Autumn matcha

Tea plants produce new shoots around April, and these are harvested in May or June.
This harvest is what is commonly referred to as “shincha” or “first flush”.

However, tea trees do not grow new shoots only during this period.
They also send out new growth in the summer, which becomes the second flush,
and again in the autumn, which is processed into what is known as “autumn-harvest” or “aki-sei” tea.

These harvest seasons generally have a direct influence on quality.
The first flush has the highest quality, and the quality declines as the season progresses.
It is also believed that not harvesting the second flush contributes to producing higher-quality first flush tea the following year.

You may already intuitively understand this.
After all, the first flush grows through autumn and winter, storing nutrients until spring.
Naturally, it seems richest in nutrients.
In contrast, teas harvested after the first flush have had far less time to accumulate nutrients,
and therefore tend to be lower in quality.

Tea plants are living things.
Ideally, they should photosynthesize and accumulate energy,
but harvesting the second flush requires shading the fields again in early summer,
which places considerable stress on the plants.
On top of that, the leaves are picked, which can cause significant damage.

At GORI’s fields, we produce only first flush and autumn-harvest tencha.
We do not harvest the second flush because we prioritize the health of the tea trees
and the quality of the first flush.

For this reason, nearly all products sold at the GORIGARI shop are first flush.
(If a product is autumn-harvest, we clearly indicate it.)

So what about autumn-harvest tea?
Some may wonder,
“If you value quality so much, then why produce autumn-harvest tea at all!?”

In autumn, we must trim and manage the leaf layers to prepare the plants for the next spring harvest.
This means the autumn shoots must be removed regardless.
Given that, we believe it is more rational to process and make use of these leaves rather than discard them.

Although autumn-harvest tencha is noticeably lower in quality compared with first flush,
using it responsibly—and with consumer understanding—is important.
Otherwise, it could potentially harm not only our brand but the reputation of the region as a whole.

At the same time, making effective use of existing resources—such as the trees and the factories—
is essential for the sustainability and financial stability of tea farmers.

We plan to offer autumn-harvest products in the GORIGARI shop as well.
We would be grateful to those who appreciate and understand the nature of autumn-harvest tea.

Caring for tea trees means caring for them throughout the entire year.
Autumn-harvest tea exists because the trees grow naturally through the seasons
and because maintenance is required to prepare for the next year.
Producing autumn-harvest tea is simply part of the reality of working with living plants.

And that, too, is a part of GORIGARI’s tea.

GARI