Cultivar and technical information
Along with the hillsides of Uji (in Kyôto Prefecture) and Yame (in Fukuoka Prefecture), Asahina, which is at Okabe in the town of Fujieda in Shizuoka, is one of the three regions famous for producing gyokuro. This gyokuro from Shizuoka, grown along Asahina River, has a unique, deep fragrance.
Producers, such as Mr. Maeshima Shinya, who grow gyokuro in unpruned gardens (shizen-shitate) and harvest it by hand, are few and far between today, and all very elderly. Nonetheless, they also continue shading their plants not with synthetic fibers, but using hand-woven straw shades (komo).

Yabukita is the most widespread cultivar in Japan, and it is still used quite extensively for gyokuro in Asahina.

The nose
This gyokuro presents a classic sweet vegetal fragrance, characteristic of strongly shaded teas, and wonderful vanilla sugar nuances.

The mouth
On the palate, while the umami is very clearly present, but there is also a certain astringency. Far from being unpleasant, the astringency gives texture and depth to this tea. It tends to disappear in subsequent infusions. With kombu algae, fresh herb, and fruity nuances, the aromatic profile of this Yabukita is complex. The persistence in the mouth is expectational, very long, and intensely sweet. We clearly find here the Yabukita cultivar’s robustness.

Summary
With this Yabukita cultivar, we can say that we have gyokuro representative of Shizuoka. It is perhaps a good alternative to take advantage of gyokruo aromas without being too overwhelmed by the umami. It also takes advantage of a certain aromatic richness.

Technical description
Type of tea : gyokuro
Origin : "Asahina", Okabe town, Fujieda city, Shizuoka prefecture
Cultivar : Yabukita
Shading: 24 days (ceiling-shelf covering)
Harvest : April 28th, 2026, handpicked