The First Fresh Tea

What is so Special About Spring Harvests: The First Fresh Tea
While tea could be a daily beverage to keep you going during the day for some tea is special – a prized possession. The meter check for the tea lover is going up as spring is nearing. Spring calls for first harvest of tea in Vietnam, India, Japan, China, Sri Lanka, Taiwan and Korea. Fresh tea is ‘Nirvana’ for the tea addicts. The mesmerising aroma and taste to drool for – spring is already here and so is the fresh harvest of tea.

Seasons play an important role in tea. The farmers get small quantities if the tea is plucked just once a year. This means they would not be able to earn enough from small quantities; hence such teas are more expensive in comparison to the others. However, teas plucked once carry exotic taste, enthralling aroma and are of superior quality. They are incomparable to the teas that are plucked in the summers. The quality of the spring tea high because the tea bushes are young and are just budding in the spring once the summers come the heat drains them of their flavours.

The first harvest is done with immense care. Whether it is picking the tea leaves or rolling them; everything is done with meticulousness. For the growers the first tea is important because besides the money their entire business of the year depends on how aromatic and enticing their spring tea is.

The spring harvest for tea happens to be different for every country and regions of every country. For instance in Vietnam the spring harvest begins in the month of March but for other countries it may happen in end of Feb or maybe April. It is the bud-break of the tea bushes that marks the time for spring harvest. Plucking cannot happen in winters because the bushes are in winter hibernation whereas the tea plant will grow rapidly in the summers. The period in between is perfect for a spring harvest.

Here are some noted Spring Teas that carry wonderful aroma and taste exceptionally well.

Jin Xuan:
Also known as the ‘milk oolong’, the tea has a buttery and milky flavour. The milky flavour is a ghost flavour in this tea. You tend to get in a sip and then it disappears in the next one. The lactones that develop in the Jin Xuanis what helps the tea leaves to have this flavour of milk.

Vietnam Gui Fei Oolong Tea:
The most notable feature of the GuiFei is that their leaves are nibbled by the leafhoppers. This is done deliberately so the plant can release polyphenols in the leaves. The result is a sweet and complex tea which has the aroma of sweet honey. The tea is harvested in the PhucTho, Lam Ha, Lam Dong Province, Vietnam

First Flush Darjeeling:
This fresh tea is from India and usually harvested in mid-March. First flush has alight colour and a gentle aroma. The first flush is greenish is colour and is also known as the ‘Champagne’ of teas in the area of Darjeeling. The first flush Darjeeling tea also happens to be an expensive tea.

Shincha:
Shincha is a Japanese tea. The tender leaves of Shincha are bright green, aromatic and has a grassy flavour. The Japanese celebrate when the harvest of Shincha happens. It is said that Shincha should be made in gaiwan gong-fu style to get the best taste of this type of tea.

There are several fresh teas available besides just the above and every tea happens to have a matchless taste.