What time of year are the best quality green teas picked?
I want to buy some green tea that is fresh. I just bought a 4 ounce tin of Peets Sencha and it has a fresh tactile feel when touched….like its still alive…kind of soft and bounces back if lightly squeezed (still has water content).Nice fresh taste. The date code says"enjoy by Jan 2015". I wonder when it was picked? I must have stumbled upon a fresh tin after years of getting old dried out stuff.
When are the best times to get the freshest green tea? Different places in the world have different harvest dates I’m sure.
It does vary by region/type of green, but it’s almost always picked during spring and autumn. Spring flush is generally considered the “better” harvest and may be a bit more expensive, but I find that both have their merits.
Green tea that’s really really fresh is sooooo delicious. Problem is with many large retailers like Peet’s, Adagio, Teavana, etc. is sometimes you end up buying tea that’s a year or older, or mixed from different harvests to keep it consistent through the year.
The best way to make sure you’re getting the freshest tea is to buy from a smaller seller that specializes in green tea or tea from a specific region (many will tell you when the tea was harvested). I’m not super familiar with Japanese greens, but I’ve really enjoyed denstea.com, and I know there’s a bunch of other trusted vendors :)
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