Chiyonoen Tea Garden: Gyokuro Shira-ore (Karigane Kukicha)

Chiyonoen Gyokuro Stem Tea

Cultivating gyokuro requires the tea bushes to be shaded for around 3 weeks prior to harvesting. This shading increases the umami flavour and decreases bitterness in the leaves. In the factory, during finishing process, the leaves are cut and separated from the stems and veins. These stems are known as kukicha. 

This high grade kukicha is known as Shira-ore in Kyushu and Karigane elsewhere. The stems have less umami than the leaves and are known to have higher sweetness and less caffeine. 

Steeping Notes: 5g | 200ml | 80°C | 1-2mins

• Ingredients: Green Tea
• Harvest: First Flush, May
• Region: Upper mountains of Yabe village, Yame District, Fukuoka, Japan. Altitude approx 600 meters.
• Note: Grown without pesticides or chemical fertilisers

About the farmer: Masashi Harashima (Tea Farmer / Japanese Tea Instructor)

Masashi has received Japan's top agricultural prize, the Minister's Award, three times, Masashi is one of Japan's top farmers. He is currently teaching his son how to both cultivate and produce the highest quality tea.

"In order to produce high-quality tea leaves, we place our greatest priority in ensuring that our trees are healthy. We employ a unique farming method using hand-picked fermented organic fertilisers (bokashi fertilisers) and adjusting each step according to the specific weather conditions of the season or the year, in order to achieve the highest standards. Amid the crisp air in the mountains and the chirping of the birds these healthy tea leaves grow and produce premium tea brimming of sweetness and flavour.'