Japan Ingredient Sourcing
Raw material / 原材料Beverage ingredients

Gyokuro (Shaded Premium Green Tea)

玉露 (Gyokuro)

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Why source from Japan

Yame Gyokuro carries GI protection; Uji has 800+ years of shaded-tea history. Both produce theanine concentrations no other origin matches at scale.

Key spec

Theanine 1.5–2.5% dry weight; catechin 8–13%; total amino acids 4–7%. MOQ 1 kg loose leaf, 100 g powder.

Typical end-product

Premium bottled green tea, RTD beverages, L-theanine supplements, ceremonial-tier loose leaf retail.

At a glance

Suppliers listed
Phase 1 onboarding in progress
Typical MOQ
1–10 kg loose leaf; 100 g – 5 kg powder
Typical lead time
6–12 weeks (allocation-constrained for top grades)
Regions of origin
Fukuoka (Yame), Kyoto (Uji), Shizuoka (limited)
Category
Beverage ingredients
Harvest season
Late April – early May (single ichibancha harvest)
Japan regulatory status
Japan Agricultural Standards (JAS) for tea; Yame Gyokuro GI (registered)
INCI name
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Japanese name
玉露
Romaji
Gyokuro

About this ingredient

Japan's most prestigious shaded green tea, distinguished by 20+ days of pre-harvest shading that suppresses catechin synthesis and elevates theanine concentrations 2-3x above sencha. Yame (Fukuoka) and Uji (Kyoto) are the two recognised production regions; Yame produces ~45% of Japan's gyokuro by volume. The deep umami profile and intense green color command per-kg prices 5-10x sencha. Used in premium beverage, supplement, and L-theanine extraction applications.

Regulatory status

JapanJapan Agricultural Standards (JAS) for tea; Yame Gyokuro GI (registered)
EUFood import; CosIng for cosmetic extract (Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract)
United StatesGRAS for food; cosmetic use under MoCRA
ChinaImported tea; verify GACC producer registration

Use cases

  • Premium RTD bottled tea

    Positioning
    Single-origin Yame or Uji gyokuro for super-premium beverage line
    Formulation notes
    Cold-brew extraction preserves theanine; pasteurise carefully to avoid bitter conversion

    Sources

    • MAFF Tea Industry Statistics

    Industry-knowledge claim — not yet pinned to a single primary source

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Japanese suppliers

Phase 1 manufacturer onboarding is in progress. If you are actively sourcing this ingredient and would like to be introduced to candidate Japanese producers, send an inquiry and our team will return with options.

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Last updated: 2026-05-04

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