Is spring or summer harvest matcha better?

January 5, 2026 •

4 min read

Did you know that matcha is harvested up to four times a year, with the season significantly impacting its flavor profile and quality? Understanding the distinctions between spring and summer harvest matcha is essential for choosing the best type for your personal taste and intended use.

Quick Summary

Spring harvest matcha is prized for its delicate, sweet, and umami-rich flavor, making it ideal for traditional ceremonies. Summer harvest matcha has a bolder, more astringent taste at a lower cost, suitable for lattes and cooking. The best choice depends on taste, budget, and purpose.

Key Points

Spring is for purists: First harvest matcha boasts a delicate, sweet, umami-rich flavor with minimal bitterness, making it ideal for a traditional tea ceremony.
Summer is for culinary use: Second harvest matcha has a bolder, more astringent flavor that holds up better against milk and sweeteners in lattes, smoothies, and baked goods.
Color reflects quality: A vibrant, emerald green color is a hallmark of high-quality, shade-grown spring matcha, a result of higher chlorophyll content.
Price reflects harvest quality: Spring harvest is more expensive due to its superior quality, higher nutrient concentration, and more labor-intensive harvesting methods.
Ceremonial vs. Culinary Grade: These grades are often tied to the harvest; ceremonial is typically from the first, delicate spring flush, while culinary is from later, more robust harvests.
L-theanine content: The calming amino acid L-theanine is typically more concentrated in the shade-grown first harvest leaves.

The Matcha Harvest Calendar: An Overview

In Japan, the highest quality matcha is harvested during the first flush in spring, known as Ichibancha. The tea plants spend the winter in a dormant state, accumulating nutrients that are then concentrated into the young, tender leaves that emerge in spring. Subsequent harvests, or flushes, occur later in the year, most notably the second harvest in early summer (Nibancha). While all harvests produce flavorful and beneficial tea, the difference in timing, leaf maturity, and processing results in significant variations.

Why Shading Matters

A key part of matcha production is shading the tea plants for several weeks before harvesting. This process forces the plant to produce extra chlorophyll, resulting in the vibrant green color and boosting the levels of L-theanine, an amino acid that provides a sweet, umami flavor and promotes relaxed focus. The spring harvest is typically shaded for longer than the summer harvest, which accounts for some of its unique characteristics.

Characteristics of Spring Harvest Matcha

The first flush of tea leaves in spring yields the highest quality matcha, often designated as "ceremonial grade".

Flavor Profile: Expect a delicate, sweet, and complex umami taste with very little bitterness. The flavor is fresh, smooth, and clean, meant to be savored on its own with just hot water.
Color: The powder is a brilliant, vibrant emerald green, a result of the high chlorophyll content from extensive shading.
Texture: The youngest, most tender leaves are ground into an exceptionally fine, silky-smooth powder.
Nutritional Content: Spring harvest matcha contains the highest levels of L-theanine and antioxidants, offering superior health benefits.
Ideal Use: Best for traditional preparation in a bowl with hot water, known as usucha or koicha. It is also suitable for high-end lattes where you want a refined matcha flavor.

Characteristics of Summer Harvest Matcha

Harvested later in the season, summer harvest matcha leaves are more mature and have been exposed to more sunlight.

Flavor Profile: This matcha has a stronger, bolder, and more astringent flavor with an earthier, sometimes slightly bitter, finish. The robust flavor is designed to stand out when mixed with other ingredients.
Color: While still green, the color is less vibrant and can be a darker, more subdued shade compared to spring harvest.
Texture: The powder is slightly coarser than the ceremonial-grade spring harvest, but still produces a smooth result when whisked.
Nutritional Content: While still containing healthy levels of antioxidants and nutrients, the concentration is lower than in the spring harvest.
Ideal Use: Excellent for culinary purposes, including matcha lattes, smoothies, baking, and other recipes where its intense flavor can shine through. It's a more versatile and budget-friendly choice for daily use.

