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Each spring
the first plucking of new, seasonal Japanese tea –
Shincha – begins between the end of April or the
beginning of May. The timing of this plucking for
‘first pluck’ tea is calculated according to the
traditional Japanese calendar, which places the time
on the 88th Night following the first day of spring.
This period is also known as Hachijuhachiya,
the time that plants begin to sprout.
Only a very small amount of Shincha is plucked each
spring as there are only a few days that tea
leaves are this tiny and new. Tea workers race to beat
the clock and harvest the tea leaves before they grow
too large to be called Shincha. ( After the Shincha
harvest, various pluckings of Sencha begins, and so on
throughout the season).
Shincha is exquisite in flavor and aroma because it is
made with the first tea leaves to sprout on the tea
bushes after winter hibernation. During the winter
rest, the tea bushes absorb and store nutrients
gathered from the soil during this time. Thus, the
first leaves to ‘sprout’ on the tea bushes in the
spring contain a large amount of these nutrients and
antioxidants, the energies of the season, and, best of
all, fresh, bracing flavor.
Our Shincha Kunpu is truly a special tea. The leaves are
shiny, thin and delicate, and the taste can best
be described as exceedingly lively, herbaceous ,
earthy and sweet. It displays all the vitality of seasonality in its taste, which is an invigorating
expression of the new season. The heady aroma of Shincha recalls the fresh, green aromas that greets
one in the tea gardens and tea factories in Japan in
the spring.
This highly sought-after tea is best drunk now, when it
is young and full of the moment. It is not a tea for
keeping, or saving for special occasions ‘later’.
Use 3 teaspoons per 6 oz of
water
Steep 2 infusions at 1.5 minutes
each.
Water temperature should be 160˚ - 170˚ F |
