Uji Shincha 2023 – First harvest Japanese green selection

They picked the leaves on the last days of April. In Japan, the first flush green teas are called Shincha. They have a nice sweet world of taste with elegant, fresh notes, while the bitterness is slight.

This Shincha tea selection is made of three different varieties. Saemidori produces bright green color teas, which have rich, and amazingly tasty notes. This item will be part of our constant selection, while the other two are a delicacy for Spring. Yabukita is the most famous Japanese varietal, it covers 75% of all the Japanese tea gardens. It produces teas with a strong aroma and nice tastes. Meiryoku is known for its dense growing ability and resistance to cold weather. Compered to Yabukita it can be harvested 2-3 days earlier and have higher amino acid and caffeine content. The quality of its teas is outstandingly refreshing.

Teas made from the first buds are highly valued in all tea-growing regions. In the early days of spring, when the first buds broke, the newly unfolding tea leaves are delicate and gentle, and the buds contain more sugar, amino acids, and other flavor compounds than at any other time of the year. While in China green teas are traditionally baked, in Japan they are usually steamed. Thanks to this process the leaves can keep their natural greenness which gives them freshness and vitalizing energy.

One of Uji’s ancient tea gardens, the Kōzan-ji (高山寺) temple is tended by the Yoshida family for 16 generations now. This degree of proficiency echoes in their teas too: refined and extremely balanced flavors supplemented with beautiful elegance.

Besides the following recommendation for preparation, worth to try it with Mr. Masahiro’s recipe. We put 3 grams of Sincha to every 100 ml of water, pour it with 80ºC water, and steep it for 60 seconds. When we try this method, we got more constant, stable tea with amazing umami notes.

Tasting notes:
Saemidori – playful and buttery edamame notes
Yabukita – balanced and focused green, notes of asparagus
Meiryoku- deep complexity and calm

Preparing Instructions:

Quantity: 5-6 grams per 180ml
Water temperature: 75ºC. From fresh spring, mineral water, or filtered water
Brewing time: 45, 35, 45… seconds
Infusions: 3-4