Comparing Spring vs. Summer Harvest Matcha


Characteristic	Spring Harvest (Ichibancha)	Summer Harvest (Nibancha)
Harvest Time	Late April to mid-May (first flush)	Late June to July (second flush)
Flavor	Delicate, sweet, and high umami	Bolder, more astringent, with earthy notes
Bitterness	Very low	Higher, more pronounced
Color	Vibrant, emerald green	Darker, more subdued green
Texture	Exceptionally fine and silky	Slightly coarser, but still fine
Nutrients (e.g., L-theanine)	Higher concentration	Good concentration, but lower than spring
Cost	More expensive, premium pricing	More affordable, budget-friendly
Ideal Use	Traditional tea ceremony, sipping on its own	Lattes, smoothies, baking, cocktails

Making Your Choice: Which Matcha is Right for You?

Choosing between spring and summer harvest matcha ultimately comes down to your personal preferences and intended use.

Consider spring harvest if:

You want the highest quality, most authentic matcha experience.
You prefer a sweet, delicate, and complex umami flavor.
You plan to enjoy the matcha on its own, without milk or sweeteners.
You don't mind paying a premium for superior taste and nutritional benefits.

Consider summer harvest if:

You primarily use matcha for lattes, smoothies, or baking.
You prefer a stronger, more robust matcha flavor that can stand up to other ingredients.
You are looking for a more affordable, everyday option.
You are experimenting with matcha and want a versatile, budget-friendly product.

Regardless of the harvest, it is always wise to purchase from reputable brands that provide transparency on their sourcing and processing.

The Role of Grading: Ceremonial vs. Culinary

The market-driven terms "ceremonial grade" and "culinary grade" are largely influenced by the harvest season. While not officially regulated in Japan, they provide a useful guideline for consumers.

Ceremonial Grade: This typically corresponds with the superior first-flush spring harvest, using the youngest, shade-grown leaves. It is valued for its vibrant color, sweet umami flavor, and ultra-fine texture, making it suitable for drinking straight with hot water.
Culinary Grade: This is often made from later harvests, like the summer crop, which yields a stronger, more bitter flavor. This robust profile is preferred for blending into lattes, desserts, and other recipes where the distinct matcha taste needs to cut through other ingredients.

Conclusion: The Best Harvest Depends on Your Palate

There is no single "better" harvest; instead, there is a better matcha for each purpose. The delicate, nutrient-dense spring harvest is the connoisseur's choice for a pure, traditional tea, while the robust, cost-effective summer harvest excels as a versatile ingredient for modern matcha creations. By understanding the distinct characteristics that each harvest offers, you can make an informed decision to elevate your matcha experience, whether it's a quiet moment of reflection or a vibrant green latte to fuel your day. To learn more about authentic Japanese tea production, a great resource is the article "How Matcha is Made, Part 1: Cultivation and Harvest" on Tezumi's website.

Frequently Asked Questions

The main difference is the flavor profile. Spring harvest is prized for its delicate, sweet, and umami-rich taste, while summer harvest has a bolder, more astringent, and slightly bitter flavor.

Spring harvest generally has higher concentrations of L-theanine and antioxidants due to the tea plant's growth cycle and longer shading period. However, both harvests provide significant health benefits.

Spring harvest matcha is more expensive because it is made from the highest quality, youngest leaves harvested during the first flush. The harvesting process is often more selective and labor-intensive, contributing to the higher cost.

While you can, its bolder, more astringent flavor profile is not preferred for traditional ceremonies. These rituals are designed to showcase the subtle, delicate taste of a high-quality spring harvest matcha.

Quality matcha brands will typically label the harvest or grade on their packaging. You can also observe the color, with a vibrant green indicating a higher quality first harvest, and taste the flavor.

Yes, first harvest (spring) matcha typically has higher caffeine levels than later harvests. The shading process that increases L-theanine also contributes to higher caffeine content.

Culinary grade is a term used to describe matcha with a stronger, more robust flavor that is better suited for mixing into recipes. It is often made from later harvests like the summer crop, but the terms are not strictly regulated.