What does this tea package say?

September 8, 2008 11:34 AM

Asking for a friend: Can you translate this (Japanese?) tea package? PDFs here and here.

What kind of tea is this? What are the preparation instructions?

Thank you, hive mind!

posted by fiercecupcake to Food & Drink (5 answers total)

Best answer: Down the front it says "Tsumitate Gyokuro" (fresh-picked gyokuro—gyokuro the best grade of green tea, and literally means "jewel dew"). To the right of that it says "traditional technique." To the left is marketing hoohah about its rich flavor. I can't quite make out what's at the front bottom.

Directions on the back:
Put 2 tsp per person in your teapot. Steep for 20 sec at 90°C or 30 sec at 80°C. Swish the water around a few times. Pour a bit at a time into each cup to maintain consistency across cups.

The manufacturer's name is Ito-en.
posted by adamrice at 12:09 PM on September 8, 2008

Response by poster: And so quickly, too! Thank you, adamrice!
posted by fiercecupcake at 12:48 PM on September 8, 2008

Response by poster: The friend says:

The instructions are strange for gyokuro; there's a reference to 60 degrees and 90 in the black section at the bottom of step 2. Could you explain what that says? And what about the "2" and the "3" just below section 3?

Thanks!
posted by fiercecupcake at 1:02 PM on September 8, 2008

Best answer: 玉露の場合は約60℃で90秒の抽出がおいしく入ります。

In the case of gyokuro, steep for 90 seconds at 60℃ to make delicious tea.

急須を2〜3回まわすと、茶葉が開き、しっかりと味が出ます。

By turning the pot 2 or 3 times, the tea leaves will open and a fuller flavor will be drawn from them.


Not word for word, but that's what it basically says.
posted by misozaki at 8:06 PM on September 8, 2008

Ah, delicious Itoen!
posted by KokuRyu at 10:03 AM on September 10, 2008