Learn all the secrets of the Tanegashima Saemidori Shincha
The Tanegashima Saemidori Shincha is one of the first teas to be harvested each spring on the stunning island of Tanegashima. Made from the Saemidori cultivar, this shincha captures the vibrant freshness of the early season with its delicate, grassy flavor and floral aroma.
Taste
Discover the results of Nio Teas’ 4 step tea tasting method
This Tanegashima Saemidori Shincha is a delicate and refined tea that showcases the purity of early spring harvests. It offers a complex balance of grassy and floral flavors with a refreshing citrusy finish.
Step 1 - Observing the Appearance
The tea leaves are lightly rolled into needle shapes with some visible small leaf particles, typical of unshaded shincha. Their light green color hints at the tea’s fresh and delicate character.
Step 2 - Assessing the Aroma
Upon opening the package, you'll notice a gentle blend of hay-like grassiness and soft floral notes—bright, clean, and uplifting.
Step 3 - Tasting the Tea
The tea opens with a clean grassy and hay aroma, followed by light floral flavors. It is best brewed carefully to avoid over-extraction—just one minute is enough. The finish has a well-balanced umami flavor complemented by citrusy brightness and a lingering fresh note.
Step 4 - Evaluating the sensation on the palate
This tea has a soft, thin mouthfeel with a gentle interplay of sweetness, floral aromatics, and acidity. While simple in structure, the layers of flavor offer a delightful tasting experience.
100% Organically grown and Ethically Sourced
At Nio, we work closely with tea farmers who grow their tea without the use of harmful pesticides or chemicals. This sustainable approach not only improves the flavor and quality of the tea but also preserves the natural ecosystem of the tea fields for generations to come.
JAS Certified
This tea is grown in accordance with the strict standards of JAS organic certification. You can enjoy the Tanegashima Saemidori Shincha knowing it meets high standards for sustainability and purity.
How to prepare the tea
To enjoy the full complexity of this shincha, we recommend brewing it gently with lower-temperature water and a shorter steeping time.
Step 1
Heat your water to 60°C (140°F).
Step 2
Pour 150ml of water into the pot.
Step 3
Let it brew for just 1 minute to avoid excessive bitterness and preserve the delicate flavors.
Step 4
The kyusu will filter the leaves as you pour. Sip and savor the soft grassy notes and refreshing finish.
2nd brew
You can rebrew the leaves 2–3 more times. For each additional steep, pour hot water and allow it to sit for about 20 seconds. The flavor will evolve, becoming fresher and more citrusy with each infusion.
Cold brew
We do not recommend cold brewing this tea, as it’s better appreciated when brewed warm to highlight its delicate aromas and complex flavors.
Mr. Eiichi Matsushita (松下栄市) is a fourth-generation tea farmer based on the lush island of Tanegashima. Like many experienced tea masters, he personally oversees the steaming process to ensure the perfect flavor and texture. His family has been growing tea on the island since 1909, when they relocated from Shizuoka and brought their tea-growing knowledge with them. Mr. Matsushita has also served as President of the Tanegashima Arasha Factory Association for 12 years. His fields are located in one of the best green tea regions of the island, producing high-quality leaves every spring.
Sourced in Tanegashima
Japan
Mr. Eiichi Matsushita’s tea fields are nestled in the northern highlands of Tanegashima, a scenic island located about 115 kilometers south of Kagoshima City. This area benefits from a warm subtropical climate and ocean breezes that bring in mineral-rich air and morning mists—ideal conditions for early-season Shincha production. The fields sit at 223 meters above sea level, making them the highest in Banyamine and one of the most prized tea-growing areas on the island.
Cultivar and tea plant variety
Saemidori
Saemidori is a premium Japanese tea cultivar prized for its smoothness and vibrant color. A cross between Yabukita and Asatsuyu, it combines the rich umami of the latter with the balanced structure of the former. This cultivar sprouts early in the season, making it an excellent choice for producing high-quality shincha. When crafted into sencha or shincha, Saemidori yields a bright green infusion with a delicate floral aroma, mellow sweetness, and a clean, refreshing finish with minimal bitterness.
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We proudly offer free shipping worldwide on all orders. To ensure your tea arrives quickly and safely, we choose the most efficient shipping service available for your location. For customers in the U.S. and E.U., deliveries typically arrive within 5–7 business days. Orders sent to other parts of the world may take up to 10 days. Expedited shipping options are also available at checkout for an additional cost, depending on your region.
