Uji Homare Gyokuro
Garden Direct Green Tea
Uji Homare Gyokuro
Uji Homare Gyokuro
Uji Homare Gyokuro
Uji Homare Gyokuro

Uji Homare Gyokuro

A secret recipe refined through generations of craftsmanship, this gyokuro blends multiple vintages for a smooth, rich and deeply savory-sweet cup.


About 10 Cups Of Tea

Balance of umami and sweetness with aromatic complexity from aged and blended cultivars. Classic blue-green essence and vibrancy of the Uji tea terroir.

About This Tea
Uji Homare is a classic Gyokuro produced by our friend Hisakii Horii, an 8th-generation tea maker and current CEO of his family’s tea business, Hekisuien—a prestigious Kyoto-based tea company established in 1867. Hekisuien focuses on traditional and ultra-premium Gyokuro and Matcha.

They use blending techniques that combine different cultivars and vintages to shape a unique taste and quality unlike other Gyokuro and Matcha producers. Hekisuien’s focus is not so much on single-cultivar selection, but rather on the uniqueness achieved through aging and blending vintages of different cultivars from various producers and regions of Uji and Kyoto.

The Homare blend represents the classic blue-green essence and vibrancy of Gyokuro from the Uji tea terroir. Its complexity is derived from aged and blended cultivars, including a high percentage of Gokou. Homare is about 50% handpicked and 50% scissor-cut.
Ingredients

Green Tea

Origin

Uji, Kyoto, Japan

Cultivar

Gokou, Houshun, Ujihikari, Samidori, Tsuyuhikari

Harvest

5/14/2021, 5/17/2022, 5/21/2022, 5/5/2023, 5/21/2023, 5/23/2023, 5/24/2023, 5/26/2023, 5/5/2025, 5/6/2025

Elevation

Maizuru 20 meters, Kyotanabe 65 meters, Ujitawara 160 meters

Uji background map mobile

Origin

Uji

Kyoto, Japan

The small city of Uji is located on the southeast border of Kyoto and is renowned and widely considered to produce some of the best teas. The lower elevation tea gardens along the Uji River have warmer soil, which are favored when producing shade-grown teas like tencha and gyokuro.

Preparation
  • Imperial
  • Metric
Traditional Tea Preparation

Add 5-7g to a small (150mL/5oz) kyusu teapot or hohin.

Use boiled water cooled to 170°F. Add just enough water cover the tea leaves.

The traditional method of brewing gyokuro is to use about 1 part tea to 1.2 parts water. Infuse for 25 seconds and decant. You don’t want to drown the tea leaves or add too much water on the first brew.

Repeat for another 5+ infusions, adding 5-10 seconds to each subsequent infusion. Brew several rounds until the flavor and aroma dissipates. Make sure to add just enough water to cover the tea leaves each round to get the traditional deep taste and rich body.

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