The spring teas are here! Springtime heralds the arrival of the new season teas. This is a long-awaited highlight of the year for tea enthusiasts. It marks the start of some delicious tasting experiences!
Drink your favourite tea in May! The harvesting of the best teas of the year starts at the beginning of March and carries on until the end of April (see the harvest map on opposite page). In India, it is the time of the first flush Darjeelings which grow in the foothills of the Himalayas. Depending on the year, harvesting starts any time between the first few days of March and the third week of the month, and continues until mid May. In China, it is the time of the new season teas that the Chinese call “Teas of Pure Light” (see Bruit de Palais n°55), which are made using only the buds and first leaves on the shoots, plucked throughout April.
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In Japan, the first harvest of the year is sold under the name Ichibancha, which designates the finest green teas (Sencha, Tamaryokucha, Genmaicha, etc.). This harvest is also valued for its symbolic importance, like everything that relates to the renewal of the seasons in this country. These teas are dispatched just a few days after harvesting so that we have the privilege of enjoying them freshly plucked, using our tasting sets. Shipped by plane, they arrive in France between the end of March and the end of June.
Why are the spring harvests so special? In winter, growth of the tea plants slows down. During this dormant period, the young shoots have much more time to replenish their essential oils than at other times of year. The first harvest of the year, in the spring, is therefore particularly rich in flavours and aromas. These pluckings develop very particular notes which vary in different growing regions of the world.
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Spring teas awaken our senses and remind the body and spirit that this is a season of renewal and rejuvenation. First flush Darjeelings: a fresh, floral and fruity bouquet that evokes a garden full of flowers First flush Darjeelings are so well regarded that they are known among connoisseurs as the “Champagne of tea”. This name reflects the delicate qualities of this harvest, the most eagerly awaited in Darjeeling. With plenty of young shoots known as “golden tips”, it is easy to spot a first flush Darjeeling from the green colour the leaf takes on during infusion. While the second and third flush teas – plucked in the summer and autumn – are typified by woody, honey and spicy notes, first flush Darjeelings are young and light, with a fresh, lively bouquet. Chinese new season green teas: a unique intensity and aromatic complexity Some China green teas are only available in the spring, like Tai Ping Hou Kui, Bi Luo Chun and Huang Shan Mao Feng. These new season green teas have an incredibly delicate vegetal bouquet, sometimes lifted with nutty aromas or mineral notes.
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