Springtime in Japan means shincha (shin=new cha=tea), the first new tea of the season to come to market. Shincha can be any new crop or style of tea made from leaf plucked during the preharvest, before the main spring flush harvest begins. |
Often times shincha is sencha be- cause it’s usually one of the earli- est teas to come to market.Shincha is made from the first tender new leaves of the season and plucking begins in early April and runs roughly a month, through early May.The shincha plucking season coincides with China’s |
sions that mark the expected dates of natural occurrences in fifteen day cycles spaced through- out the twelve months of the year.When harvestinggreen tea each day is important, with rapid changes in the leaf as it grows and sends out new shoots, which get larger each day. So, timing is everything, as changes to the leaf occur so quickly, that a tea being made one week, may not be made the next.Closely following that of both China and Korea, the Japanese tea
The Japanese eagerly anticipate the bright Shincha is produced in all three major tea The tea plants store sugars and other com- Some tea producers believe that these early teas lack the finesse and rich flavor that develops Most Japanese teas are finished into aracha, or crude tea which is refrigerated and kept fresh in Some tea producers believe shincha lacks the more mellow, richer Whatever the case may be, shincha remains a favorite tea, herald- Because it is so limited, it’s also quite expensive, as most early spring teas are, so expect to pay |