Tasting Notes
Like the other 2026 Hashiri Shincha, this year’s Shuntarō is particularly well balanced, with pleasant umami and a gentle, natural sweetness, creating a harmonious interplay between invigorating island freshness and refined sweetness. Silky smooth in texture, it offers a beautifully composed aromatic spectrum of crisp spring vegetables: green asparagus and sugar snap peas define the high notes, while the base reveals the savoury depth of a vegetable broth. After just a few sips, the tea’s remarkable vitality – initially subtle – begins to unfold throughout the body, leaving you feeling instantly refreshed, like a gentle island breeze. With subsequent infusions, a clearer grassy sweetness comes to the fore, making the tea increasingly compelling and inviting cup after cup. The jade-green colour of the liquor also becomes more vivid with each infusion. In our view, this is the Shincha that has shown the most notable refinement and development compared to previous years. For tasting, we recommend using a Banko kyusu, as it beautifully enhances the tea’s elegant umami and overall balance.
Leaf
Slightly rough, dark green needles
Cup
Fresh green-yellow, jade green in subsequent infusions
