green tea on steroids. Both its healthy characteristics as well as the theine (also known as caffeine) are much more concentrated without adding the typical astringency of green tea. The energizing effect in combination with the relaxing attributes of the flavonoids turn this tea into the perfect morning beverage. It helps you to keep your concentration. Whenever I need a tea to keep up with my accelerated life style I’ll turn to my Gyokuro… and usually I prepare a Gyokuro to go.
That’s the main reason why I do prepare my Gyokuro just like a “normal” green tea: at 60ºC with 2 min steeping time. Just use your usual tea pot and your usual filter and you are ready to go. You may still use the short infusion time to slow down for a minute and get ready for the next hour of productive work. .
Japanese preparation: attention to detail and meditation
Gyokuro preparation with a Gaiwan requires attention and concentration.
The Japanese way to prepare a Gyokuro is quite different. It’s a ritual to slow down when I have a bit more time at my hands. I usually use my gaiwan, a special tea dish to prepare this tea. Of course you could just use smaller tea cups for the same effect. Traditionally each cup should hold around 20-50ml per person. Yes, that’s like a shot glass.
To warm up the tea pot, fill it with hot water. Then pass the water to the small cups, one for each attendee. Discard the remaining water. This procedure cools down the water to the needed temperature.
Now, fill one tea spoon of tea leaves for each cup into the tea pot and return the water from the cups to the tea pot. The water will just cover the leaves and the steeping time gets reduced to 60-90 seconds.
The following video explains the process in detail:
Traditional or modern? – Your call.
There is no right or wrong way to prepare tea. There’s only your way. What is right for you now depends on your circumstances, your palate, your preferences. For some it is unthinkable to infuse a Gyokuro with a “normal” tea pot. For others this is the start of a great day. For some it’s to much work to manually cool down the water, for others’ this is part of tea’s magic.
The most important thing is: Make sure you enjoy your tea!
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