Tenryu Shincha Saemirodori

Hand-harvested shincha from the Tenryu region of Shizuoka, Japan, comes from Saemidori shrubs that were shaded for seven days before harvest. The tea has been very gently processed with very little steaming and only a light final heating, which brings out the naturalness and flavor diversity of the Saemidori cultivar. The beautifully crafted, elongated needle-shaped leaves have an intense, sweetly cooling aroma with hints of green pepper. Bright green infusion of delicate, creamy smooth, balanced flavor with a pleasant sweetness, a trace of green asparagus and sweet peas in the lingering aftertaste.

How to prepare Shincha

Use 5 grams of tea leaves for 0.5 litre of boiling water cooled to 65-70 °C, steep for 60 seconds. Infuse the second infusion for 30 seconds and the third for 60 seconds. Feel free to experiment with steeping time, water temperature, and the amount of tea leaves. You can also read our articles on tea preparation and water quality. These tea leaves are also suitable for Asian-style preparation, which includes multiple infusions: you steep 5 grams of tea leaves per 150 ml of water that has boiled and cooled to 55–60 ᵒC for 20 seconds, and in the following three infusions, you steep the leaves for 30, 40, and 50 seconds, respectively. You can also try steeping the leaves in lukewarm water at 37 ᵒC for 7 minutes, or in slowly melting ice.

Shincha

In Japan, fresh Shincha tea is celebrated with great joy every year. People wait patiently outside teahouses, enjoying the arrival of this refreshing specialty. Shincha is a special premium tea and is only available in very limited quantities.

First harvest

In Japan, tea is first picked and processed into the Aracha "crude" tea, which still contains all stems and leaves. Water content, though, is already reduced to 7 – 8 %. Subsequently, teas from various varieties of tea plants are tasted and divided by liquor color and taste. Shincha is then produced directly from a mixture of selected teas, the remaining Aracha is stored in cooling boxes. During final processing, teas are steamed again and the resulting moisture is about 3%.
Tea-growing regions produce various kinds of this tea depending on their processing method. Shincha is the only type that is made directly from fresh harvests. Other types of tea are made from Aracha, which is stored for years in cooling containers.
Shincha with needle-shaped leaves is especially known from the Shizuoka region, Shincha with leaves shaped as small lines comes from the Kyushu Island.

Have a lok at out Blog articles:
Japanese green tea – in pursuit of umami.
Degustation Notes – Japanese Teas.