Description

Keiko Shincha 2023 – Spring Feelings in your Tea Cup

Shincha – the “new tea” – heralds the beginning of the tea year every spring. The first tea made from the fine, particularly aromatic leaf tips, picked in the subtropical climate of Kagoshima in mid-April after 7-10 days of shading. In order to capture the fresh aroma in the best possible way, Shincha is dried a little more lightly than is usually the case with Sencha. Even two Shinchas from the same garden can turn out to be completely different. Because depending on cultivar, weather conditions, harvest time and processing, it will always produce new exciting tea experiences.

The 3 KEIKO Shinchas provide a good impression of this range of flavors. With their scent and taste, they take us into very different scenarios. However, what they have in common is the fresh spring feeling that they bring into your  tea bowl.

Shincha Classic 2023

Well-established and always a pleasure… the fresh Shincha Classic from Kagoshima, Japan. The blend of the cultivars Yutaka Midori and Sae Midori is a medium-steamed Kabuse Cha (=”shaded tea). The 70/30 combination of the 2 cultivars produces a full-bodied, soft aroma with fine umami.

Only the young leaves and buds of the young spring qualify for picking. This is how a high-quality Shincha in the truest sense of the word comes about: processed immediately after picking, packed airtight and shipped to destinations worldwide.

As a plus, Shincha Classic comes in a decorative 50g box, making it a visual highlight of your tea shelve. In addition, the stylish box qualifies this tea as a precious gift or present. However, please note: due to its nature-given rareness, we can offer you this special green tea for a short period only. Therefore, secure your package now!

The varietals:

• 70% Yutaka Midori from the Keiko organic farm in Kawanabe (Chiran, Kagoshima)
• 30% Sae Midori by the Komaki brothers, Chiran, Kagoshima

 

What is Shincha?

In Japan, the term Shincha refers to the fresh teas from the first days of the spring harvest. However, in order to qualify as Shincha in the narrower sense, green tea needs to meet even more conditions. So, processing and airtight sealing needs to take place immediately upon picking. Plus, shipping to the end consumer needs to take place on the quickest possible way. Due to their exceptionally fresh and exhilarate taste and fragrance, the new spring season’s fresh teas enjoy highest popularity both in Japan and among green tea lovers worldwide. By the way, early pickings such as the Shincha Classic are particularly high in theanine, being noticeable in the sweet taste.

What is “Kabusecha” / “Kabuse Cha” ?

Shincha Classic is a Kabusecha tea. Kabusecha tea (also: “Kabuse Sencha”) is a typical Japanese (half-shaded) green tea. In particular, it defines through the half-shading of the tea gardens with “Kabuse” nets during the days/weeks before picking. Also, the shading period causes a time delay in the tea’s way to market. That is, compared to unshaded Shincha (“Shincha Sencha”), going to market several weeks earlier. In favor of a higher quality of the tea,  the tea bushes thrive under Kabuse nets (jap: net = kabuse) during the last (up to 3) weeks before the harvest.

The “Kabuse Cha” Method

Unlike Gyokuro Tea, for which shading is done for several weeks before the harvest, the Kabusecha shading method comprises a “half-shading”. For example, shading takes place for up to 3 weeks before picking for our Kabusecha Tenko). At this, the Kabuse nets filter out ca. 50% of the sunlight (compared to ca. 90% for Gyokuro). Therefore, Kabusecha tea is also commonly referred to as half-shaded tea. Due to the shading, the tea leaves develop a high content of chlorophyll and other active substances while reducing bitter substances at the same time. Their characteristic “shade aroma” is called “ooika”.

The idea behind the Kabusecha method is that of the recreation of natural conditions. This means a part-shading of the tea bushes as would take place through trees and larger bushes in natural environments. The ca. 50% withdrawal of light during this period triggers activities in the tea plant. These again lead to an altered composition of the ingredients. As result, the tea shows higher amounts of amino acids (e.g. Theanine) and alkaloids (e.g. Caffeine, Theophyllin). Also, a reduction of bitterns (e.g. Catechine) is notable, among others resulting in a higher sweetness of the tea. Another effect of the shading is the enhancement of the aromatic fragrance and deep green color of the tea.

Processing and health and environment-friendly properties

In order to achieve an optimal exploitation of the active ingredients and to prevent oxidation processes, the freshly picked deep green tea leaves undergo steaming, cooling, rolling and drying according to the standard procedure of Japanese green tea processing. The producer of this Shincha tea is health and environment-friendly-certified to both Japanese and EU standards. They vacuum the tea immediately upon completion of the processing cycle. This way, the active substances, aromatic fragrance and intensive taste remain preserved throughout the tea’s streamlined way to distant shores. And right up to your tea cup!

Our preparation recommendation:

First, pour 200ml water (as soft as possible) of a temperature of 60- 70°C over 4g Shincha Classic tea leaves in a suitable vessel (clay, glass or porcelain are best). For a first infusion, leave for 1-2 minutes, according to personal taste. Then, a second and third infusion need 10-20 seconds each only for best taste. At this, also slightly increase the infusion temperature with each steep. Finally, there is sufficient potential for a fourth infusion steeped 2 minutes at 90°C.

For more Shincha teas at Siam Tea Shop, please click on the following link:

Shincha Teas at Siam Tea Shop

For more information about Japanese green teas, please also read our dedicated article in Siam Tea Blog:

“Japanese Green Tea – History and Present Face”