100 Yen Store Shizuoka Tea: Still Quite Refreshing

    I came across these teabags in my neighborhood branch of the CanDo 100 yen shop the other day and was thrilled to see that they had somehow managed to bring Shizuoka tea to the country at large for a net price of 10 yen per tea bag. Easily the cheapest option for quality green tea that I have found, each bag boasts 2 grams of the good stuff, making it easy to use and hard to over-steep.

    Being a lighter weight per serving and color while steeping, this tea is likely to have softer, more subtle flavors without significant bitterness. It's either that, or it is the cheapest of the cheap stuff primarily because it will be bitter, but even that is likely to be light and background flavor. The best case scenario here is a light but delicious cup of green warmth, while the worst is likely to be watered-down bitterness. Either way, I must first wait for it to steep. Reminder: the internet suggests you allow two minutes for an initial steep and follow it up with 30 second bursts as needed to find the flavor you are looking for.

    My first impression of this tea was that it was shockingly refreshing and boasted a robust flavor far richer than I would have naturally assumed for such an inexpensive tea. Warmth and flavor pervaded but, in a classic Japanese way, did so without being strong enough to be obtrusive. Umami, the flavor defined most easily as savory in the absence of meat, was there in full bloom, but not so blatant to give off the dog food like flavor that some green teas acquire when trying too hard to umami it up.

    The amount of residue left from the tea bag is a little greater than the average black tea but far less thick than any powdered matcha I have ever had. It also blends back into the tea so quickly that when I attempted to photograph its dark, swirling undulations, i found it had already disappeared and the only thing I had left to do was finish off my nice little cup of tea.

    As the tea bags themselves come enclosed in decorative but none-too-fancy coverings, I recommend this tea as an inexpensive alternative to the loose leaf options as well as less expensive but totally enjoyable option when sending a tea bag or two to friends who might enjoy some light, delicious refreshment.

This post is supported by Shizuoka Green Tea Guide, one of City-Cost's Supporters helping City-Cost bloggers to enjoy life in Japan and engage in new experiences.