Gyokuro vs Mecha

Gyokuro

Gyokuro is shade-grown for several weeks before harvest, pushing the plant toward deep umami and a jade-green infusion. The cup is thick, sweet, and intensely savory — almost like light dashi — with a smooth, lingering finish and very little bitterness when brewed cool. Its high theanine content gives a calm, focused character. Gyokuro is one of Japan's most refined and expensive green teas.

Mecha

Mecha is a Japanese green tea made from early spring buds and leaf tips, richer and more intense than sencha. The cup is thick with umami, carrying a bold vegetal sweetness, a briny marine edge, and a lingering finish. Because it is all tips, mecha brews fast and strong — a little goes a long way, and oversteeping turns it harsh. It is prized as a after-meal tea in Japan for its clean bitterness.

Gyokuro

Water temperature

50–60°C

Leaf to water

3g / 100ml

Steep time

1–2 min

Re-steep

2–3 times

Mecha

Water temperature

65–75°C

Leaf to water

2g / 250ml

Steep time

0.5–1 min

Re-steep

2–3 times

Gyokuro

High caffeine — roughly 60–120 mg per brewed serving

A noticeable lift — best earlier in the day.

Mecha

High caffeine — roughly 25–45 mg per brewed serving

A noticeable lift — best earlier in the day.

Gyokuro

Japan · Uji

Uji, near Kyoto, is the historic home of gyokuro and Japan's shaded-tea tradition.

Mecha

Japan · Kyoto (Uji) / Kagoshima

Mecha is produced from sorted sencha and gyokuro production tips, with Uji and Kagoshima the main sources.