(7 Steps) To Making the Perfect Cup of Gyokuro

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This article was last modified November 22nd, 2021. by Yuki

This page will demonstrate the preparation of Gyokuro using Japanese tea tools.

Gyokuro uses specialized tea tools – smaller ones than tools you would use for Sencha. It’s ok if you don’t have these – you can use alternatives as well.

Chart: Instructions for Brewing Gyokuro

Gyokuro will use a small-sized Kyusu that can contain around 100ml of water. The Chawan should be small as well, each being about 40ml size.

If you don't have these, not to worry. While it is ideal to have teapots and cups of the perfect size, you can substitute using any other teapot and cups.

If you don't have Gyokuro Leaves, please do take some time to drop by our online shop as well!

Gyokuro will use more tea leaves than other types of Japanese tea.

When brewing, you would typically use 3g of tea leaves, or roughly 1 teaspoon per person.

This isn't a drink to quench your thirst! So for each person, so the amount of water you will be using will be very small. Use only 50ml of water per person.

The next step is to boil the water. This step is straightforward - just boil water in a kettle.

Once it’s boiled, don’t put the boiling water directly into the Kyusu! It will be too hot for Gyokuro tea!

The high temperatures of water will extract too much astringency from the tea, and will destroy the value of the Gyokuro.

You’ll have to measure the correct amount of water, and then lower the water temperature first before you expose the tea leaves with the water.

The measuring of the water is done by pouring the boiling water in the Chawan. By doing so, you will know exactly how much water you will need to serve all the cups. Use the small-sized Chawan for Gyokuro (40ml size) to do this.

Keep in mind that when you infuse the Gyokuro, the tea leaves will absorb the water so the amount at the end will become less. They would absorb about 4 times the mass of the leaves. Make sure you add enough water to account for this.

Next step is to lower the temperature of the water.

For Gyokuro, it’s best to lower the temperature to between 50 to 60 degrees Celsius. This is to extract and maximize the umami taste while not allowing the astringency tastes to come out.

To lower the temperature, you can use a “Yuzamashi”, which is a bowl to lower the temperature of the water. If you don’t have one, well, you can use anything!

Each time the boiling water is transferred to a bowl or a Chawan, the water temperature will drop between 5 to 10 degrees. This will depend on many factors such as the size of the bowls and room temperature, but generally in Singapore, you can expect the drop to be closer to 5 degrees. You can use this mechanism to reduce the temperature of the boiling water to optimal levels.

Once the temperature is optimal, pour the water into the Kyusu, and start the infusion.

Because the temperature of the water is relatively low, and because with Gyokuro you would want to enjoy the rich thick taste, it will take time for the tea to seep. Infuse the tea for about 150 seconds.

The key when you serve Gyokuro to several people is to keep the richness of the tea to be the same. The tea will become richer as you pour. In order to keep this even, the tea is poured in the following order.

This method of pouring is called “Mawashisogi”. If there are 3 Chawans, firstly, pour halfway in the order of 1 – 2 – 3. Subsequently, pour again in the reverse order of 3 – 2 – 1.

Make sure that the tea is poured to the very last drop. This helps to keep the second infusion delicious as well. If tea is remaining in the Kyusu, the second infusion may not be as enjoyable.

When you drink Gyokuro, don’t drink it all at once. Let the tea roll on your tongue to enjoy the umami and the “Ooi-ka” aroma that the tea has.

For the second Infusion, use water of a higher temperature than the first infusion.

Increase roughly 10 degrees Celsius to do this. So if your first infusion was at around 50 degrees, then your second infusion should be at roughly 60 degrees.

The infusion time should be shorter as well (about 60 seconds) to extract the nutrients and release the aroma. For the infusions after the 1^st, the tea leaves have already absorbed the water. You will not need to calculate the additional water being sucked by the leaves.