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| Why is Shincha So Refreshing? |
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| Shincha News Flash! |
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| Seasonal Topics & Items |
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| Dear Sir and Madam, |
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| We at Hibiki-an THANK YOU VERY MUCH for your continued patronage and support.
We are pleased to offer useful information for your healthy life and continued
enjoyment of Japanese green tea. In this issue, we talk about 'Why is Shincha So Refreshing? (Shincha News Flash!)'. |
| We have been following the green tea sprouts from early spring when the tea trees put out their first new buds to the harvest of Shincha, the first tea of the year. Now, we bring you the latest breaking news and information from Hibiki-an's tea farm in Ujitawara in Kyoto! |
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Around June 12: (Why is Shincha So Refreshing?) |
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Modern facilities and expertise regarding tea preservation enable us to keep tea leaves in good condition for a year or more. However, Shincha (the first tea of the year) just after harvest is known for its unique excellent and refreshing aroma.
The remarkable fresh aroma of Shincha comes from a type of natural alcohol, the leaf alcohol (formula: C6H12O) that is found in fresh green tea leaves though a few hundred kinds of ester constituents create the refreshing aroma. This special leaf alcohol can be found only in Japanese green tea.
The leaf alcohol is created by a kind of fatty acid known as linolenic acid. The most leaf alcohol can be found not in Niban Cha (the second tea of the year) or Sanban Cha (the third tea of the year) but Shincha or Ichiban Cha (the first tea of the year) because the fatty acids which have accumulated since autumn of the previous year are most concentrated in the first harvest.
Leaf alcohol easily evaporates because it is volatile. Shincha retains its leaf alcohol only a few months, even if Shincha is specially finished and stored. We take great care to preserve our Shincha teas to retain the leaf alcohol. For example, if tea leaves are not allowed enough time to dry during the finishing process, the tea can easily deteriorate. In addition, all of our teas are specially packaged to stay fresh.
It is said that the leaf alcohol, which is the source of the unique excellent and refreshing aroma of Shincha, has the comfortable aroma of a lush green forest after rain. It works to relax your mind and body.
The aroma of tea leaf alcohol is not only attractive to humans. Insects also love tea leaf alcohol. When tea leaves effuse the scent of leaf alcohol, it draws many insects to the tea fields. If farmers allow weeds to grow around the tea trees, the leaf alcohol prompts the weeds to produce phenol. Phenol kills harmful insects, therefore the weeds act as a natural insect repellant. Leaf alcohol helps tea trees to protect themselves from insects.
To enjoy the unique excellent and refreshing aroma of the tea leaf alcohol, it is best to brew fresh green tea with a little higher temperature water. The leaf alcohol is well extracted by higher temperature water. It is the reason why we recommend two ways of brewing Shincha (brewing by higher and regular temperature water).
It is only once each year, during the harvest season, that you can enjoy the unique excellent and refreshing aroma of Shincha. |
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Shincha teas: Shincha is now available. We have arranged to add four limited edition Shincha items only available this Shincha harvest season, featuring a few regular Sencha items with especially enjoyable Shincha flavor. Celebrate our first tea harvest of the year with Hibiki-an's Shincha and enjoy the remarkable fresh flavor, which can only be experienced once every year! |
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| What is Shincha?: click here |
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At last Shincha Matcha & Gyokuro is Now Available! (Limited) |
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The Matcha and Gyokuro harvest started around May 14. Traditionally, Matcha
and Gyokuro are aged for several months after harvest to gain a more complex,
enriched flavor. However, today's tea connoisseurs desire the fresh flavor
of Matcha and Gyokuro just after harvest.
At last we have arranged Shincha Matcha with an amazing flavor that is not only refreshing but also deeply smooth and mellow, so our customers can try this fresh new style of Matcha.
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[Limited] Shincha Matcha (30g/1.06oz): US$26.00 (Now Available)
Recently, Shincha Matcha is enjoyed mainly among teachers or masters of tea ceremony. They enjoy the fresh flavor of Shincha Matcha. And they feel delight of the spring season, inspired by the fresh flavor of Shincha Matcha... |
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[Limited] Shincha Matcha Refill (120g / 4.23oz): US$83.00 (Now Available)
This Shincha Matcha Refill package is an excellent value. The price is actually discounted 20%. Over time, the refreshing aroma will moderate and the flavor will enrich, so that you can enjoy a subtle variation of aroma and flavor with each refill... |
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[Limited] Shincha Gyokuro (80g/2.82oz): US$23.00 (Now Available)
With our Shincha Gyokuro you can enjoy both the refreshing aroma of Shincha and the mellow smooth taste of Gyokuro in one cup of tea. In the tea industry, it is called "Kabuse Cha"... |
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Shincha is Now Available! |
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Some of our Shincha teas are now available. We have arranged to add four
limited edition Shincha items only available this Shincha harvest season,
featuring a few regular Sencha items with especially enjoyable Shincha
flavor. And other Sencha regular items are planned to be replaced later
by Shincha step by step.
