2018 Shincha Ordering Topic

Non-oxidized tea
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Chip
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Mon Mar 26, 2018 7:50 pm

It is just about time to celebrate Japanese new harvest teas. 2018 will mark our forum's very first Shincha.

This topic will discuss vendor updates, our ordering plans, few and general Shincha questions/discussion.

There will likely be a new topic for reviewing our Shincha purchases.
Kconv
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Tue Mar 27, 2018 12:17 am

I got a postcard from Yunomi with my latest order, informing me that Shincha' will be available in early to mid april.
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Chip
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Tue Mar 27, 2018 1:08 pm

Kconv wrote:
Tue Mar 27, 2018 12:17 am
I got a postcard from Yunomi with my latest order, informing me that Shincha' will be available in early to mid april.
That would be pretty early. I am guessing they might have a very early selection or two?

I have never ordered from them before, but I believe I was on their newsletter list.
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Chip
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Tue Mar 27, 2018 1:12 pm

Several questions worth discussing ...

Do you purchase shincha annually ... is it an annual ritual or celebration?

From how many vendors will you likely purchase shincha?

How many selections will you likely purchase?
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nasalfrog
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Wed Mar 28, 2018 9:55 am

Chip wrote:
Tue Mar 27, 2018 1:12 pm
Several questions worth discussing ...

Do you purchase shincha annually ... is it an annual ritual or celebration?

From how many vendors will you likely purchase shincha?

How many selections will you likely purchase?
This will be my 2nd year to celebrate the new harvest, so I'm still pretty new to it.

I'll probably order about 3 selections from Yuuki-Cha and 3 from Thés du Japon this year since my order last year was primarily from O-Cha. I'm focused on trying different cultivars grown organically, and I've tried, and loved, almost all of O-Cha's organics. I have not tried the Zarai yet, but I hopefully will on my next order.
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Victoria
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Wed Mar 28, 2018 11:47 am

Chip wrote:
Tue Mar 27, 2018 1:12 pm
Several questions worth discussing ...

Do you purchase shincha annually ... is it an annual ritual or celebration?

From how many vendors will you likely purchase shincha?

How many selections will you likely purchase?
Well I still have a few past years shincha in the refrigerator and just got myself a nice roaster to experiment with soooo...
I’ve also been enjoying sencha and gyokuro these past few weeks and feeling celebratory with new buds popping up everywhere. The smell of hyacinth blooming and their fresh green leaves has me craving fresh sencha.
So I’m going to order fresh shincha from... Thes du Japón and O-Cha, limited to 2 each ..I think.

How about you Chip ?
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Baisao
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Wed Mar 28, 2018 12:09 pm

nasalfrog wrote:
Wed Mar 28, 2018 9:55 am
I have not tried the Zarai yet, but I hopefully will on my next order.
My experience with zairai has been mixed: it is underwhelming compared to clonal varietals (7000-series, Saemidori, Fuji-kaori, etc.) but it is fascinating from a historical perspective. Zairai is what was being consumed before varietals dominated the modern market so you are getting a glimpse into the Japanese teas of old. I've noted an almost complete absence of astringency and bitterness that we find in the 20th-century varietals (possibly from C. sinensis-assamica genetics when indigenous teas were hybridized with inzatsu, indian teas). The lack of bitterness and astringency makes some sense as historical sencha was boiled rather than steeped.

I think zairai is worth its value for its historical, cultural, and commercial merits, though I would probably select a Shizu-7132 over zairai for entertaining guests. I haven't boiled zairai yet but will soon. I wouldn't hesitate to buy zairai, but I think it is wise to understand how very different it is from modern sencha.

HTH
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Baisao
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Wed Mar 28, 2018 12:16 pm

Chip wrote:
Tue Mar 27, 2018 1:12 pm
Do you purchase shincha annually ... is it an annual ritual or celebration?
I don't purchase shincha annually any longer because I found that it needs time to rest or the structure will be peculiar, full of gaps. By the time it has rested and is ready, I've probably bought my year's worth of sencha. I could either enjoy the novelty of its poor structure or speculatively purchase and wait to see if it will taste good after it has rested. The latter defeats the purpose, I suppose. The former is not for me.

