Spring Prime Season is a wonderful time of the year for us all, but especially if you are a fan of the freshest and most flavoursome black teas, and white teas. As new life bursts forth in the natural world, take the time to think about the fresh tea leaves that are being picked this very moment, ready to make their way to your cup.

Spring tea harvest in chinese tea gardens

The Art of Tea Making: Nature's Impact on Taste and Quality

Tea is a natural product, which means that the taste and quality is influenced by countless complex factors, from the soil to the altitude. One of the most important factors affecting the quality of tea is the time of year it was harvested.

 

Commitment to Quality: Newby's Prime Season Teas

At Newby we know the importance of seasonality, and one of our quality guarantees is that we only source our tea from the optimum harvest periods – what we call ‘prime season teas’.

Did you know that the vast majority of tea on the market is from poor production periods? Newby limits ourselves to only the best harvests, from the best areas. This means that only 5% of the world’s tea is of a high enough standard for our consideration.

Spring tea harvest in china

Tea Harvesting: First Flush and Second Flush

The tea plant is an evergreen tree. This means that it does not drop its leaves during winter, but it doesn’t mean that it grows all year round. During winter the plant enters a period of dormancy.

It doesn’t grow any new leaves, but it continues to absorb nutrients. When spring arrives, the tea bushes slowly wake up and gradually begin to grow again. This first period of harvest is known as the first flush.

 

  • First Flush Teas: Delicate Flavours, Rich Nutrients

Because the weather is still cool and the sunlight is not as strong as later in the year, growth is slow. Slow growth means delicate flavour. First flush teas are valued for their gentle flavours, which is perfect for some types of tea such as white tea. The delicate processing of white tea means that the delicate aromas can shine.

Conversely, the emphasis on gentle flavour can result in a brew that is weak or lacking for other tea types. In addition to this, first flush tea often contain higher levels of certain nutrients that can result in more astringency in some teas.

To experience the delicate softness of first flush teas, our Silver Needle white tea is exemplary.

 

  • Second Flush Teas: for Flavour and Strength

Second flush can be considered the perfect balance between flavour and strength. A good example are Assam teas. Assam black tea is beloved for its bold, malty flavour, so a first flush harvest will likely feel lacking.

In order to get the best Assam tea we use second flush harvest teas that exhibit the smooth and sweet taste with a touch of mineral astringency that we expect from a good Assam.

Spring tea leaves - Newby Teas

Quality over Quantity

The tea plant has ample sunlight and is growing quickly so the yield is high. The vast majority of tea is produced at this time – but as with most things, quantity does not mean quality.

Fast growth means that the leaves contain less nutrients, which translates into poorer quality. Late summer tea harvests are often characterised by their coarse and unrefined flavour.

We value the natural characteristics of our teas, we only use prime season teas that perfectly express the most desirable flavours of each tea. We use our expert knowledge to skilfully create the perfect blend, resulting in the ultimate cup of tea.

 

The Best Spring Teas

To experience the best of the second flush season, we recommend trying one of our Assam blends. For the ultimate expression of what this region has to offer, why not try our Rare Assam? This gourmet loose leaf tea is sourced from the finest gardens and made using the best leaves of the season.

For a more aromatic black tea, our Darjeeling has all the strength and richness of second flush, and the muscatel and honey aromatics that this area is famed for.