NO. 01 — FIRST FLUSH, SPRING 2027
Hatsu
Single-garden teas from Uji and Shizuoka, picked in the first days of spring and shipped within the month.
SHOP THE HARVESTJOURNAL — ON THE FIRST PICK
“The first leaves of the year are the sweetest.”
In late April the gardens around Uji are shaded for twenty days. Less light means more sweetness: the leaves hold on to their amino acids instead of turning them into bitterness.
The first flush, ichibancha, is picked by hand over a single week. Only the bud and the two youngest leaves are taken. It is the smallest harvest of the year and the one growers keep for themselves.
We buy a few kilos from each of four families, and when it is gone, it is gone until next spring.
STEEPING GUIDE
Brew it properly.
- WATER
- 70°C
- LEAF
- 4 g
- TIME
- 60 s
Bright and grassy. Short and cool, so the sweetness comes through before the bitterness.
1:00READY TO STEEP