Why is organic gyokuro green tea so rare? 🤯
In this article, we’re going to find out. We’ll take a look at what gyokuro is, and why organic gyokuro tea is one of the rarest teas in Japan.
Later in the article, we are going to share what we’ve learned from a legendary organic gyokuro farmer in Shibushi, and see how he is able to produce incredible gyokuro without the use of pesticides or chemicals.
Let’s get brewing! 🍵
What is organic gyokuro green tea
So for starters, what is organic gyokuro green tea? This question might sound simple, but the answer reveals just how elusive this tea really is.
Gyokuro translated as “jewel dew” (or “jade dew”) is a type of shaded green tea from Japan.
It is considered the most sought-after leaf tea in the country, yet it is almost always produced with significant amounts of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. That’s why finding a truly organic gyokuro is not just rare, it’s nearly impossible!
For those lucky enough to try it, organic gyokuro offers a one-of-a-kind flavor, with deep savory, brothy notes and hints of seaweed or steamed vegetables.
Why Gyokuro farmers rely on chemicals
Gyokuro needs to be shaded for 3 weeks or more before the harvest, which creates a smoother and sweeter flavor in the tea leaves. Organic gyokuro green tea is extremely difficult to produce because a farmer would need to keep the gyokuro plants alive under shade without using chemicals.
After the top 3 leaves are harvested, the tea is steamed, dried and rolled into these tight dark needle shapes. This tight rolling locks in the flavor of the leaves until it is infused into water, where it can be released into a flavorful brew.
What makes gyokuro organic?
So what makes gyokuro organic? 🤔
That depends on the country. Because Gyokuro is a product of Japan, it needs to follow Japanese Agricultural Standards (JAS) but if it is sold in the United States or EU, it needs to abide by a different set of regulations.
JAS: Japanese Agricultural Standards
JAS (Japanese Agricultural Standards) organic certification is overseen by Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture. It has some of the strictest rules, with a near zero-tolerance policy for prohibited substances, making JAS organic gyokuro highly regarded for purity and traditional farming practices.
EU Rules for Bio Gyokuro Certification
In Europe, organic gyokuro must be certified to be labeled as Bio Gyokuro or Gyokuro Bio. Bio gyokuro must be grown without synthetic pesticides or fertilizers, with at least 95% organic ingredients, and certified by accredited EU control bodies.
Just because an organic gyokuro green tea is certified by JAS does not mean it can be sold as a Bio Gyokuro.
US Standards for Organic Gyokuro
The USDA’s National Organic Program regulates organic tea in the United States. USDA organic gyokuro must meet strict cultivation and handling rules, with clear labeling categories (“100% organic” or “Organic”) and a focus on traceability and annual inspections.
Organic gyokuro vs non-organic
So now that we’ve covered what gyokuro is, let’s talk about why most farmers don’t like to produce organic gyokuro. To be considered a gyokuro, the plants need to be shaded for 20+ days.
This long shading is an incredibly stressful time for the plant, and most farmers turn to pesticides, and chemical fertilizers in order to strengthen the tea plant artificially. Farmers that are making gyokuro organic green tea don’t have this option so what do they do instead? In the next section, we’re going to find out.
Problems with Organic Gyokuro
After trying many organic gyokuro green teas around Japan, many of them have been disappointing. Without nutrient rich soil, most farmers aren’t able to produce enough flavor in the tea leaves so the organic gyokuro tends to be weak!
In the next section, we’re going to meet an organic gyokuro farmer that has found a solution to this problem.
Learning from an organic gyokuro tea master
One of the highlights of our sourcing trips to Japan is meeting with the legendary organic gyokuro farmer Mr. Sakamoto. Mr. Sakamoto has been working in the tea industry for decades, and when it was his turn to take over the family farm in 1985, he decided to turn it completely organic.
Benefits of Organic Gyokuro Cultivation
When working on the family tea farms, Sakamoto watched as some of his family members were struck with illness, and in some cases, cancer. He believed the chemicals they were using were partly to blame, and he vowed to get them out of his fields by whatever means necessary.
Challenges of Organic Gyokuro Cultivation
The problem Sakamoto faced was the problem faced by all organic gyokuro tea farmers. When you take the chemical fertilizers out of the soil, the plants can’t support themselves for 3 weeks without sunlight.
Then, he had an idea. There is an abundance of sedimentary rock in his region of Kagoshima, and because sedimentary rock is a built up of organic matter over millions of years, in theory it could be used to supply nutrients to the soil without chemicals.
Solving the Organic Gyokuro Tea Dilema
There was one hiccup in Mr. Sakamoto’s plan to grow organic gyokuro green tea. The mulched sedimentary rock needed another ingredient to be activated. For this, he turned to the traditional method of bokashi fertilization.
This is a traditional Japanese technique that uses leftover organic food scraps to fertilize tea plants. Once he combined the sedimentary rock and the bokashi fertilizer, he had found the solution. Now, his organic gyokuro fertilizer is so effective that other farmers purchase it from him to use in their own fields.
Sakamoto Organic Gyokuro vs. Non- Organic
With his organic gyokuro tea fertilizer, Sakamoto is able to produce flavorful organic gyokuro green tea without using any chemicals.
Not only are his plants as flavorful as non- organic gyokuro plants, but they are healthier. He tests this by taking a clipping from his field and comparing it to a clipping from a non-organic tea field. After just a few weeks in a vase, the non-organic clipping is beginning to wilt and die, but his organic gyokuro tea plants are able to retain all their leaves.
Flavor profile
Due to the high presence of amino acids in the leaves, gyokuro takes on a strong savory flavor. This is similar to the effect of Monosodium glutamate (MSG) in certain foods.
When describing the flavor of organic gyokuro, you may find yourself using words more commonly associated with a soup rather than a tea. Brothy, sweet, salty and even seaweedy are not uncommon when discussing the flavor of an organic gyokuro tea.
Final Thoughts
So organic gyokuro green tea can be extremely challenging to produce, but it is well worth it. Not only are organic gyokuro farmers able to produce strong, flavorful tea plants, but they can also create more sustainable tea fields.
If you would like to try some of the best organic gyokuro green tea we’ve found during our travels around Japan, you can find Mr. Sakamoto’s teas on our website.
