Shincha
Shincha (new tea) is the first sencha of the year, the opening pick of the spring first flush, sold fresh and seasonal. It is the same production as sencha but caught at its most vivid: more aroma, more sweetness, a brighter green, and a lively freshness that fades within months. Shincha is bought for the moment rather than for keeping.
Vivid, deep-green needle leaf with an intense fresh-grass and sweet aroma; the current-year harvest date is the whole point, so look for it on the pack. Shincha is softer, more aromatic, and lower in astringency than later sencha. Because the appeal is ephemeral freshness, vacuum-sealed packaging and a recent ship date matter more here than for any other Japanese green.
The first flush is harvested from late April through May, earliest in warmer southern regions such as Kagoshima and then Shizuoka, so shincha season rolls northward across Japan. It is the same Yabukita-dominated sencha production, but the first tender leaves of the year carry the most amino acids and aroma. The seasonal release, not a different process, is what defines it.
Western: 70-75°C, 3 g per 200 ml, 60-90 seconds; cooler water protects the delicate sweetness. Kyusu: 70°C, 4-5 g per 150 ml, 40-60 seconds first steep, 2-3 infusions. Cold brew is a lovely way to show off shincha's sweetness and cut any astringency.
Shincha carries a small seasonal premium over the same producer's standard sencha: roughly €20-45 (about $22-49) per 100 g, with named single-cultivar first-flush lots reaching higher.
Prices reviewed June 2026
Sencha
The same tea later in the year and out of peak season; shincha is its freshest first-flush moment.
Gyokuro
The shaded extreme, sweeter and more umami, but about cultivation rather than seasonal freshness.
Fukamushi Sencha (Deep-steamed)
A deep-steamed style of the same leaf, trading clarity for body and a cloudier cup.
Shincha is tied to the Japanese reverence for the first harvest and to the old custom around the 88th night (hachiju-hachiya) after the start of spring, when first-flush picking traditionally begins. Tea from this period is considered especially auspicious and is sometimes given as a seasonal gift.