Shincha Sae Midori 2025 - Organic Japanese Green Tea

Aracha Shincha brings the uniquely green, fresh Ooika aroma of raw Aracha tea to Europe. With its wild, intensely green and grassy scent of freshly harvested tea fields, it conjures up the essence of spring right into our cups, offering a taste that is as close as possible to the tea plant’s natural flavour. This year, for the first time as a single-variety tea from the Sae Midori cultivar – a variety known for its beautiful liquor colour and sweet aroma, and therefore often used for high-quality tea, Gyokuro or Matcha. Special Features Shincha (the ‘new tea’) is made from the first tender leaves of spring - a vintage tea from the first early picking in April, which surprises with its fresh flavour every year. Aracha is a partially processed green tea, which is reflected in its original, natural flavour. When tasting the raw teas directly after harvesting, they are brewed in particularly high doses and hot in order to savour the special characteristics of the tea. The higher infusion temperature (around 70°C) also brings out the flavour of this tea particularly well - let yourself be whisked away to the tea gardens of Kagoshima with the intense grassy aroma of freshly steamed tea leaves! Cultivar: 100% Sae Midori by Kawaji-san in HiokiLike many KEIKO teas, this tea is an intensively steamed tea (Fukamushi-cha, 100 - 120 seconds steaming time). The gentle steaming opens the leaf pores and the extracts are released from the tea leaf into the water more easily and quickly. This can be recognised by the deep green tea colour in the cup and the yield of the tea. Early harvests such as Aracha Shincha also have a particularly high theanine content, which is noticeable in the sweet flavour. Aracha is not yet ‘sorted’ as a raw tea - it therefore still contains some larger leaves as well as very fine bits of the leaves.PreparationTo emphasise the fresh fragrance, the infusion temperature can be set a little higher at 65-75°C.. Intensely steamed early harvests are particularly suitable for cold infusions (mizudashi). Even with cold water, Shincha Classic develops a particularly silky texture and a refreshing clarity after just a few minutes of infusion. The sweet theanine notes also come into their own particularly well, as the bitter substances do not dissolve as much in cold water.Storage Please note that Shincha Aracha is a raw tea and less dried than all other KEIKO teas. Aracha should therefore be enjoyed fresh and not stored for too long - we have set the best before date for this tea at 6 months from production here in Diepholz; we store it frozen! We therefore recommend closing the bag tightly and storing it in a cool, dark place in the fridge or freezer to preserve the tea's valuable flavours and ingredients as much as possible.

For this year, we have combined the characteristically dreamlike, elegant fragrance of Yume Kaori (‘Dream Aroma’) with the delicately aromatic sweetness of the Sae Midori cultivar. Shincha Yume has a brilliant green liquor and is, once again this year, a treat for all the senses!Special features Shincha – the ‘new tea’ – heralds the start of the tea season every spring. It is the first tea made from the delicate, particularly aromatic leaf tips, which are harvested as early as mid-April in Kagoshima’s subtropical climate. To capture the fresh aroma as effectively as possible, Shincha is dried slightly more gently in the final processing stage than is usually the case with Sencha, giving the teas a special freshness that is particularly pronounced in Shincha Yume. Cultivars: 90% Yume Kaori from the KEIKO Organic Farm in Kawanabe (Chiran) 10% Sae Midori from Yamaguchi-san (Osumi)  Kabusecha is a green tea produced by shading the tea plants for 7–10 days prior to harvesting, which results in a high content of chlorophyll and other active compounds whilst minimising the formation of bitter substances. Its characteristic ‘shade-grown aroma’ is known as ‘Ooika’. Incidentally, early harvests such as Shincha Yume also have a particularly high theanine content, which is noticeable in their sweetish flavour.  Preparation  For Shincha Yume, we recommend a shorter steeping time of 40 seconds and a temperature of 65–70°C to allow the fragrance and velvety texture to fully develop. Allow the first infusion to steep for about 1 minute. After that, a few seconds are sufficient to draw out the leaves’ aroma. For the final infusion, you can increase the steeping time slightly to coax out every last bit of flavour. Should the tea still turn out stronger than desired, the intensity of the flavour can be easily adjusted by adding a little more water. Intensively steamed early-harvest teas are particularly well suited to cold infusions (Mizudashi). Even with cold water, Shincha Yume develops a particularly silky texture and refreshing clarity after just about 5 minutes of steeping. The sweet theanine notes also come into their own particularly well, as the bitter compounds do not dissolve as strongly in cold water.Storage To preserve the tea's valuable flavours and ingredients as much as possible, please close the bag tightly and store it in a cool, dark place in the fridge or freezer.

