SHINCHA 2019!

[Chip]

Shincha 2019

... is quickly approaching.

Any pre ordering done?

Any plans to order?

[Chip]

I used to order 20 or more Shincha every year, but I have refined my personal search for Shincha and might get 10 this harvest.

So far, I broke my personal rule and pre ordered shincha from O-Cha.com. I usually just wait for actual releases.

Aoi
Yutaka Midori
Sae Midori

I ordered 300 grams of each in separate preorders so each will ship immediately upon availability.

I hope Kevin is able to obtain a worthy successor to the 2018 Sae Midori Satsuma which may have been my fave of the 2018 harvest.

I will see what else I might add from O-Cha as shincha becomes available.

I will likely add Ippodo Shincha and Maiko Kinari Shincha ...

I did not order Kinari last year because I felt 2017's was a bit lackluster. I order it primarily in memory of Iannon, a friend I met on TeaChat who passed away suddenly years ago. We always ordered Kinari.

Kinari used to be really nice asamushi year after year. I am hoping for a good one this year.

Ippodo ... i can order from the US store site but there seems to be a lag due to logistics. If i buy from Kyoto, it seems to be cheaper and I will receive it weeks earlier, but i have to buy it in a canister and box which will increase shipping.

[Chip]

... so that is 5. I will be anxious to hear suggestions.

[gatmcm]

Preordered a single bag of sae midori from ocha, first time getting shincha, last year I ordered later in the year.

[Chip]

Preordered a single bag of sae midori from ocha, first time getting shincha, last year I ordered later in the year.

That is great! Hope you enjoy it. Sae Midori is an excellent first time shincha selection ...

[gatmcm]

That is great! Hope you enjoy it. Sae Midori is an excellent first time shincha selection ...

Thank you, it was my favourite from the ones I tried last year, added bonus of it being the easiest to brew too

[Chip]

That is great! Hope you enjoy it. Sae Midori is an excellent first time shincha selection ...

Thank you, it was my favourite from the ones I tried last year, added bonus of it being the easiest to brew too

It is extremely flexible to brew. I like to amp it up!

[Victoria]

@Chip, Have you asked Kevin about his getting 2019 Satsuma? I asked him on FB but haven’t gotten a reply yet. That was my 2018 favorite also. I’ll order Sae Midori, Yutaka Midori, Uji Aoi Shincha. I’ll also get last years Satsuma, unless he gets some from 2019, and Kyoto Sencha Chadōraku, a surprise find in my forgotten Japanese greens box.

[swordofmytriumph]

I’m continuing my foray into sencha! I ordered 3 shinchas from O Cha. I got the Chiran, Aoi Uji, and Karou Fukamushi. Eagerly awaiting their arrival.

[debunix]

I just got my first delivery of tea for 2019 from Obubu tea farm, and it included a packet of sencha with cherry blossoms. It is smooth, sweet, and just a little bit floral. I'm in and out of the garden as I enjoy it this morning. The date on it is an expiration date (2020), but still, I am presumng it is this year's shincha. A pleasing treat!

[teasecret]

What's the appeal of shincha as opposed to getting the same sencha later in the year?

[Chip]

What's the appeal of shincha as opposed to getting the same sencha later in the year?

It is multi faceted.

It is first a celebration of the new harvest!

It tends to be more vibrant, especially compared to year old sencha we have been drinking.

First flush sencha selected for shincha release will undergo full processing and packaging for immediate sale.

The rest of the first flush is stored.

As the season progresses, stored first flush sencha, called ichibancha, is pulled from storage and will undergo final processing and be sold as first flush ... but is no longer shincha.

So all shincha is ichibancha, but not all ichibancha is shincha.

These later releases tend to have mellowed somewhat.

[Chip]

I just got my first delivery of tea for 2019 from Obubu tea farm, and it included a packet of sencha with cherry blossoms. It is smooth, sweet, and just a little bit floral. I'm in and out of the garden as I enjoy it this morning. The date on it is an expiration date (2020), but still, I am presumng it is this year's shincha. A pleasing treat!

I never ordered from Obubu. So you received 2018 harvest ... plus the Sakura?

Usually Sakura is not shincha. It tends to show up a lot more during pre-shincha. Perhaps you could ask? Glad you are enjoying it! I have had good sakura and really cloyingly nasty sakura (teavana years ago).

[Chip]

Chip, Have you asked Kevin about his getting 2019 Satsuma? I asked him on FB but haven’t gotten a reply yet. That was my 2018 favorite also. I’ll order Sae Midori, Yutaka Midori, Uji Aoi Shincha. I’ll also get last years Satsuma, unless he gets some from 2019, and Kyoto Sencha Chadōraku, a surprise find in my forgotten Japanese greens box.

Not yet. I plan to encourage him to offer a worthy 2019 edition Satsuma!

[debunix]

_DEB4300 small ppd.jpg (111.48 KiB) Viewed 12340 times

Obubu is the tea farm I visited in 2017, and after drinking down some of my stash of greens, and enjoying the teas I bought during the visit, I joined their tea club last year. I get a package four times a year, and this was my spring shipment. It's early enough that most of it must be last year's tea, but I don't know if the sakura was this year's or last year's, because of the future date (presuming expiration rather than harvest date). It's not cloying, like an overdone jasmine, just a floral hint despite abundant cherry flowers visible in the loose tea.

I am loving my packages and the teas I'm getting. I'm not exclusive with Japanese teas, and this club is satisfying without being an overwhelming quantity of tea.