GUEST TEA Kawaguchi Sisters Shincha - Loose Leaf

£12.00

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Free UK delivery on orders over £25.

Grown by the Kawaguchi sisters in Kirishima, this Ohashiri Shincha is an ultra-early first-flush, picked at the very start of spring. Lively and umami-rich, it bursts with bright vegetal notes and a hint of young asparagus.

Kawaguchi Sisters Shincha is a fresh Japanese green tea. Best brewed quickly - for 90 seconds - the result is a delicate yet invigorating grassy cup, with a savoury-umami first sip, typical of high-quality first-flush teas.

Enjoy it in the afternoon with something sweet. To get the most out of this special tea, we recommend using the leaves twice.

Please note: this is a wonderful small-batch tea and as a result, one to truly savour and enjoy. One tube contains 25g - enough for 20 cups of tea.

Delivery Information

Orders placed before 1pm are despatched the same day. Orders after 1pm are processed the next working day.

Standard Delivery (Royal Mail Tracked 48) - FREE on orders over £25

Delivered in 2–3 working days. Fully tracked, with the option to choose a safe place.

For orders under £25, delivery is £3.50.

Express Delivery (DPD Next Working Day) - £6.00

Order before 12 pm (midday) for next-day delivery.

Monday to Friday only – no Saturday delivery.

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Returns

We hope your Good & Proper Tea order arrives safely and that you’re happy with your purchase.

If not, you can return any item within 30 days of the order date.

All products must be unused, in their original packaging, and in a saleable condition for a refund to be processed.

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Tea
2.5g or 1 heaped tsp / 150ml water
Water temperature
65 °C
Brew time
2 mins
Enjoy
without milk

More about this tea

Translated into English, 'shin - cha' means “new tea”, while 'hashiri' means “to run”, in relation to a first flush and early harvest. Adding the “O” means “big,” referring to the way the farmers rush to the fields to harvest these early, tender leaves.

The Kawaguchi sisters, Akane and Yurie, are breathing new life into their great-grandfather’s small tea farm in Kirishima. As next generation tea farmers, they balance traditional tea growing techniques with experimentation in an effort to create opportunity and breathe new life into this traditional art form.

We visited the Koukien Tea Garden in spring 2025 as part of a wider sourcing trip to Japan. Whilst we were there, the sisters insisted we join them for a cup of their newly processed Ohashiri Shincha before a quick tour around the factory and fields. Much to our Supply Chain Director, Josh’s delight, they served the tea alongside a Tokyo Banana Cake. Enjoyed meters away from the sounds and smells of a busy tea factory, it was a cup that stays with you long after it’s finished, and one we knew would be a perfect guest tea to share with you this summer.

Why Tea Deserves Better

For too long, tea in the UK has meant cheap, dusty bags – designed for speed, not taste. As a tea-not-coffee drinker, our founder Emilie wanted more. So in 2012, she bought an old Citroën van, crowdfunded its conversion into a mobile tea bar, and started brewing proper, loose-leaf tea at events and markets around London.

What began in a van has grown into a business on a mission: to show just how good tea can be, when it’s done properly. That means better leaves, sourced with care from producers that align with our values, then brewed properly for maximum flavour. 12 years on, that mission remains the same and Good & Proper is now the proud supplier to the UK’s best cafes, restaurants, hotels and more, as well as to a loyal community of tea drinkers at home.

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Our Teas

We work hard to source the best-tasting, whole-leaf teas, from producers around the world that align with our values. From Assam to Matcha, Earl Grey to Darjeeling, every batch is carefully selected by our founder, Emilie. And if it isn’t a cup of tea worth talking about, it doesn’t make the cut.

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