Shincha Sencha
last week i shared about the earliest and most famous green tea of China. in Japan, the match is shincha — the earliest and most coveted sencha of the season. from fall to spring, the plant stores energy in the small buds and early leaves that are picked, steamed, rolled and sorted. the emerald needle-sh
aped leaves release their bounty of theanine & vitamin C into the most divine hazy green cloud of sweet, grassy goodness. by grassy i mean a flavor of nostalgia that arrives on your palette with a long aftertaste that is shincha’s signature. i’m drinking one from O5 Tea Bar in Vancouver. Sazen is my favorite supplier direct from Japan. if you’re impatient, Rishi is a fine favorite.
METHOD:
most days i use a kyusu (KYOO-soo) teapot, but on the occasion of lingering, the stark beauty and simplicity of a porcelain houhin (hou-EEN) can’t be beat. shinchas are also delicate, so to maintain a balance of sweetness, umami and just a touch of astringency, go cooler and faster than regular season leaves: 71C/160F with 5grams tea for 35 seconds. second steep is hotter and shorter and you can draw out a third round. this houhin from 29b Teahouse in New York’s East Village is the best design i’ve ever come across. in a perfect world, every utensil and object would be beautiful so as to inspire love for the inanimate and artful. if ever there was a thing of beauty to boil water in this hand-hammered kettle is it.
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