No. 009 Why does the harvest season change the taste of tea so much?

Imagine a tea bush.

The same garden.

The same slope.

The same cultivar.

The same hands to pick and process its leaves.

In spring, the first young shoots appear after winter dormancy.

A few weeks later, the tea bush grows under longer daylight and higher temperatures.

Then sometimes comes an autumn harvest, when the heat recedes and the plant's rhythm changes once again.

Three harvests can thus arise from the same tea bushes.

And yet, in the cup, they do not tell exactly the same story.

One may seem soft, fresh, or delicately fragrant.

Another may seem brighter, more structured, sometimes more bitter or more astringent.

A third may offer a different balance, with an aromatic expression of its own.

Why?

Because a leaf never grows outside of time.

It develops under a certain temperature, a certain light, with a certain amount of rain and at a pace that varies throughout the year.

The harvest season is not just a date on a label. It is part of the leaf's story.

---

Harvest and picking: two different questions

In Tsuru n°004 dedicated to picking, we observed what is taken from the tea bush: a bud, one or more young leaves, sometimes more mature leaves.

Here, the question changes.

We no longer look only at what is picked, but when it is picked.

Two harvests can follow the same standard—for example, one bud and two leaves—while presenting different compositions and sensory profiles if they grew at different times of the year.

The time of harvest notably affects:

• the growth rate of the shoots;
• their tenderness and maturity;
• the balance between amino acids, polyphenols, and other constituents;
• the precursors that will contribute to the aromas after processing.

But before going further, we must beware of an initial pitfall.

---

1. The tea spring is not the same everywhere

When we read "spring harvest," we easily imagine the months of March, April, or May.

This image works in certain temperate regions of China, Japan, or the Himalayas.

Yet it does not constitute a universal calendar.

In monsoon regions, the growing periods depend heavily on the arrival of the rains. Under warmer climates, the tea bush can produce for much of the year. In other areas, winter conversely imposes a true period of dormancy.

The tea seasons are therefore read in the local climate, not in our European calendar alone.

Even in Japan, the dates of the first harvest vary according to latitude, altitude, cultivar, and the year's weather. The Japanese Ministry of Agriculture states that the first tea picked in the year is called ichibancha or shincha, but the exact period depends on where it grows.

This is why a harvest date only makes sense when accompanied by an origin.

April does not impose the same rhythm on a tea bush from Kagoshima, Zhejiang, or Darjeeling.

---

2. What is meant by a "flush"?

In tea vocabulary, the English word flush often appears on labels.

It does not only designate a season in the meteorological sense.

A flush corresponds to a growth of new leaves, and then, by extension, to the period during which these young shoots are harvested.

To encounter this concept in a tea to taste, discover our Darjeeling First Flush Himalaya, from the first spring picking.

After a picking, the tea bush can produce a new wave of shoots. Depending on the region and climate, several harvests follow one another thus during the year.

We notably find:

• first flush: first harvest period of the annual cycle;
• second flush: next harvest wave;
• monsoon or summer harvest depending on the regions;
• autumn flush: autumn harvest.

These words are useful, but they do not describe the same months or the same profiles everywhere.

In Sikkim, for example, the Tea Board of India officially distinguishes a first spring harvest, a second harvest, a monsoon harvest, and an autumn harvest, each associated with a different expression in the cup.

In Japan, we speak rather of ichibancha for the first harvest, then of nibancha for the next.

The vocabulary changes.

The principle remains the same:

the tea bush grows in waves, and each is formed under different conditions.

---

3. After winter: what makes the first shoot special

In regions where the tea bush goes through a winter dormancy period, the first shoot of the year benefits from a unique context.

Growth has been interrupted or greatly slowed.

When temperatures rise, the young buds begin to develop again by mobilizing the plant's reserves.

In many studied situations, spring harvests present more free amino acids—including theanine—than summer harvests from the same tea bushes. These compounds can contribute to the softness, umami, and texture of certain infusions.

But we must remain precise.

This does not mean that all spring teas are soft, nor that theanine alone explains their taste.

The cultivar, shade, soil, weather, leaf maturity, and processing also play a role. It is this meeting between a plant and its environment that we explored in Tsuru n°007 on the terroir of tea.

The first harvest therefore has a particular potential.

It is not an automatic promise of greatness.

---

4. Light, heat, and growth rate

As the weeks go by, conditions change.

Days get longer.

The temperature increases.

Depending on the regions, rains become more abundant and shoots develop more quickly.

The tea bush then adjusts its metabolism.

Several studies comparing successive harvests have observed a decrease in amino acids in summer leaves and, in certain contexts, a higher proportion of catechins or other polyphenols.

In the cup, these balances can contribute to a brighter, more bitter, more astringent, or more structured sensation.

The important word, however, is: can.

Results do not follow an identical rule in all regions. Some research observes different variations depending on the cultivar, altitude, or the year's weather conditions. Even caffeine does not always follow a regular progression from one season to another.

Heat therefore does not press a button that automatically makes a "bitter summer tea".

It changes a set of conditions to which the plant responds.

The season changes the balance of the leaf, not according to a universal recipe, but according to the place and the tea bush.

The same plant, three harvest times

The chart below summarizes these changes in pace without establishing a hierarchy: it shows possible trends, never a law applicable to all gardens.

---

5. Soft spring, powerful summer: a tempting shortcut

It would be tempting to summarize it thus:

spring = softness

summer = bitterness

That would be convenient.

And often misleading.

The final taste also depends on:

• the cultivar;
• the picking standard;
• the age of the shoots;
• the precise weather of the harvest;
• withering, rolling, oxidation, firing, or drying;
• then the way you prepare the tea.

A second harvest black tea can be sought precisely for its body, its aromatic richness, and its structure. The Tea Board of India describes, for example, second harvest orthodox Assam teas as particularly appreciated for their rich taste and bright liquor.

