It’s one of the best times of the year for those of us who love Japanese tea. The time for Shincha! Shincha is the ‘first flush’ tea made from the new buds picked at the beginning of the year. The tenderest buds which make the sweetest tea.
Japanese tea can be harvested up to three times a year, depending on the quality of the farm. At the highest level, some tea farmers only harvest once a year, taking the ‘first flush’, making sure that the quality they produce is the very best. This ‘first flush’ is Shincha.
Shincha also carries connotations of bringing good fortune. It has long been prized for the belief that drinking it will ensure ‘a year of good health and protection from illness’. This is why Shincha is often chosen as a gift for loved ones or for those who have been of great help.
The harvest season for new tea leaves is generally April to May. However, as Japan stretches quite far north to south, the harvest time varies depending on the tea-producing region, as well as from the type of tea grown. Similar to the famous Cherry Blossom front, the timing of the tea harvest gradually moves north as the year progresses.
Right now here in the shop, we have first flush Shincha Sencha (green tea) from Yame (the south part of Japan on Kyushu island) and from Kyoto too.
In Japan, my family never used tea bags, so I tend always to brew loose leaf tea, and I generally think loose leaf tea has a better flavour and is better value. All you need to enjoy loose leaf tea is a good Kyusu tea pot. It’s an initial investment, but it’s surely worth it as it makes tea time a really meditative ritual and the taste is wonderful. Also the tea pot can be a beautiful object in itself.