Lao
Sparkling Tea Gyokuro Okabe - 4 Bottles
Sparkling Tea Gyokuro Okabe - 4 Bottles
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This Sparkling Tea box include 4 bottles of Gyokuro Okabe
→ 4x Gyokuro Okabe • 24,99$/bottle
What does it taste like?
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Gyokuro Okabe
Bright and fruity.Inspired by the prestigious Japanese green tea Gyokuro, also known as "Precious Dew," this creation celebrates the tea's subtlety and elegance.
Robe Clear, pale, slightly veiled
Nose Tropical fruits and sweet spices
Palate Notes of peaches, pears and honeydew melon
Finish Long and slightly tannic
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What is Lao's Sparkling Tea?
Sparkling Tea offers a vibrant interpretation of tea, where delicate effervescence shines a new light on its terroir.
Each bottle is infused using both hot and cold steeping methods to reveal structure, depth, and aromatic tension.
It’s not wine without alcohol.
It’s not flavoured water.
It’s not trying to be something else.
It’s tea, crafted differently.
A discovery shaped by care, not imitation.
To learn more, visit our website
What is the perfect pairing?
Served in a flute, Gyokuro Okabe pairs just as well with delicate dishes as with more indulgent ones, where its fruity freshness and balanced tension help lighten and elevate the experience.
Pairings
• Stone fruits
• Sushi or sashimi
• Soft cheeses or feta
• Herb salad with avocado and citrus
• Vegetable tempura
• Light fruit-based cake with peaches or pears
How is it made?
Each bottle of Gyokuro Okabe begins with a fermented tea base, aged for over three months to build natural acidity, smooth texture, and a long, clean finish.
To this base, we blend hot and cold infusions — steeped for 48 hours — of precisely selected Gyokuro leaves from Okabe, Japan. This shade-grown tea is known for its gentle umami, sweet vegetal notes, and exceptional aromatic finesse.
Our infusion process is designed to preserve the integrity of the leaf, revealing stone fruit aromas, soft tannins, and a luminous, fruit-forward structure.
We then add a small amount of organic cane sugar, not so much to sweeten, but to support balance and mouthfeel.
Finally, the blend is gently carbonated and pasteurized.
No added flavours. No preservatives.
Just tea, at its most vibrant.
How to best enjoy it?
• Chill to 8–12 °C
• Serve in a flute or white wine glass
• Enjoy on its own, with food, or offer as a gift
Bottle size: 750 ml
Storage: Cool and dry place away
Shelf life: See bottle (9 months from bottling date)
Why less than 0.5% alcohol?
Sparkling Tea contains less than 0.5% alc./vol. — legally non-alcoholic in Canada.
But we go further: our teas average 0.2%, due to a light fermentation that helps develop body and structure.
For comparison:
• Banana (very ripe): up to 0.6%
• Orange juice: 0.2–0.5%
• Soy sauce: up to 2%
• Raisin bread: ~0.3%
We’re not required to disclose it, we chose to.
The label you receive may say non-alcoholic, we are changing them gradually.
F.A.Q.
✴ Does it taste like tea?
Yes — but not the way most people imagine it.
Forget over-steeped black tea or artificial tea flavours.
Our Sparkling Teas and Thea Placida are crafted from whole-leaf teas, selected for their terroir and aromatic complexity.
Each product offers a unique expression of the leaf: fresh and fruit-forward, deep and roasted, floral or earthy. The taste is layered, precise, and often surprising.
✴ Is it kombucha?
No — this is something else entirely.
Lao’s drinks are crafted from real tea, using controlled fermentation to bring structure, texture, and depth — not bacteria or vinegar.
What sets us apart is how we treat the leaf.
Each Sparkling Tea and Thea Placida begins with a fermented tea base aged over several months to naturally build acidity and mouthfeel. To this foundation, we blend precisely infused teas, selected for their terroir and complexity. Some creations include a touch of wine vinegar, oak, or botanicals, used not as a shortcut, but as tools to shape flavor — the way winemakers do.
The result? A shelf-stable drink that’s refined, layered, and expressive.
No live cultures. No added flavours. Nothing masked.
Why fermentation?
Because it enhances the bioavailability of compounds in tea, softens tannins, adds length and structure, and helps unlock aromatic depth — without overpowering the leaf.
For context:
Kombucha is typically brewed with a SCOBY (symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast), producing a living, tangy drink that’s often made with generic teas and added juices. We love that it introduced many to fermented beverages — but our approach is different.
It’s not kombucha.
It’s tea, reimagined.
✴ Is there caffeine?
Yes — but less than a cup of tea.
Because we use real green, wulong, or pu'er teas, there is naturally some caffeine in each bottle.
Approximate content per glass (188 ml): 10–25 mg, depending on the tea used.
By comparison, a cup of black coffee has around 95 mg.
✴ Can I drink this while pregnant or breastfeeding?
We recommend checking with your healthcare provider, as every situation is different.
Our drinks are pasteurized, but they do contain trace amounts of alcohol (around 0.2%) from natural fermentation, as well as light caffeine from tea.
While many people choose to enjoy them in moderation during pregnancy or breastfeeding, the best decision is always the one made with your health professional.
✴ How long does it last once opened?
For Sparkling Tea, we recommend:
• Resealing with an expandable wine stopper
• Keeping it in the fridge
• Enjoying within 3–4 days for best effervescence
• Safe to drink up to 2 weeks after opening
Thea Placida, being still, can be stored in the fridge and enjoyed within 2 weeks.
✴ Where is it made?
Every bottle is crafted and bottled in Québec, by our small team that believes tea deserves the same care and celebration as wine.
We don’t outsource. We don’t cut corners.
We’re here, steeping leaves and fine-tuning blends — one batch at a time — in our own facility, with purpose and precision.
✴ Is it vegan and gluten-free?
Yes. All Lao products are 100% plant-based and gluten-free.
We do not use honey, gelatin, or any animal-derived ingredients.