How to brew gyokuro so it tastes like broth
Gyokuro is brewed unlike any other tea: 5 g of leaves, 60 ml of water at 50–60°C, 2 minutes. Step-by-step instructions and the most common mistakes.
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Tea guides
Short and to the point: how to brew, choose and store loose-leaf tea so it tastes the way it should.
Sencha or gyokuro? How they differ and which to choose
Sencha grows in the sun, gyokuro in the shade. A comparison of the flavour, brewing and price of Japan's two most important green teas.
1 min read
Ceremonial or latte matcha? How to recognise good matcha
How ceremonial matcha differs from culinary matcha, how to judge quality by colour, aroma and taste, and how to store matcha once opened.
1 min read
Hojicha: the green tea that smells of caramel
What hojicha is, what roasted green tea tastes like, how much caffeine it has, how to brew it and how to make a hojicha latte.
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How many times can you brew the same tea leaves?
Loose-leaf tea is brewed several times. How many infusions sencha, gyokuro, white, oolong and black tea can take, and how to lengthen each infusion after the first.
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How to store green tea and matcha so they keep their flavour
Light, oxygen, moisture and smells: how to protect loose-leaf tea and matcha, whether to keep them in the fridge and how long they keep their flavour.
1 min read
Darjeeling first flush: what the first harvest means
How Darjeeling first flush differs from second flush, where the pale infusion comes from and how to brew spring Darjeeling so it isn't astringent.
1 min read
A tea gift set: how to choose one that hits the mark
Three questions to help you choose a tea gift set: what the person drinks now, whether the set comes with instructions and whether the tea is fresh.
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First batch list
Sign up and we'll email you when the teas arrive from Japan (December 2026). You'll get a personal −10% code for your first order. We write rarely: about the launch, new harvests and the holidays.