This is not ramen with tea. Gyokuro Ramen," a ramen with tea broth (dashi), is being served at the Menya Musashi Shinjuku main store in Shinjuku, Tokyo. I had never heard of ramen noodles with tea broth. I was curious about it, so I actually tried it.

Ramen noodles with tea broth?
Ramen noodles with tea broth?

Gyokuro Ramen is a bowl of ramen noodles in a broth made from "gyokuro" tea, known as a high-grade tea, combined with a special salt sauce, and served with bamboo shoots, pork thigh, and chicken meat. It is served in a special Oribe-yaki bowl.

I was speechless when I took a sip and thought to myself, "What a thing! The deep flavor was different from any other ramen I had ever tasted. The soup and the gyokuro soaked into every part of my body. It is an extraordinary bowl of noodles.

The development of this ramen began about a year and a half ago when the manager of Menya Musashi, Mr. Yatogi, came across gyokuro. The moment he drank it, he thought, "This is dashi (Japanese soup stock)," and repeated trial and error to make ramen with it. After experimenting with tea leaves from various tea growers and regions, he arrived at gyokuro grown by Tohei Maejima, a tea farmer in Fujieda City, Shizuoka Prefecture. The tea leaves are world-renowned, having won the highest gold medal at the World Green Tea Contest three times in a row. The market price is said to be several tens of thousands of yen per kilogram.

I am ashamed to admit that I have never had gyokuro before. I am ashamed to admit that I had never had gyokuro before, but I had never been able to get my hands on it because of its reputation as a high-class tea. When I was allowed to drink gyokuro extracted with hot water for the first time during the interview, I nodded my head in agreement with the statement, "It is soup stock. It has a sweetness, a moderate astringency, and a unique flavor. It is completely different from ordinary green tea. I was told that it is important to brew the tea at 55 degrees Celsius (or 55 degrees Fahrenheit, depending on the tea leaves), because boiling water will make the tea too astringent.

When "making broth" for ramen, the tea leaves are placed over ice made from Shizuoka Prefecture's soft water and brewed for about three hours, then watered down with water. The brewing process is then watered down. The brewer tried hot water and water, but found that brewing with ice eliminated the astringency and gave the tea a clean, refreshing aftertaste. When served, it is warmed to 55 degrees Celsius and combined with a special sea bream salt sauce. Add noodles and a dash of rice oil. Add toppings to complete the dish.

Plastic bottles are processed into extraction tools
Plastic bottles are processed into extraction tools

The noodles are made straight and thin so that you can taste the broth. Because freshly boiled noodles are too hot, and to reduce the aroma of brine (a secondary ingredient used in the production of Chinese noodles), the noodles are rinsed in water and reheated to match the temperature of the broth. For the filling, the noodles are topped with chicken meat, pork thighs, and bamboo shoots from Okabe Town, Fujieda City, which are tenderized at a low temperature to prevent them from being greasy.

The noodles in the lukewarm broth are as smooth as somen noodles and slide easily down the throat. The bamboo shoots are slightly sweetened and have a crunchy texture, while the chicken and pork are not at all dry and do not interfere with the flavor of the broth.

Noodles and ingredients for "tasting the soup
Noodles and ingredients for "tasting the soup

The Oribe-yaki bowls, which are often used for tea ceremonies, are perfect for tasting the soup. Holding the bowl with both hands as you would when receiving a tea ceremony, you take a sip of the soup. The taste is similar to gyokuro itself. However, the salt sauce and rice oil add richness and mellowness to the soup. The aftertaste has a lingering aroma of gyokuro.

Custom-made vessels that fit comfortably in your hand
Custom-made vessels that fit comfortably in your hand

The key to enjoying this dish is to eat it slowly. The astringency and aroma you feel will change between the first warm sip and the last sip that cools down as you eat it. As the temperature drops, the astringency decreases and the flavor becomes more intense. The "last sip" is the best, when the noodles and ingredients have been completely consumed and the soup has been finished.

In addition, a small bowl of soup next to the noodle soup is served with a bowl of gyokuro dashi (dashi made from the broth of gyokuro) dressed with ponzu (Japanese sauce made from ponzu vinegar). This is a way of eating Gyokuro that was taught to him by the local people who produce the tea. When you bite into the soft and fluffy tea leaves, the sweetness and aroma will fill your mouth.

Tea leaves after extraction are dressed with ponzu (Japanese citrus juice).
Tea leaves after extraction are dressed with ponzu (Japanese citrus juice).

The ramen noodles in gyokuro broth, "gyokuro ramen," may seem quirky, but it is a work of art that rediscovers the deep flavor of gyokuro and bears the Japanese culture on its back.

Despite the lavish use of top-quality gyokuro and carefully selected ingredients, it is priced at 1,000 yen, tax included, and will be served from 6:00 p.m., limited to 10 cups per day (available until the end of November). Gyokuro is often avoided because of its high quality. Gyokuro ramen may provide an opportunity for those who are unfamiliar with gyokuro to learn more about its world.