What you need
- A small kyusu or a shiboridashi (lidded bowl), ~150 ml capacity.
- Two small tea cups, roughly 40 ml each.
- A yuzamashi (water-cooling vessel) — or a spare cup.
- A kitchen thermometer if you're new to brewing at low temperature. You won't need it after a few rounds.
- Good gyokuro. A 30–50 g tin is plenty — this is a slow-sipping tea.
The formula
Compared to sencha, you're using roughly double the leaf, half the water, and half the temperature.
Step by step
1. Pre-warm the cups
Boil water. Pour it into the two cups up to the rim. Leave them for 30 seconds to warm the ceramic, then pour the water out into the yuzamashi.
2. Cool the water
Pour the water from the yuzamashi into the kyusu (leaves not in yet). Wait 30 seconds. Pour it back into the yuzamashi. Wait 30 seconds. It should now be around 50 °C — warm on your hand but not hot.
3. Add the leaves
Put 5 g of gyokuro into the empty kyusu. Watch them — they should smell faintly of seaweed and fresh grass. If they smell like hay or nothing, the tea is old.
4. First steep, 2 minutes
Pour the cooled water gently over the leaves. Close the lid. Do not swirl, shake or agitate. Wait 2 minutes.
5. Pour with intent
Pour into the two cups in alternating short bursts — cup A, cup B, cup A, cup B — so both end up with equal strength. Pour to the last drop. The final drops are the most concentrated and sweet.
6. Drink small
Sip. Hold the tea in your mouth for a second or two. The first notes hit the front of the tongue — sweet and broth-like. The finish unfolds over 30 seconds, with a sharper mineral edge. This is why gyokuro is served in tiny cups.
Re-steeping (the best part)
Don't throw the leaves away. The second and third steeps are often the best:
- Steep 2: 60 °C, 30–60 seconds.
- Steep 3: 80 °C, 60 seconds.
- Steep 4 (optional): hot water, 30 seconds. Very light, but pleasant.
When you've exhausted the leaves, don't waste them. Squeeze out excess water, add a splash of ponzu, and eat them with a bowl of rice. This is traditional.
Common mistakes
- Water too hot. Kills the umami instantly. 50 °C is not a suggestion.
- Too much water. Gyokuro is meant to be concentrated. 30 ml per cup, not 200.
- Not enough leaf. You need more gyokuro than you'd expect — treat 1 g per 10 ml as a minimum.
- Not pouring to the last drop. Remaining water = bitter second steep.
- Stirring or shaking the pot. Gyokuro rewards stillness.
The right leaves matter most
Technique will not rescue bad gyokuro. Buy from Uji or Yame, from a named producer.
Where to buy good gyokuro →