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9/15/05

>> Two shipments of Gyokuro (from different vendors) show the same
>> characteristic: an intense green color of the leaf. Yesterday I poured
>> cold water over a spoonful of it and, lo, the cold water turned green,
>> or more precisely, chartreuse.
>
>> Question: Is Gyokuro dyed green?
>
>> Robert
>
> The extreme "greenness" comes from the tea plant's being grown under a
> tarp, causing more cloriphil (sp?) to be produced. Plus Japanese greens
> are steemed rather than roasted.
>
> I think...
>
> Cheers,
> Nico
>

Nico,

Wouldn't limiting light reduce the amount of cloriphil (sp?) produced in the
leaf? After all, if you leave your house plants in a dark closet, they will
turn pale yellow. Tulip shoots newly poking from the earth are yellow until
they get a dose of sun, at which time they turn green. I'd think it'd be the
opposite.

Michael