Shincha, 新茶, is the first harvest Sencha of the year in Japanese tea gardens. When tea leaves are harvested, farmers pick the youngest, most supple leaves of the plant. As leaves age, they become tough and their taste becomes bitter, but the youngest leaves are soft and contain a large concentration of the organic compounds that create the flavors and aromas we find appealing.
Many tea plants are harvested several times per year. After the first harvest, the plant prepares and grows new leaves within 2-3 months. By contrast, the plant’s preparation for the first leaves of the year has been in progress for nearly a whole season.
This means that tea harvested early in the spring packs the most flavor and energy of all, and subsequently the first harvest of tea in any country tends to be the most prized: notably First Flush in India, Qingming in China, and Shincha in Japan.
That said, this high concentration of flavors can actually be very intense. First flush Darjeeling, for example, tends to require very skillful brewing to avoid bitter notes from creeping into the cup. Despite its popularity, Shincha in Japan can be overly bold and sharp tasting, particularly when it is brewed close to its harvest date. Allowing the tea to rest allows these flavors to mellow.
Today I opened a package of 2024 Shincha I purchased from the Sapporo tea shop I mentioned a few weeks ago, Gyokusuien (玉翠園).
Just like their Water Guardian Blend Sencha, this tea has a mellow and smooth quality that I found very impressive, even when I brewed it fairly strong.
Flavors of sweet rice linger long after sipping the emerald brew. I made it with relatively cool water (50°C) for 1 minute because I was concerned about the very small leaf size, but after drinking I think it would work well with 60° or 70°C water as well.
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