Hi friend,
We just got our shipment of the 2026 crop of 88th Night Tea, and it’s everything we hoped for.
If this tea is new to you (welcome to a very old tradition), the name comes from Hachiju-Hachiya, the 88th night after the first day of spring on the traditional Japanese calendar. For centuries that was the day farmers went out to pick the first tender leaves of the year. Weather decides the real picking date now, so the date is more symbolic, but the meaning has stuck. This tea is the very beginning of the season, and tradition holds that the first leaves bring good fortune and longevity for the year ahead.
This year's crop is the sweetest we have tasted in a while. The cup comes on thick and savory with umami, then opens into a clean sweetness, and it finishes without a hint of astringency. Steep it cooler than you think, around 160°F, and you will taste something very close to the leaf right off the bush.
We only have a small batch of this rare tea. There is no restock this year. When it’s gone, you’ll have to wait until the 2027 harvest.
Here's to the fresh stuff,
The Tea Spot Team 💚
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