Cheers!
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nasalfrog
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Wed Mar 28, 2018 12:40 pm

Baisao wrote:
Wed Mar 28, 2018 12:09 pm
The lack of bitterness and astringency makes some sense as historical sencha was boiled rather than steeped.
Thanks for the info! I will have to try boiling it.

I have actually had Yuuki-Cha's Zarai and I liked it. Considering the price, I thought it was a steal. Now that I know a bit more about its history, I appreciate it more. Interesting that you brought it up, my favorite tea last year was a Shizu-7132 sencha from Thés du Japon.
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Wed Mar 28, 2018 1:29 pm

I will be staying away, I bought 3 bags of shincha (first time having it) last year from O-cha and it was too strong... I didn't like it. I let it rest a bit and then drank it again and found it to be more palatable but by then I could have just bought sencha instead which I may have enjoyed more.
I've read that just because it's picked earlier doesn't mean that it's better quality. Some people report stomach problems from it due to the strength , and I have a sensitive stomach. More tea for the rest of you :lol:
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Wed Mar 28, 2018 1:58 pm

nasalfrog wrote:
Wed Mar 28, 2018 12:40 pm
Interesting that you brought it up, my favorite tea last year was a Shizu-7132 sencha from Thés du Japon.
That was also my favorite Japanese tea of 2017. The kama-iri cha made with Fuji-kaori was a close contender; it turned my notion of Japanese teas upside down despite its minor flaws. The Shizu-7132 sencha was perfectly balanced all the way around. My son said it best when I had him smell the tea: I want to crawl into the bag and just stay there.

I tried several teas from O-Cha in 2017, and while perfectly delicious, they were so impeccably well blended that a lot of the character of each varietal was lost. I would say that the teas I had from O-Cha (actually from Tsuen) are technically better than the teas I had from Thés du Japon but each company has philosophical differences that almost put them into different categories. One has teas that are masterfully blended with perfect structures, the other has single-estate teas of rare-ish processing types and varietals that will no doubt have structural flaws. Odd as it may seem, I enjoyed Thés du Japon's teas more.
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Chip
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Wed Mar 28, 2018 2:05 pm

Shine Magical wrote:
Wed Mar 28, 2018 1:29 pm
I will be staying away, I bought 3 bags of shincha (first time having it) last year from O-cha and it was too strong... I didn't like it. I let it rest a bit and then drank it again and found it to be more palatable but by then I could have just bought sencha instead which I may have enjoyed more.
I've read that just because it's picked earlier doesn't mean that it's better quality. Some people report stomach problems from it due to the strength , and I have a sensitive stomach. More tea for the rest of you :lol:
I always say, all shincha is ichibancha but not all ichibancha is shincha.

This simply means that all new harvest tea specially packaged as shincha is first flush. But not all first flush is processed/packaged as shincha.

First flush sencha that goes through full production and is specially packaged is designated "shincha". Typically "shincha" is off the shelves by summer.

But much of the exact same first flush harvested leaves do NOT go through full and final production nor special packaging.

These leaves are generally cold stored in large bales and are pulled as needed. At that time, they go though final processing and packaging as first flush or ichibancha ... this is an extremely efficient and most cost effective way of managing a cash crop.

There is much discussion and controversy whether these vibrant and fresh leaves must be aged lest they aggravate the consumer's digestive system.

Like most generalizations, they are often not true for the whole. I would concede that some tea drinkers experience difficulties drinking very fresh shincha ... but the vast majority likely do not.

Also some difficulties might be due to the selection or preparation.
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Wed Mar 28, 2018 2:19 pm

Baisao wrote:
Wed Mar 28, 2018 1:58 pm
nasalfrog wrote:
Wed Mar 28, 2018 12:40 pm
Interesting that you brought it up, my favorite tea last year was a Shizu-7132 sencha from Thés du Japon.
That was also my favorite Japanese tea of 2017. The kama-iri cha made with Fuji-kaori was a close contender; it turned my notion of Japanese teas upside down despite its minor flaws. The Shizu-7132 sencha was perfectly balanced all the way around. My son said it best when I had him smell the tea: I want to crawl into the bag and just stay there.

