Glossary

First Harvest

First harvest usually refers to the earliest spring leaf material used for a tea.

For matcha, first-harvest or first-flush tencha is often associated with sweeter, softer, and more aromatic bowls. It is a common signal on premium product pages because it helps explain why a tea costs more.

Related Terms

Tencha

Tencha is the shaded tea leaf material that gets ground into matcha.

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Shade-Grown

Shade-grown means the tea plants were covered before harvest to reduce sunlight exposure.

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Related Products

Matcha where first harvest is a notable characteristic.

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