Shincha Yabukita

Limited edition Shincha 2023 has arrived at Sans & Sans.

The Shincha season started earlier this year due to an early arrival of spring and hotter temperatures compared to previous years. Overall, tea producers in Japan are satisfied with this year's harvest. There was an adequate amount of rain and sunlight during the picking period, minimal wind (which can damage tender leaves by bending and breaking them), and no frost damage. Leaves that have been damaged by wind tend to have less flavour.

Additionally, if the leaves have been affected by frost, it results in the loss of the first harvest.
On the island of Kyushu, however, some producers were not as happy with the weather conditions during the harvest period. Specifically, rainfall occurred at the peak, forcing them to either pick the crops before or after the rain. Leaves picked before the rains were still a bit small, resulting in a smaller production. Leaves harvested after the rain were larger, resulting in a higher yield but less desirable flavour. Much depends, of course, on the cultivar, some of which start budding earlier (like saemidori) and some later. Nowadays, many producers plant different cultivars in their fields so that if there is a problem with the weather, there will always be a percentage of their harvest that is unaffected.