Conversely, a poorly picked or poorly processed first harvest does not become excellent by the mere magic of the calendar.

The season therefore does not rank teas from best to least good.

It creates different raw materials, suited to different styles and expressions.

---

6. Why are some second harvests so sought after?

Himalayan teas offer a telling example.

In Sikkim, the first spring harvest is described as light and floral, while the second can give a fuller, rounder, and warmer cup.

In Assam, the second harvest is particularly renowned for the rich and malty character associated with some great black teas from the region.

These examples remind us of one essential thing:

"first" does not always mean "superior".

The value of a harvest depends on what we are looking to produce.

Some singular harvests, chosen for their origin, season, and expression, are found in our selection of rare teas.

A tender and amino acid-rich material can suit a delicate green tea.

A leaf developed under warmer conditions can offer the manufacturer the material necessary for a more structured black tea.

The producer does not merely suffer the season.

They learn to work with it.

---

7. And the autumn harvests?

After the summer heat or the monsoon, some gardens experience a new period of growth.

Temperatures recede.

The growth pace changes.

Sunlight, humidity, and the difference between day and night are no longer the same.

In certain regions, autumn harvests are less abundant. They can nevertheless offer remarkable aromatic profiles and be sought after for their own balance.

The Tea Board of India describes, for example, the autumn flush of Sikkim as an amber, round liquor, accompanied by nuances evoking sweet spices.

This profile cannot be transposed to all autumn teas.

It simply shows that autumn is not the less noble remainder of an already finished season.

A late harvest is not a weakened copy of spring. It is another expression of the garden.

---

8. The same day does not always offer the same harvest

Two years never look exactly alike.

A spring can be early or late.

A period of frost can damage the young shoots.

Rain can slow down picking.

A drought or unusual heat can change the growth and composition of the leaves.

This is why attentive producers and buyers do not look only at the season.

They also observe the harvest year.

A tea harvested in the same place and at the same time can change subtly from one vintage to another. Not because the garden would have lost its identity, but because this identity expresses itself through different weather.

With climate change, these variations are becoming a major issue: earlier budburst dates, risks of frost after growth resumption, winter heat disrupting the plant's dormancy, or changes in rainfall patterns.

The tea season is therefore never fixed.

It moves with the climate.

---

9. Then comes processing

At the time of picking, the season has already influenced the leaf.

But the tea is not yet finished.

The producer must adapt their work to the material received.

A very tender shoot does not react like a more mature leaf.

A water-rich harvest does not wither like a harvest performed in dry weather.

Rolling, oxidation, fixation, and drying can reveal certain qualities of the harvest—or mask them if the work lacks precision.

We know from Tsuru n°002 dedicated to Camellia sinensis that the great families of tea are born from the paths given to the leaf after picking.

The season therefore provides a raw material.

Know-how gives it a form.

The harvest writes the first lines. The producer continues the story.

---

How to read a harvest date on a label?

A mention like "spring 2026" is already useful.

But it becomes much more meaningful when accompanied by:

The region or the garden

To place the season in its real climate.

The month or period of harvest

More precise than a simple "spring".

The cultivar

Because each variety does not bud at the same time and does not respond in the same way to the conditions of the year. Tsuru n°008 explains why this information matters just as much.

The picking standard

A bud alone, a bud and a leaf, or more mature leaves do not give the same material.

The processing method

It indicates how the harvest was interpreted.

A date is not a sufficient selling point.

It is a reference point that takes meaning when it joins the other elements of the tea's identity.

---

The Tsuru experience

If you have the opportunity, choose two harvests of the same tea.

Ideally:

• the same garden;
• the same cultivar;
• a comparable processing;
• but two different harvest periods.

Prepare them with the same water, in similar containers.

Start with the producer's recommendations, because two harvests do not necessarily require exactly the same infusion. Then adjust, if necessary, following the principles of Tsuru n°006 on temperature and infusion time.

Taste without immediately looking for which one is "better".

Ask yourself instead:

• which one seems the softest?
• which one has the most structure?
• do the bitterness or astringency change?
• do the aromas seem fresher, floral, fruity, vegetal, or warm?
• do the texture and mouthfeel differ?

You will not be able to attribute each sensation to a single molecule or to the season alone.

But you will discover something more precious:

the same garden can speak with several voices.

---

What a season cannot promise you

The mentions first flush, "first harvest", shincha, or "spring tea" naturally attract attention.

They can designate rare, fleeting, and remarkable teas.

Yet they do not guarantee, on their own:

• a fine picking;
• an exceptional garden;
• a successful processing;
• good storage;
• nor a cup that will suit your tastes.

Freshness does not either erase the initial quality. A very recent but poorly made tea remains a poorly made tea.

Conversely, some later harvests, some roasted teas, or some teas designed to evolve can offer a depth that novelty alone cannot replace.

The season is a piece of information.

Not a verdict.

From reading to the cup

Discover two First Flush harvests

To give a concrete face to the vocabulary of harvests, discover two teas whose sheet indicates First Flush: a Darjeeling and a Nepalese Oolong.

Darjeeling First Flush Himalaya

100 g · Plain black tea

A first spring picking with a fine, fresh, floral, and slightly fruity profile.

€16.90

Discover this tea

Himalayan Orange Hill

50 g · Nepalese Oolong First Flush

An unflavored Oolong, sweet and nutty, with slightly roasted notes and a discreet floral nuance.

€21.90

Discover this tea

These two references also differ in their origin and processing. They allow you to explore first harvests, but not to isolate the effect of the season as a comparison of several harvests from the same garden would do.

Find the dosages, temperatures, and steeping times on each sheet. To explore several profiles in small formats, discover our tasting boxes.