Composition & Vinification
Uji Gyokuro Leaf — Sole Component. The Elite is made from gyokuro leaf hand-picked as "one bud and two leaves," a method Royal Blue Tea calls 'ichishin-niha' and distinguishes from ordinary gyokuro. The leaves come from specially selected tea bushes within a single garden, drawn from fields Royal Blue Tea says were offered at the 2019 (Reiwa 1) Daijosai ceremony. Production is attributed to Maruri Yoshida Meichaen and the Yoshida Family's Uji tea tradition.[1],[2]
Fermentation Methodology
Charcoal Hoiro Hand-Rolling. After hand-picking, the leaves for the Elite are hand-rolled by a tea master, a hoiro-shi, over a charcoal hoiro for 4 to 5 hours. The Elite classification requires that leaves be rolled by hand rather than machine-processed.[2]
Production Philosophy
Sixteen Generations of Uji Tea. Royal Blue Tea credits the tea to Maruri Yoshida Meichaen, a farm the company describes as dedicated exclusively to Uji tea for 16 generations, working from what it calls the secret techniques of the Yoshida Family. The name "GYOKURO THE YOSHIDA" honors that family, whose tradition of Uji tea production the producer places at 16 generations. Royal Blue Tea states the tea is made using a secret recipe passed down through those 16 generations.[1]