Gyokuro spends four weeks under shade before harvest. To endure this prolonged reduction in light, the plant relies on deep nutrient reserves, healthy roots and soil cultivated without harmful chemicals over generations. In darkness, the leaf retains more theanine, develops less bitterness and gains the savoury depth that defines great Gyokuro.

Darkness forces the plant to direct its stored nutrients toward the tender upper leaves, where amino acids remain high and coarse fiber is still low. Experienced choreography targets only the top two leaves by hand. The garden then returns to recovery, gathering strength for the following year’s harvest.

In the kuradashi (蔵出し) tradition, ageing Gyokuro under controlled conditions before release, allows sharper notes to settle and deeper savour to emerge, bringing sweetness, umami and aroma into greater accord. And giving Gyokuro more composure and length.

Depth starts with selection. Circadian isolates leaves with exceptional aromatic, textural, vegetal and marine definition, and the soluble richness to carry these qualities into extraction. Time and temperature then draw forward what the leaf already contains, giving its character weight, clarity and definition.       

After the first taste recedes, Circadian expressions continue to unfold across the palate. Like the sustain of a piano, the attack may impress, but the lasting note reveals the instrument. Yoin 余韻 measures this resonance in our selection where generations of cultivation and patient refinement bring these leaves into being.

Sweetness and salinity, freshness and umami, colour and clarity meet in a clair-obscur where each reaches fullness without overwhelming the next. We strive to create this balance in this coexistence. Concentration can intensify a tea, but only proportion gives it dimension.

A recurring presence in Japan keeps us close to the families and makers behind each selection. Years of return build trust, sharpen leaf evaluation and judgement, and open access to flavours no catalogue can hold. Every autumn, we work the land, taste at the source and learn from generations of cultivation. In Europe, we place Circadian in the hands of those who equally value this heritage.