Gyokuro Asahi Sampler

Also known as Precious Dew, Gyokuro tea is grown on emerald green plains in the Uji region, and picked only once a year, in the month of May. About three weeks before Gyokuro leaves are harvested, the entire tea garden is shaded with bamboo mats, which filter 90% of the light, causing the plant to produce more chlorophyll and less tannin. Only the most tender, topmost leaves are selected and steamed to prevent oxidation, fired in baskets, then meticulously hand-rolled to form Gyokuro Asahi loose leaf tea.