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First-Flush Green Tea

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars, 134 reviews
Current price $26.00

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Product details

Description

A first-flush sencha from Kagoshima, harvested in April. Steep it at 70°C — boiling water turns it bitter, and that is the most common way people ruin it.

First flush is the season's first picking, when the leaf has spent the winter building up amino acids, and that is where the sweetness and the savoury note come from. Later harvests cost less and taste like it.

Seventy degrees for sixty seconds is not fussiness. Boiling water pulls the tannins out too fast and makes a bitter cup from good leaf, which is the usual way this tea gets ruined. Green tea also fades, so buy it to drink rather than to keep.

One hundred grams is roughly twenty pots at 5g each, which is a season's drinking for one person. Green tea is one of the few things where buying more is worse value, because it fades faster than you can drink it.

Kagoshima sits at the southern end of Japan, so its first flush arrives earlier than Uji's and the leaf grows in more sun, which is why this is a fuller sencha rather than a delicate one. The pouch reseals because oxygen is what dulls it.

Care and safety

Keep it sealed, cool and out of light, and use within 6 months of opening. Green tea fades faster than any other leaf: the amino acids that give a first flush its sweetness oxidise first, so it loses what makes it worth buying before it tastes obviously stale.

Ingredients

100% green tea (Camellia sinensis). Single estate, first flush, from Kagoshima in Japan. No blending with a later harvest, no added flavouring and no stems sorted back in. Loose leaf rather than bagged, so what is in the pouch is the whole leaf.

Highlights

  • First flush, April harvest
  • Single estate, Kagoshima
  • Steep at 70°C for 60 seconds
  • Loose leaf

Specifications

Dimensions
100g pouch
Weight (g)
130
Net weight (g)
100
Origin
Kagoshima, Japan — single estate, first flush
Made in
Japan
Warranty
Replacement if it arrives damaged

Materials

Materials
Resealable foil pouch

In the box

  • 100g loose leaf tea

Reviews

4.5

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars, 134 reviews

Based on 134 reviews

91 reviews rated 5 out of 5 stars, 68% of the total
28 reviews rated 4 out of 5 stars, 21% of the total
9 reviews rated 3 out of 5 stars, 7% of the total
3 reviews rated 2 out of 5 stars, 2% of the total
3 reviews rated 1 out of 5 stars, 2% of the total

Review highlights

Fictional shopper Skyler G. Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Clear details for Camellia First-Flush Green Tea

I chose Camellia First-Flush Green Tea after comparing the practical details instead of relying on the product photo alone. Two facts were especially useful: net weight — 100 g; and origin — Kagoshima, Japan — single estate, first flush. That level of specificity made it easier to understand what I was ordering, and the product felt consistent with the straightforward catalog description.

Sample review · not a verified purchase
Fictional shopper Avery M. Rated 5 out of 5 stars

A considered everyday choice

The information for Camellia First-Flush Green Tea answered the questions I had before ordering. The catalog gives two useful references: ingredients — 100% green tea (Camellia sinensis); and materials — Resealable foil pouch. Those are concrete details I could compare with my own needs, and they made this feel like a thoughtful purchase rather than a guess based on appearance.

Sample review · not a verified purchase
Fictional shopper Taylor P. Rated 4 out of 5 stars

Useful product information

What stood out about Camellia First-Flush Green Tea was how much useful product information was available. I paid particular attention to dimensions: 100g pouch. I also checked care instructions: Keep sealed, cool and out of light. Green tea fades fast — use within 6 months of opening. Both points were relevant to my decision, and having them stated plainly made the product easier to evaluate and use as intended.

Sample review · not a verified purchase
Fictional shopper Reese H. Rated 4 out of 5 stars

The practical details helped

I appreciated that Camellia First-Flush Green Tea came with practical facts rather than vague promises. Two catalog details stood out: included items — 100g loose leaf tea; and country of origin — Japan. They gave me a realistic sense of the product before ordering, and they remained useful references once I had it in my routine.

Sample review · not a verified purchase
Fictional shopper Drew E. Rated 4 out of 5 stars

Well described and easy to assess

For Camellia First-Flush Green Tea, the deciding factor was the clarity of the catalog description. It records product weight — 130 g; and net weight — 100 g. That made comparison simple and set sensible expectations. I would point another shopper to those same facts because they describe the product more usefully than generic marketing language.

Sample review · not a verified purchase

Showing 5 of 134 reviews.