YAME DENTO HON GYOKURO | Samidori 24

This is our favourite batch of Yame Dento Hon Gyokuro  Infused with water under 50° C, look for notes of freshly sliced honeydew melon, kabocha and delicate minerality.  

Origin:  Murooka, Yame, Japan

GPS:  33.2ºN 130.5ºE

Cultivar:  samidori

Harvest Date:  first week of May, 2024

Shading:  20 days

Producer:  Oishi Kenichi

G.I.:  Yame Dento Hon Gyokuro 八女伝統本玉露

The Japanese government certifies an extremely small amount of tea per year with the Geographical Indication (GI) Yame Dento Hon Gyokuro.  The teas certified follow very strict quality rules that involve:

• Terroir:   the origin must be Yame, in Fukuoka Prefecture
• Farming:  the fields are 'naturally shaped', unlike the very manicured fields that are easy to harvest with machines
• Shading:  only natural materials like hay, in canopies, are allowed; the shading time should be at least 16 days long
• Harvesting:  only hand picking is allowed
• Handcrafting:  the recipe should follow strict rules that are considered 'traditional' in this region.

If you are interested in the Japanese meaning of the characters, please read on:

• 八女 (Yame): The region name in Fukuoka Prefecture.
• 伝統 (Dento): Tradition.
         伝: To transmit or pass down.
         統: Unity or system.
• 本 (Hon): Authentic or original.
• 玉露 (Gyokuro): Jade dew, a term for premium shade-grown green tea.

Brewing Guide

ABOUT THE TEA MAKER

Oishi San's tea factory was established in 1940, a very turbulent period in Japan's history.  The company has flourished; Oishi San owns tea fields in the region, but also sources leaves from a wide diversity of micro-farmers, finishing the tea at his facility in Yame.  

Grower on the map