TRILOGY 001 | Gokou Den Gyokuro

We are excited to introduce you a new tea experience with a Nari Twist. Our favorite teas are a journey, transforming in taste and form across multiple brews – which inspired us to create our new ‘TRILOGY’ series. With three distinct preparations of each infusion, we extract unique taste dimensions of a single-cultivar specialty tea, and selectively pair with thoughtfully curated small snacks to enhance the flavor and drinking experience. As we are kicking off this series at the tail end of summer, we selected Gokou, one of our favorites cultivars from Gyokuro master Takaki-san, as it’s long lingering fruity aromatics helps us keep summer going in our body and mind.

TRILOGY 001
Gokou Den Gyokuro
Yame Fukuoka, Takaki Farm

Gokou, which means “Noble Fragrance,” is one of Takaki’s most aromatic Gyokuros, especially pleasant for those who are not quite accustomed to the Umami bomb found in his Zairai and Saemidori Gyokuros. Unlike most Gyokuro on the market, this Gokou is a Den Gyokuro, which uses the traditional technique of using woven Straw Mats to block the tea from sunlight (in comparison to woven plastic sheets). Takaki (and we) believe that straw, while more labor intensive, produces a better product – as the straw breaks down into organic matter for the soil and does not introduce micro plastics to the tea.

For TRILOGY 001, the journey begins with a traditional brew of Gokou, allowing the tea’s natural flavors to emerge gently with its delicate balance of sweetness and umami. To complement this brew, we pair it with a green tea jelly made from Gokou.

The second brew is prepared using a slow, ice-cold brewing method. This meticulous process extracts the tea’s umami essence, resulting in a crisp, refreshing sip that highlights the aromatic and fruity notes often hidden in warmer brews. The cold temperature intensifies the tea’s natural passionfruit sweetness and its beautiful aroma, offering a new dimension to this Gokou’s flavor profile.

The final brew, we bring back the heat for a warmer extraction to pull out the remaining green notes. But the journey doesn’t end with the last sip of tea – the brewed leaves are served as a dish, paired with fresh tomato drizzled in a special sauce fusing the aromatics of Sichuan with the umami of Japan.

This Trilogy menu is part of a series of Nari tea drinking menu. It is an exploration of how a single tea can transform across different preparations and pairings. At the moment is only available on weekends and  requires reservation, we serve 10 persons per day, and you can come anytime during the opening hours from 13:00 – 19:00 on Saturday and Sunday. 

THANK YOU!