What is Hon-Gyokuro, one of the rarest types of Japanese green tea in the world?

I must confess, I am not exactly a tea connoisseur. The only type of green tea I am familiar with is the bottled Pokka Jasmine Green Tea or the standard variety served in most sushi restaurants. So, when TWG Tea invited me to a tasting of Hon-Gyokuro, one of the rarest Japanese green teas in the world, it felt like I had discovered a whole new world of flavours.
What exactly is Hon-Gyokuro? Gyokuro is a premium, high-quality variety of Japanese green tea. The name “Gyokuro” translates to “jade dew”.  The prefix of “hon”, which translates to “authentic”, is only given to Gyokuro that has been grown in the traditional way by a master artisan.
“Hon-Gyokuro is made by a traditional cultivation method,” shared Reiko Heda, Japan’s business development director at TWG Tea. “The big difference between regular Gyokuro and Hon-Gyokuro is the material used to cover the tea plantation. For regular Gyokuro, they use a black synthetic fabric. But for Hon-Gyokuro, it is covered by a natural material called ‘komo’ in Japanese, which is made from rice straw.”
TWG Tea is the only global tea brand to offer Hon-Gyokuro outside of Japan, the company said. It has a longstanding partnership with a tea plantation in Okabe, Shizuoka Prefecture, Central Japan’s most famous region for tea. Here, the altitude, climate and terroir create the perfect natural conditions for tea growing and harvesting.
CULTURE BREWING  
At this estate, a single master artisan is the lone tea producer for Hon-Gyokuro. Already in his 80s, he is the last in a line of tea planters. Every winter, he weaves the “komo” by hand from pieces of rice straw to shade his plantation. The “komo” allows the tea leaves to absorb generous quantities of precious minerals that wash through the mats during rain showers and dewy mornings.
The rice straw mats also shut out direct sunlight to reduce photosynthesis. This results in higher levels of theanine (an amino acid found in tea), giving the tea a more full-bodied flavour that is less bitter with a sweeter taste. With dappled rays of sunlight filtering through the straw mats, the Hon-Gyokuro also yields a glossy, jade-coloured infusion.
Harvesting only takes place once a year in spring. Timing is key – the tea leaves are hand-picked directly from the tea plant and processed within the same day. They are then stored in a wooden tea box known as “cha-bako”, where they are left to rest.
THREE INFUSION METHODS
As Japan’s business development director for TWG Tea, Heda travels to Japan in spring to visit the tea plantation during harvest time. “Once I select the tea, I organise a tea tasting session with TWG’s Tea Institute. Tea is like other kinds of natural crops; they taste different every year even though they are from the same plantation. We try to find the perfect infusion methods for each year’s batch,” she shared.
During our tasting session, Heda introduced me to three infusion methods for TWG Tea’s limited-edition Master’s Gyokuro. Housed in 50g designer tins, only 1,000 pieces of the Master’s Gyokuro were made available worldwide from August this year, priced at S$76 per tin. In Singapore, it has already sold out.
“When you make a cup of tea, there are a few important things [to consider]. One is the quantity of tea leaves, two is water temperature, third is length of infusion and fourth is quantity of water. These four factors are very important to make the perfect cup of tea,” shared Heda. Each of the infusion methods differ based on these four factors and are simple enough to replicate at home.
Watch our video below to find out more about the three infusion methods.
What surprised me was how different each cup of tea tasted, depending on the method of brewing. The first approach, the standard TWG Tea Infusion Method, resulted in a light, savoury flavour with a sweet aftertaste. With the Intense Infusion Method, the flavours of the Hon-Gyokuro came out even more strongly, with a stronger umami taste.
With the Cold Infusion Method, where the tea is stored overnight in the refrigerator, the ice cubes melt slowly, removing any traces of bitterness. This cold brew tasted almost like juice and is possibly my favourite infusion method — a refreshing drink to have during a hot day. “I think this a great welcome drink for when you have guests coming over,” Heda added.
For someone who typically just drops a green tea bag in a cup of boiling water, and leaves it to steep, it was an eye-opening experience to discover how much the right infusion method can enhance the flavour of green tea. I left the tasting feeling truly enlightened, with a much deeper appreciation for the art of tea brewing.
A STORY IN EVERY CUP
Those who missed out on TWG Tea’s Master’s Gyokuro can look forward to the launch of Imperial Gyokuro, slated for early December. Imperial Gyokuro is an exceptional grade of Hon-Gyokuro, billed as “a harvest fit for a king”. While prices have not been determined, last year’s harvest was priced at S$1,271.50 for 50g.
Heda’s interest in tea was sparked at a young age. She grew up in Kaze, Kamakura, a historical city in Japan, where she developed “a deep passion for traditional Japanese culture”. “As a high school student, I dreamt of sharing Japanese culture to the world,” Heda shared.
Tea is an integral part of many Japanese people’s daily lives. “Every day, we drink tea, from morning to lunchtime and even in the evening,” said Heda.
Over the course of her career, Heda has had the privilege of speaking with numerous tea makers, each with their own unique approach to harvesting tea. “I can feel their passion. I really want to help them to share their art of craftsmanship to the world,” she remarked. “There’s so much work that goes on behind the scenes in the making of just one cup of tea. When you know the backstory, I believe your appreciation of that tea will be different.”
Indeed, after learning about Hon-Gyokuro and its painstaking cultivation method, I have a deeper appreciation for this rare “jade dew”. Each cup is a labour of love, and with every sip, you’re not just enjoying a beverage – you’re savouring the centuries-old traditions and expertise that make it possible.