Gyokuro is grown under the shade in order to enhance umami. How are tea trees covered, then?
Soon after new buds come out, tea trees are covered with reed screens on a shelf made with logs and bamboo. About ten days later, straw are spread on the top of the shelf in order to reduce the amount of sunlight more. And, wait another ten days. Now is the time to pick Gyokuro tea leaves.
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| Traditional Shade with reed screens and straw |
I was lucky to go inside. Rays of sunshine and wonderful air through reeds and straw. I felt great and so comfortable.
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| Inside But, unfortunately, this style is traditional and rare even in Kyoto, because, as you can imagine, making reeds screen and spreading straw are labor-intensive. Instead, the shade cultivation using man-made cloth is more popular now, which is less burden for tea farmers. Thanks to an improvement of man-made cloth, the quality of Gyokuro is almost equal to those grown in the traditional shade. |
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| Shade with man-made cloth |
Take a look at my harvest!! To be continued....
