Gyokuro - Kiwamecha (Single Origin)

Gyokuro is a high-quality Japanese green tea known for its distinctive umami flavor and cultivation process. Grown in shaded fields for several weeks before harvesting, it develops a rich, sweet flavor with a deep umami taste due to the enhanced chlorophyll and amino acids. What makes Kiwamecha special is the traditional Honzu (本簾) method, where tea plants are shaded with rice straw mats, as opposed to the standard black synthetic netting, to intensify their umami flavor and aroma. This meticulous process significantly enhances the savory and sweet notes while minimizing bitterness. This Gyokuro is carefully hand-picked and made solely from the Ujihikari cultivar.  Featured on the packaging is Chōjū-jinbutsu-giga (Scrolls of Frolicking Animals), a renowned collection of four picture scrolls (emakimono) housed at Kyoto's Kōzan-ji temple, a UNESCO World Heritage site. This artwork is on the packaging a nod to this tea producer's history of managing the care of the Kozan-Ji Temple's tea f