shincha vs sencha

[Ramsay]

I understand that shincha is the picking of the first flush of spring sencha. What is the difference between shincha and other sencha's sold as first flush? Is it that the Shincha never makes it to cold storage?

[iannon]

As far as i know thats correct. first flush is cold stored and released whenever needed ..Shincha is processed and shipped right out.

[Dresden]

As far as i know thats correct. first flush is cold stored and released whenever needed ..Shincha is processed and shipped right out.

That is my understanding as well...

[Chip]

Shincha is fully processed and packaged for consumption/sale. It is conceivable that once packaged it could be cold stored ... for instance I cold store them once I recceive them, yet have not opened ... still shincha.

Other first flush is CSed as aracha and will be pulled as needed, go through final processing/sorting/final packaging.

Both are ichibancha ... aka first flush, but one is shincha and the other is not.

Then their are special productions of shincha where they are also produced differently.

[jpeizer]

Shincha is the youngest two leaf and bud from the first spring harvest typically taken from specific varietals (which determine its grade).

[Chip]

Shincha is the youngest two leaf and bud from the first spring harvest typically taken from specific varietals (which determine its grade).

False, or only true to a minute degree. There is a wealth of information on the forum regarding Shincha.

[OchameTaiken]

There seems to be a great misunderstanding of shincha in foreign markets.
Shincha really is less of a "type of tea" and more of a "time of tea." It is a spring celebration that hits shops in Japan when new fresh tea becomes available. It is only with recent marketing and commercialization that "shincha" has become confused as being a certain type or even standard of tea.

Granted, there are certain practices that go into ensuring that a company's shincha offering is marketable, and everything that Chip mentioned stands true. Early plucking, not going to market as aracha to be blended, all make good fresh shincha.

But shincha can be downright crappy, especially with vendors rushing to get their tea early on the market. Sencha, gyokuro, even genmaicha and houjicha can be branded shincha as long as they are the first of the season.

It is just interesting to see how this meaning slowly changes with the growth of tea culture overseas and how producers adapt their practices to meet these needs.

[tsusentei]

There seems to be a great misunderstanding of shincha in foreign markets... shincha can be downright crappy, especially with vendors rushing to get their tea early on the market. Sencha, gyokuro, even genmaicha and houjicha can be branded shincha as long as they are the first of the season.

It is just interesting to see how this meaning slowly changes with the growth of tea culture overseas and how producers adapt their practices to meet these needs.

Indeed, very interesting... Glad to see some info from Japan being put into the pot.

[Teacup1980]

In the past, when storage technology was not developed, tea leaves harvested in early spring gradually lost its freshness as time passed. So, when a tea company sold teas to customers, the teas already lost its flavor in many cases. Therefore, Shincha, the tea leaves harvested in early spring and are sold right away, is very special, and many customers were waiting for Shincha during the year.

However, today the storage technology is fully developed, and tea leaves can keep its freshness for long time. Now, almost all tea companies are using "nitrogen flush" packaging, which prevents tea leaves from oxidation. With the rise of science, the meaning of Shincha became unclear/indistinct. Shincha is tea leaves harvested in early spring, but many of Sencha are also harvested in early spring.

As OchameTaiken said, it's all about the timing of purchase. If you buy Sencha (or any other teas) in early spring, it might be Sincha.