Spring teas - Japanese Shincha and others...
In Japan, tea is first picked and processed into the Aracha "crude" tea, which still contains all stems and leaves. Water content, though, is already reduced to 7 – 8 %. Subsequently, teas from various varieties of tea plants are tasted and divided by liquor color and taste. Shincha is then produced directly from a mixture of selected teas, the remaining Aracha is stored in cooling boxes. More...
During final processing, teas are steamed again and the resulting moisture is about 3%.
Tea-growing regions produce various kinds of this tea depending on their processing method. Shincha is the only type that is made directly from fresh harvests. Other types of tea are made from Aracha, which is stored for years in cooling containers.
Shincha with needle-shaped leaves is especially known from the Shizuoka region, Shincha with leaves shaped as small lines comes from the Kyushu Island.