Celebrate our first tea harvest of the year with Hibiki-an's Shincha and enjoy the remarkable fresh flavor which can only be experienced once every year! |
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Limited edition Shincha itemsAll items below are limited edition of 1,200 packages each ONLY AVAILABLE this spring harvest season. We have arranged various types of Shincha, which will be specially finished to enjoy Shincha's refreshing aroma and flavor. For more information regarding each item, please click on the links below. We hope you will enjoy the refreshing aroma and smooth flavor of each Shincha item! |
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[Limited] Shincha Fukamushi (80g/2.82oz): US$21.00
(Now Available)
Saemidori breed brings us pleasure in the springtime, to consider the unique flavor and early-ripening. Enjoy the sweet and smooth taste unique to this tea, as well as the fresh aroma... |
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[Limited] Shincha Gyokuro (80g/2.82oz): US$23.00
(Now Available)
With our Shincha Gyokuro you can enjoy both the refreshing aroma of Shincha and the mellow smooth taste of Gyokuro in one cup of tea. In the tea industry, it is called "Kabuse Cha"... |
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[Limited] Shincha Matcha (30g/1.06oz): US$26.00 (Now Available)
Recently, Shincha Matcha is enjoyed mainly among teachers or masters of tea ceremony. They enjoy the fresh flavor of Shincha Matcha. And they feel delight of the spring season, inspired by the fresh flavor of Shincha Matcha... |
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[Limited] Shincha Matcha Refill (120g / 4.23oz): US$83.00 (Now Available)
This Shincha Matcha Refill package is an excellent value. The price is actually discounted 20%. Over time, the refreshing aroma will moderate and the flavor will enrich, so that you can enjoy a subtle variation of aroma and flavor with each refill... |
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Regular Sencha teas with especially enjoyable Shincha flavorWe chose three regular teas especially recommended to enjoy Shincha's remarkable refreshing aroma and fresh and smooth flavor. |
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[Shincha!] Sencha Pinnacle (40g/1.41oz): US$27.00
(Now Available)
Sencha Pinnacle, which is the highest quality Sencha produced in Japan,is the same type of tea which has been presented to the Japanese emperor for many years. This item is grown at the same tea farm with tea that has been presented to the Japanese Emperor, and harvested in the same way, picked by skilled hands... |
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[Shincha!] Sencha Super Premium (40g/1.41oz): US$21.00
(Now Available)
Sencha Super Premium, along with our Sencha Pinnacle, is the highest quality Sencha produced in Japan. Each leaf is specially selected and carefully picked by our farmers' skilled hands. With this special tea, you can enjoy the same Shincha flavor enjoyed by Japanese Emperors... |
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[Shincha!] Organic Sencha Premium (100g/3.53oz): US$24.00
(Now Available)
Organic Sencha's harvest generally starts 7 to 10 days later than conventional grown Sencha. The feature of the flavor is very simple and traditional. We imagine that the Shincha flavor enjoyed hundreds of years ago in historical Japan was just like this. Would you enjoy the simple Shincha flavor that was enjoyed long, long ago?... |
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| Are you enjoying your green moments? Hibiki-an encourages those who love to drink green tea. If you have any requests or questions regarding our teas or services, please don't hesitate to contact us. We sincerely hope that you enjoy genuine Hibiki-an Japanese green tea direct to you from Kyoto, Japan. |
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| Sincerely yours, |
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| Atsushi Yasui |
Seasonal Topics & Items
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[New & Limited] Teapots / Cups, Matcha Bowls / Accessories |
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| We have arranged for 14 limited edition and new teapots / cups, and 13 limited edition and new Matcha Bowls / Accessories. The
limited edition items are all available only this Spring and Summer season. |
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| Teapots / Cups shopping category: click here |
| Matcha Bowls / Accessories shopping category: click here |
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(Notice 1) Added Wish List
We recently added a new Wish List option to our website. You can share your Wish List with your family and friends by email, Facebook or Twitter. Of course, it is useful just to keep track of items you are interested in or want to order in the future. Would you try creating a Wish List? |
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(Notice 2) New Shopping Page Design
New shopping page design was recently implemented on our website. It enables you to change the shopping page to display our products as a vertical list of item details, or as horizontal rows of product image tiles, depending on how you prefer to shop. You also can sort our products by price, grade, popularity, and so on. We hope this will make your visit to our website even more enjoyable. Would you please try it and see? |
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