The Yutaka Midori cultivar gives Shincha Classic its distinctive fresh, green aroma and rich colour. The combination with a share of the exquisite Sae Midori cultivar results in a full-bodied, mellow flavour with subtle umami, a hint of fruitiness and a gentle astringency. Special features Shincha - the ‘new tea’ heralds the start of the tea year every spring. The first tea from the fine, particularly aromatic leaf tips, which are harvested in the subtropical climate of Kagoshima as early as mid-April.  In order to capture the fresh flavour in the best possible way, shincha is dried a little more lightly in the final processing stage than is usual for sencha. Cultivars:80% Yutaka Midori from the KEIKO Organic Farm in Kawanabe (Chiran) and from the Komaki brothers (Minami-Satsuma) 20% Sae Midori from the Komaki brothers (Minami Satsuma)Early harvests such as Shincha Classic also have a particularly high theanine content, which is noticeable in the sweet flavour. Preparation We recommend an infusion temperature of around 60-65°C. Allow the first infusion to infuse for about 1 minute. A few seconds are then enough to extract the flavour from the leaves. For the last infusion, you can increase the infusion time again to tease out all the flavour. If the tea still turns out stronger than desired, the flavour intensity can be slightly adjusted by adding a little more water. Deep steamed early harvests are particularly suitable for cold infusions (mizudashi). Even with cold water, Shincha Classic develops a particularly silky texture and a refreshing clarity of flavour after just 5 minutes of infusion. The sweet theanine notes also come into their own particularly well, as the bitter substances do not dissolve as much in cold water.Storage To preserve the tea's valuable flavours and ingredients as much as possible, please close the bag tightly and store it in a cool, dark place in the fridge or freezer.

Tonbo = Japanese for "dragonfly"Thanks to slightly more intensive steaming and drying, this gyokuro is particularly rich in extracts. This is reflected in a beautiful green colour in the cup and a spicy, warm aroma, making the tea a wonderfully full-bodied treat.  The tea from the Sae Midori cultivar is grown in the highlands of Kagoshima, and the tea bushes are harvested only once a year at the end of April. In two stages, the tea plants are shaded for a total of three weeks before harvesting and only lightly steamed (Asamushi).  Gyokuro  Organically grown gyokuro is a rarity, as the tea plants are particularly susceptible to pests due to the heavy shading. Extreme care and a great deal of experience are therefore essential for cultivation. However, the effort is rewarded with a very distinctive, complex aroma. Gyokuro is often described as the master class of Japanese green tea cultivation. Preparation The classic method: Gyokuro is traditionally prepared very intensively with 6-7g of tea leaves per 100ml, water heated to 40-55°C and a steeping time of approx. 2 minutes. This produces a tea with an incredibly dense, full-bodied aroma and a very pronounced sweetness. Our recommendation: For a full but slightly lighter aroma, use 3-4g of tea leaves (a heaped teaspoon) per 100ml, water at 55-60°C and a steeping time of approx. 1.5 minutes. The second infusion then only steeps for approx. 30 to 45 seconds at 60°C. For the third infusion, the steeping time can be extended to one minute. Tip: Try a cold brew!The sweet aromas are particularly pronounced in cold infusions. To make a cold brew, add 3-4g of tea leaves to 100ml of cold water and steep for at least 5 minutes. In warm weather, you can also replace some of the cold water with ice cubes and serve in a wine or champagne glass. Storage To best preserve the valuable aromas and ingredients of the tea, please seal the bag tightly and store in a cool, dark place.