Order issues
If anything goes wrong with your order or you have questions, we’re here to help. The best way to reach us is via email at info@nioteas.com, and we aim to respond as quickly as possible. You’re also welcome to send us a message on Instagram @nio_japanese_green_tea for quick, informal inquiries.
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We want every sip of tea you enjoy from Nio to be a great one. If you’re not completely satisfied with your order, please reach out—we’re happy to offer a replacement or find a solution that works for you. Your satisfaction matters to us, and we’re always committed to providing a positive experience.
Customer Reviews
Overall rating: 4.8 / 5 from 13 reviews.
This is a nice, tasty shincha with a lovely golden appearance that greens with each successive steep. It has a unique flavor & nice fresh scent. Love the sweetness & vegetal overtones. Not noticeably acidic as the literature claims. Will re-order again next year.
Try ice brewing
Light flavor, pleasant wheaty aroma, sour doughy, tingly on the mouth.
Cardboard mouth, subtly bold, reids, dry grass.
5g 12 min 40C° :
Rich yellow liquor, warm toasted wheat, FULL OF DANCING ANTIOXIDANTS, feel that intense zing. Minerals, licking rocks, limestone, smells of warm bread, reminds me of alishan cream Oolong in smell but not in taste. Im drinking Volcanic rock and chlorophyll!
60C° for a little too long
Barbequed soured zucchinis, not entirely unpleasant though..
Koridashi Ice Brewed (4hrs, 6g on ice mound)
Like biting ito one of those seedy dark brown circle crackers, green pumpkin seeds
Sugarless raisin bran, roasted brown cereals
Bright, almost fizzy, spring tea, light flavor but it compiles into more vibrancy the deeper you brew it. It smells of sourdough and tastes of cabbage, that mild sweetness and drying of a cabbage vein.
Tanegashima Shincha is a true gift.
It has a light body but a grassy and persistent vegetal profile.
The minerality and sweetness are well balanced with the vegetal side.
Second and third brewing are as rich as the first one!
Recommend to brew it in a not glazed tokoname clay teapot.
Let's dive into the art of tea with the brand new Shincha 2024, from the prized Saemidori cultivar (one of my favorites), prepared using the unique Kori Dashi technique, the Japanese infusion with ice!
As the leaves slowly open, they give off a fresh, herbaceous aroma evocative of high mountain meadows. At the sip, the taste is equally fresh, herbaceous but with fruity notes, offering a thick and slightly sticky texture in the mouth.
The persistence is surprising, so much so that it makes the taste buds "fizz" at the sides of the mouth, giving a sensation similar to the one you get after tasting a fresh nectarine.
Follow me at @gong.fu.panda in insta for more tea and matchas reviews!
Wow, The new Saemidori Shincha from Tanegashima is truly amazing! First the smell is so strong of freshness and when it was in the kyusu it smelled like watermelon. After pouring water, it was cereal-like smell. The flavor then when drinking in first brew full of sweetness and mild as well, ofc with the presence of freshness 😝. The second brew becomes more intense and grassy with a hint of umami like matcha! It is soooo sweet!!!! It is present in the palate and dominates it for a long time 🤤🍵. It has also a nice but not aggressive astringensy, it is so balanced with the umami and the sweetness, all of them combined make it so delicious! The third brew was alot weaker in my surprise, lol. Idk if it is a mistake of the 20 sec, but it left my palate again strong. They say, a good tea is good when it is dominant in your palate for a long time. And it is. Lol. I tried a trick to track more of the 3rd brew by eating a small amount of white cheese which is quite acidic. Almost nothing changed, just gave me a hint of the first brew. It was also the presence of freshness. The leaves after the 3rd brew started to smell like a high quality sencha, such as a fukamushi, full of grass presence. I used in all of my brews 60°C and 20 sec, like the package recommendation. I'll make a experiment by making a 4th brew with higher temperature, maybe 70°C~ to see if it'll extract other flavors or more aggressive astringensy 🫣. We'll see 😝. I'm surprised. Even after with high temperature it is still not that astringent with typical sencha! I was right about the temperature. Now the tea is more flavorful. Nice choice to increase the temperature! Of course it has that freshness, not that much sweet, it leaves you dryness in the 4th brew with 70°C though. After the 3rd brew, I recommend to experiment by yourself as you like!
I really enjoyed this shincha! This tea is fresh, has an amazing aroma and potent flavor profile. The qi captures the essence of spring with a rising energy that clears the head. It’s also major plus that it’s organic 🙌 I will definitely grab more while I still can!
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