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.
Today, there are few producers that still handpick their gyokuro from unpruned shizen-shitate tea gardens, and the ones that still do are now old. They continue to shade their tea gardens, not with synthetic coverings, but with handwoven straw covers (komo). This gyokuro from Asahina was made using the Tsuyu-hikari sencha cultivar. The Tsuyu-hikari variety tends to have a lot of umami, making it interesting for shaded teas, which also have strong personalities. It is a cross between Asatsuyu and Shizu-7132, two cultivars with very distinct aromas.
The infusion is intense, rich in umami, and is highlighted by a touch of astringency. Nonetheless, it is in no way tannic. The aromas are above all sweet, yet there are also slight bean notes. The aromas that appear with the powerful umami evoke sugarcane and cinnamon.
This is a gyokuro with characteristics of the Tsuyu-hikari cultivar that nonetheless keeps the exciting flavours of Asahina gyokuros on the palate.

Type of tea : gyokuro
Origin : "Asahina", Okabe town, Fujieda city, Shizuoka prefecture
Cultivar : Tsuyu-hikari
Shading: 27 days (ceiling-shelf covering)
Harvest : May 9th, 2024, handpicked