Harashima Family 2025 Yame Gyokuro

£12.00

Simply put...

A smooth Gyokuro - elegant scent with a deep sweet & creamy mellow flavour profile.

In more depth...

Origin : Yabe Village, East of Yame district in Fukuoka Prefecture

Size : 6.5 hectares spread over 15 different plots

Harvest Time : Spring

Leaf standard : Grown under shade for approximately 20 days before harvest

Experience : Smooth - elegant scent with a deep sweet & creamy mellow flavour profile

Last visited by Comins : October 2025, Michelle Comins

How to prepare [Kyusu]

Amount of tea per cup (200 ml): 5g (one tea caddy spoon)

Temperature of water: 60℃ / 140℉

Infusion time: 1 minute (or as desired)

Number of infusions: 4*

How to enjoy: No milk, no sugar

*Possible number of times you can re-brew using the same leaves.

This tea can be infused/brewed multiple times, just place the leaves to one side and reuse

Tales of the Tea Trade : The Harashima Family

On a late October afternoon we headed up into the mountains East of Yame district in Fukuoka Prefecture. At 600m ASL - an area that finds itself covered in snow in the winter - we came across the most beautiful wooden tea house. An old restaurant it was restored by the Harashima family and is now a place for locals & visitors to enjoy tea alongside a menu inspired by the local region & their family heritage. The family explained how they opened the Tea House because the consumption of Japanese tea is declining. They welcome guests from all over the world but they are pleased to share that many younger generation come - & this helps their objective of spreading the word about Japanese tea. And so to the tea. The family farms 6.5 hectares spread over 15 different plots The cool weather of the mountains - which are covered with snow in winter - means the tea buds later & the pests are less prevalent. Fifteen years ago Harashima San started a new cultivation style to allow him to export to new areas. In 2015 he gained certification for organic tea. The family employ a unique farming method using hand picked fermented organic fertilizers (bokashi fertilizers) and adjusting each step according to the specific weather conditions of the season or the year

And The hardest part of going organic? 'To make the decision in the first place' Harashima shares. He explains how he didn't have a lot of concerns as if he failed he would try again. This approach is an expression of my heart'

Innovation

In more recent years Harashima San has been learning the process of oolong manufacture. After trips to tea farms in Fujian Province, China, and Taiwan he created an adapted method to suit the unique environment of Yame. In 2023, he imported a processing machine from China & now in this factory he processes beautiful oolong alongside other teas. 'This is a Small factory but l put in effort and devotion to make the tea' he shares

In our time together we enjoyed Sencha, Oolong, black tea & Houjicha & talked about the huge variation in tea profile. 'Even the time of sunrise & sunset can alter the profile of a tea' Harashima shares. As we travelled around Yame on this trip one of the key points we heard from so many tea farmers was that organic tea lacked Umami. For those of us who know and love teas grown in the more natural way we know that the green teas certainly have umami. They are undoubtedly more delicate, elegant & easy to drink - and for us this is simply delicious