Tasting profile
Primary tasting notes
- Roasted CornThat sweet, toasty, very summer-associated aroma!
- Shiitake MushroomAn incredible savoriness that coats the whole mouth.
- Fig LeafGreen and vegetal, but in a slightly sweet and cooling sort of way.
Why is shincha special?
Shincha — literally "new tea" — is the very first harvest of the Japanese green tea season, picked in early spring before any other leaves are cut from the plant. After a long winter's rest, the tea bushes concentrate an extraordinary depth of nutrients, amino acids, and natural sweetness into those first tender leaves. The result is a cup that tastes unmistakably alive: brighter, fresher, and more nuanced than teas harvested later in the year. Shincha is produced in limited quantities each spring and doesn't keep — it's meant to be savored in the moment, a true celebration of the season.
What is Fukamushi Shincha?
Fukamushi means "deep-steamed" — a processing style where freshly picked leaves are steamed two to three times longer than in conventional sencha. This extended steaming breaks down the leaf structure, producing a tea with a notably rich, full body, a deep jade-green color in the cup, and a smooth, mellow flavor with less astringency.
A special Kagoshima cultivar
Saemidori — whose name translates to "clear green" — is a hybrid cultivar developed in Japan by crossing the beloved Yabukita with Asatsuyu, inheriting the best of both parents: vivid color, exceptional sweetness, and a naturally deep umami character. It's a cultivar prized for its elegance, and what makes this Kagoshima Saemidori so striking is that it achieves that savory depth without any shading at all. Where many teas require weeks under cover to develop umami, this one does it through the cultivar itself — arriving in the cup with notes of roasted corn, shiitake mushroom, and fig leaf that feel rich and grounding, yet unmistakably fresh.
