Japan’s finest
There is tea; and there is Gyokuro Japanese green teas. Rare and refined, they are harvested only once a year and in quantities of just a few kilos annually. They are produced by artisans, some of whom have made tea their life’s work – as such, these brews are meant to be revered and delicately savoured.
This year, TWG Tea has brought the delicacy away from what was previously a domestic market to be enjoyed by connoisseurs in Singapore.
Each type of Gyokuro boasts its own distinct flavour, but all share the distinctive treatment of being sheltered from sunlight by rice straw mats for two weeks before being hand-harvested. Rain extracts minerals from the mats, which combine with the plants’ chlorophyll to develop deep, jade-hued leaves and an infusion of rich grassy notes.
TWG has four types of Gyokuro teas, from Gyokuro Hisui at S$779/RM2,362 per 50g, Gyokuro Minami (S$738/RM2,238), Gyokuro Mikado (S$120/RM363) and, if you want to impress your guests at a more thrifty price, Gyokuro Samurai, at S$70/RM212.