I tried several teas from O-Cha in 2017, and while perfectly delicious, they were so impeccably well blended that a lot of the character of each varietal was lost. I would say that the teas I had from O-Cha (actually from Tsuen) are technically better than the teas I had from Thés du Japon but each company has philosophical differences that almost put them into different categories. One has teas that are masterfully blended with perfect structures, the other has single-estate teas of rare-ish processing types and varietals that will no doubt have structural flaws. Odd as it may seem, I enjoyed Thés du Japon's teas more.
I always say, drink what you like and like what you drink. That is the beauty of the free market and the vast vendor list and selections available today ... compared to say ... 12 or so years ago.

I agree, these two vendors have quite divergent philosophies in what they are going to offer. But they do also share gray zones if you look for it.

I have spent the last 12 years trying many selections from many vendors. I typically develop a personal fave 5 list of vendors. Not going to surprise anyone by saying that O-Cha is virtually always my #1 vendor. And as such, I have a fave 5 list of perennial fave selections from this vendor. Interestingly, my fave 5 selections are virtually identical ... unchanged ... for much of the last 12 years.

The du Japon is always on my fave 5 list of vendors, but I have never been able to develop a fave 5 list of their selections.
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d.manuk
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Wed Mar 28, 2018 2:36 pm

Chip wrote:
Wed Mar 28, 2018 2:19 pm
Baisao wrote:
Wed Mar 28, 2018 1:58 pm
nasalfrog wrote:
Wed Mar 28, 2018 12:40 pm
Interesting that you brought it up, my favorite tea last year was a Shizu-7132 sencha from Thés du Japon.
That was also my favorite Japanese tea of 2017. The kama-iri cha made with Fuji-kaori was a close contender; it turned my notion of Japanese teas upside down despite its minor flaws. The Shizu-7132 sencha was perfectly balanced all the way around. My son said it best when I had him smell the tea: I want to crawl into the bag and just stay there.

I tried several teas from O-Cha in 2017, and while perfectly delicious, they were so impeccably well blended that a lot of the character of each varietal was lost. I would say that the teas I had from O-Cha (actually from Tsuen) are technically better than the teas I had from Thés du Japon but each company has philosophical differences that almost put them into different categories. One has teas that are masterfully blended with perfect structures, the other has single-estate teas of rare-ish processing types and varietals that will no doubt have structural flaws. Odd as it may seem, I enjoyed Thés du Japon's teas more.
I always say, drink what you like and like what you drink. That is the beauty of the free market and the vast vendor list and selections available today ... compared to say ... 12 or so years ago.

I agree, these two vendors have quite divergent philosophies in what they are going to offer. But they do also share gray zones if you look for it.

I have spent the last 12 years trying many selections from many vendors. I typically develop a personal fave 5 list of vendors. Not going to surprise anyone by saying that O-Cha is virtually always my #1 vendor. And as such, I have a fave 5 list of perennial fave selections from this vendor. Interestingly, my fave 5 selections are virtually identical ... unchanged ... for much of the last 12 years.

The du Japon is always on my fave 5 list of vendors, but I have never been able to develop a fave 5 list of their selections.
What are your top 5 favorite teas from O-cha?
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nasalfrog
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Wed Mar 28, 2018 6:17 pm

Shine Magical wrote:
Wed Mar 28, 2018 1:29 pm
I will be staying away, I bought 3 bags of shincha (first time having it) last year from O-cha and it was too strong... I didn't like it. I let it rest a bit and then drank it again and found it to be more palatable but by then I could have just bought sencha instead which I may have enjoyed more.
I've read that just because it's picked earlier doesn't mean that it's better quality. Some people report stomach problems from it due to the strength , and I have a sensitive stomach. More tea for the rest of you :lol:
Interesting! I bought 2 bags of the organic Oku Yutaka shincha from O-Cha last year. I opened one bag immediately and put the other in the fridge... opening it six months later. I definitely thought the first bag was much stronger, but the 2nd was more balanced. I enjoyed them both.
Baisao wrote:
Wed Mar 28, 2018 1:58 pm
My son said it best when I had him smell the tea: I want to crawl into the bag and just stay there.
I couldn't have described the smell when opening a bag of that tea any better!
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