How much caffeine is in Gyokuro Imperial Shade-Grown Green Tea?

Each 3 oz (90ml) small bowl serving contains approximately 85 mg of caffeine. For comparison, a standard 8 oz cup of brewed drip coffee contains around 95 mg. Actual content varies with dose, water temperature, and contact time.

What temperature should I use for Gyokuro Imperial Shade-Grown Green Tea?

Target 50°C (122°F). Below this range the cup tends toward sourness and thinness from under-extraction; above it, bitterness rises faster than sweetness.

How long should Gyokuro Imperial Shade-Grown Green Tea be extracted?

Extract for 90 seconds (first steep) using Shiboridashi or Tokoname Kyusu Teapot, at a ratio of 5g per 90ml water, prepared at Whole Needle Leaves. Time and ratio move together: a heavier dose generally wants a shorter contact time.

Why does my Gyokuro Imperial Shade-Grown Green Tea taste bitter?

Bitterness almost always indicates over-extraction. Shorten the contact time, lower the water temperature slightly, or use less leaf. Change one variable at a time so you can tell which one was responsible.

Who should avoid Gyokuro Imperial Shade-Grown Green Tea?

Brew strictly below 55°C (131°F) — higher temperatures destroy L-theanine and produce bitter tannin harshness. High caffeine density (85mg) for small 90ml serving — avoid in late evening. Very expensive leaves demand filtered, soft water (TDS 50–100 ppm) to reveal full flavor. This is general educational information, not medical advice — consult a qualified healthcare professional about your own circumstances.

Reviewed Aug 2026

Green Tea & Matcha · Uji, Kyoto, Japan

Gyokuro Imperial Shade-Grown Green Tea

Name: How to Brew Gyokuro Imperial Shade-Grown Green Tea
Prep time: 3 min
Cook time: 2 min
Total time: 2 min
Yield: 3 oz (90ml) small bowl
Cuisine: Uji, Kyoto, Japan
Ingredients: 5 g loose-leaf green tea; 100 g filtered water at 50°C

玉露 (Gyokuro)

The pinnacle of Japanese green tea: 3 weeks of shade-growing produces an intense umami sweetness unmatched in the plant kingdom.

Gyokuro is the most premium Japanese loose-leaf green tea, shaded under black cloth (kabuse) for 20–25 days before harvest.

Sensory profile

Comparative scale

sweetnessVery high

acidityVery low

bitternessLow

bodyVery high

aromaVery high

You should taste

How it unfolds

Aroma → Palate → Finish

AromaBefore and as you sip

No distinct note recorded here — the aroma reads as pronounced rather than carrying a nameable character of its own.

pronounced aroma

PalateWhile it is in the mouth

Dewy Melon

pronounced sweetness

FinishAfter you swallow

pronounced body

Where it sits

Stronger than 238 of the 345 other drinks in the catalogue, and weaker than 101.

That is 85 mg in a 3 oz (90ml) small bowl serving — a concentration of 94.4 mg per 100 ml. The scale above ranks whole servings, and servings differ in size, so a larger drink can sit further right while being weaker cup for cup.

CupCura editorial estimate. No public food database has measured this preparation, so this figure is our own and is not independently sourced.

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Gear for this drink

Fellow Ode Brew Grinder Gen 2

Direct-drive motor with 64mm stainless steel flat burrs engineered specifically for pour-over, drip, and cold brew clarity.

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Green Tea & Matcha

Gyokuro Imperial Shade-Grown Green Tea

Sensory profile

You should taste

How it unfolds

Where it sits

Compare it against

What people say

Fellow Ode Brew Grinder Gen 2

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