Uji Gyokuro Yayoinoin, national competition production
Price range: $ 33.20 through $ 57.90
品評会出品 宇治玉露 弥生の韻
In their small but well organised production workshop in Uji, Master Yoshida and his team carefully sample taste each batch of tea throughout its production process. It is his own reputation that is at stake. As a multiple award winning 16th generation gyokuro master, pursuit for quality is the only way to maintain this honour, and that of his family name.
Only the best first flush leaves are selected for processing in this highly specialised workshop. Each step of the processing is monitored and adjusted on the spot for maximising the taste quality. Differences in the weather throughout the growth of the harvest and even the picking time and conditions affect the biochemistry of the leaves. For a green tea, this directly affects the final taste. Adding one degree in heating or a few minutes of baking to optimise the potential of each batch of leaves can therefore mean whether the tea will be good or distinctively superb.
Tea Hong’s Uji Gyokuro Yayoinoin is one of these ultimate quality, limited quantity batches hand-rolled by the Master himself, and that we have secured before the annual tea competition. (We wouldn’t be able to offer it if we buy it afterward when it wins. Domestic demand for an award tea is huge even when the price skyrockets upon winner declaration.)
Available in 25g (0.88oz) in a double lidded tin, or in 60g (2.1oz) in a kraft-alu pillow pack. Please click below to choose.
Taste profile
Nose: Upfront sensation of roasted nori accented with nectar, pollen and dried shiitake on an undertone of baked Japanese sweet potato. Lingering scents of osmanthus and steamed sweetcorn. Palate: Opulent body with velvet tactility. Intensely umami yet supple and intricately complex and long. Tints of salt and minerals. Finish: Floral, herbaceous and slightly sweet. The effects amplifies with a sip of clean water.
Infusion suggestion
To enjoy the best of this unique tea, keep the portion small and use an infusion vessel with good heat retention character, such as a clay or porcelain teapot. An unglazed kyūsu or better yet a genuine Yixing teapot yields the best results.
Always preheat your infusion vessel and use a water that is approx pH7 with TDS 100ppm or less.
While in most other info sources or websites you may have read that the suggested water temperature as 60°C or lower for steeping a gyokuro. However, with a really fine batch as this, raising the temperature a little will not make the tea astringent or bitter, but will give more high notes and base tones for an unparalleled lusciously full body (although my Japanese tea friends may still argue with me on this*).
For a livelier palate, try this: 5g of leaves to 110ml water
- 60°C (140°F) water for 2 min in the first round
- 65°C (149°F) for the same duration in the second
- and 70°C (158°F) for the same duration in the third
For a softer body: 5g of leaves to 110ml water.
- 55°C (131°F) water for 120 sec in the first round
- 60°C (140°F) for 90 sec in the second round
- 65°C (149°F) for 120 sec in the third
For subsequent infusion, please use longer brewing duration instead of higher temperature.
Please note also that since the infusion duration is very short, it is instrumental that a quick to pour vessel with an effective tea leaf filtering mechanism is used. Slow pouring of the liquor will simply mean extending the infusion time by substantial percentage.
*note: In Japan, it is their customary thinking that the higher quality a gyokuro or sencha is, the lower temperature is required of infusing it. I suggest that you experiment with what I suggest and then the popular version of 55°C, or even 45°C — which the production team of this tea strongly recommends. Tell me what you think afterwards.
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Reviews(1)
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Cassia Classic, Wuyi yancha oolong
Tea, Oolongs, Wuyi-shan, Denser Aromas, Fuller Bodies, Warm Energy武夷岩茶、正品肉桂
Classic Rougui Cultivar
Cassia (Rougui) was the first tea variety that received popular praise in the recent few hundred years from the Wuyi region. Named after the tree bark spice, there is otherwise no biological relationship at all, although there is an aromatic component in the oolong that is akin to that of the spice. This classic version is a bit deeper baked than the supreme “Extraordinaire” version, as has traditionally been done for the past century, or longer. This tea is also available in a small portion as a part of Tea Taster’s Box: Nine Oolong Samplers.
