The first harvest is in spring. There are 1 or 2 more harvests during the summer.
First-harvest teas taste better and contain more polyphenols and vitamins than second and third harvest teas.
First harvest begins in late April or May and produces the highest quality green tea leaves. Slow growth during the winter months causes the leaves to contain more nutrients.
The leaves gathered in May have up to three times the amount of L-theanine than what is produced in the later harvests. This accounts for the sweet and mild flavor noticed in the leaves gathered early in the year.
Japanese Green Tea Online only ships first-harvest teas
All of our teas (loose leaf, matcha and tea bags).
There is a tremendous difference in quality between teas from the first harvest and all the rest.
Fresh teas from the first harvest can be purchased all year round because the teas are kept in cold storage. More on cold storage here.