It's All About Tea — first flush

Spring must be the favorite season for tea fans! It's the long-awaited moment when new tea hits the market! After the cold and tedious winter months, everyone can't wait to sip fresh spring tea and is ready (and willing) to pay the price for it! So what makes the early spring tea so desirable? Let's explore the geographical, historical, and economic factors behind it! 

After a long period of dormancy and stagnation, the plant finally wakes up under the spring chime. The nutrients are rushed to the newly sprouting buds and tender leaves to stimulate the plant's growth. The abundant rainfall and rising temperature make the spring tea fresh, tender, and flavorful. So much so that early spring tea can be ten times more expensive than the one picked later in the year. So, where does this difference come from? (Read more)

A piece of crucial knowledge for those entering the world of cha — age is everything. We've seen it too many times, picking up a few hundred extra grams of your favorite tea during your travel to China or Japan. Just to find it tasting subpar a year later straight from your cupboard. It's not always the best idea to stock up! Or perhaps the other way around? Completely forgetting about that pu-erh cake your friend gifted you, to find that after years of laying around in the tea drawer, it tastes better than ever! The thing is, age is crucial. Furthermore, when we understand the tea's life cycle, we can use it to our advantage. So how long does tea last? Let's find out! (Read more)

Shincha is a most fleeting experience in the world of Japanese green tea. Waiting a full circle to once again get the first sip of the first tea harvest of the year is something many seasoned tea drinkers around the world practice yearly. At "Path Of Cha", we are no exception. We take the year communicating with the tea farmers, awaiting the news of this year’s harvest season. (Read more)

The first harvest of the year is always the same — early spring green tea and white tea. We already know that all teas come from the same plant, camellia sinensis. Moreover, early spring green tea, as well as white tea, are often times harvested on the exact same day. Many experienced tea drinkers struggle to find the difference between the two teas. So what actually makes them different? (Read more)

Japan doesn't leave much time to relax. As soon as the breathtaking cherry blossom season is over, comes the start of a new time of year — Shincha season. 

For many Japanese tea lovers out there May is basically a holy month!

Tea connoisseurs flock to the markets to secure for themselves some of the year’s limited supply of first flush... (Read more)