Net weight: 40 g (1.4 oz) in Kraft-alu pack 
Honey Orchid Supreme, classic Phoenix dancong oolong
Tea, Oolongs, Fenghuang | Phoenix, Floral Aromas, Fuller Bodies, Neutral Energy鳳凰極品 老樅蜜蘭香
Old Bush Milan Xiang:
For real aficionados who would not be satisfied until they have discovered a deeper depth, a rounder fullness and a more lingering sweetness, we’d go overboard to offer the extreme. Rarest small batches of leaves from special bushes individually processed only by top masters. Such as this supreme quality Milan Xiang Dancong. For those who demand more potential from the leaves for fulfilling their infusion skills. For thirsty souls seeking a moment of tranquility in the depth of the tinkling after-sweetness of Honey Orchid Supreme.
Net weight: 40 g (1.4 oz) in Kraft-alu pack 
Phoenix Classic, dancong oolong
Tea, Oolongs, Fenghuang | Phoenix, Floral Aromas, Fuller Bodies, Neutral Energy鳳凰蜜香 白葉單欉
Fenghuang Baiye:
Before Chaozhou Guest Hotel was privatised, this officially appointed lodging for visiting high-ranking government officials used to serve only classic style Phoenix oolongs in all of their restaurants*. Tea Hong’s Phoenix Classic could well be the special quality in the large white porcelain teapot on the breakfast table sitting next to bamboo steamers holding finely crafted dim sums for the privileged guests. All fine and quintessential characters of the classic Phoenix oolong can be found in this tea — Sweet, fruity, and lively with notes of peach and dried longan, lychee and sweet potato. A proud heritage of Guangdong oolong.
Net weight: 40 g (1.4 oz) in Kraft-alu pack 
April Mist, traditional green tea
Tea, Green teas, Zhejiang, Lighter Aromas, Milder Tastes, Cool Energy明前 九龍雲霧
Wild Bush Yunwu:
For those who prefer a little more strength in their green tea, April Mist is a pleasant choice. Harvested from scattered wild tea bushes in late March or early April, depending on the conditions that year and pre Qing Ming nevertheless, in the misty days of the mountainous region for a deeper taste. Lightly roasted for a balance of warmth, aroma and refreshing brightness, this Yunwu (translate: cloud and mist) makes a distinct difference from its counterparts that may look similar.
Net weight: 80 g (2.8 oz) in Kraft-alu pack
This is a mind-melting umami tsunami. I had my expectations set high because I’m familiar with competition-grade and award-winning Japanese green teas, and this delivered everything I was hoping it would.
For starters – the leaf quality is mesmerizing. From the dry to fully brewed-out leaves, it’s evident that this gyokuro is crafted with a very high level of skill and meticulous attention to detail.
The intensity and magnitude of the umami found within these leaves is surreal. It’s more dense than the center of a black hole; and immediately upon taking a sip, it’s what pulls me in.
What’s on the other end of that inward pull is nothing short of a universe of flavors – surprisingly sweet, and seemingly emanating from the collapsing waves of umami that are propagated with each sip. The sweetness reverberates on the palate, it builds quickly from the initial sip and lingers persistently into the aftertaste. What a unique and graceful delivery mechanism, I’ve never experienced umami quite as nectar-like as this.
In addition to the notes listed in the description, I also get brief, but clear and well-developed fruity notes – yuzu, apple, pear, kiwi, and green banana among others. The way these fruity notes present themselves fascinates me, because they’re not long-lived, nor are they drawn-out on the palate. They are brief flashes; and to catch them, I must pay very close attention to the way the more drawn-out flavors manifest and evolve on my palate. There’s many little bursts of flavor like this which spin out from the big umami bang at the beginning of it all.
The mouthfeel stands out as well – it’s thick, and grips the palate strongly, but it’s not heavy at all. It’s remarkably light, and has a sparkling brininess to it, as though the flavors are lifting up off the tongue with no effort, only to quickly condense at the roof of the mouth and sink right back down.
Gyokuro of this caliber requires time spent getting to know it, it’s dynamic and complex beyond what is possible to understand through a single session. Not that it’s difficult to brew up and enjoy, but rather it has so much to reveal.
I’m impressed by Tea Hong – the newly-released line of Japanese green teas is not only very good, it’s among the very best I’ve tried, and this Uji Gyokuro Yayoinoin is an absolute stunner. This level of quality is difficult to find, and only exists in the very top-tiers of gyokuro offerings from highly specialized vendors.