Yummy Shizuoka Green Tea in a Mid-Range Price

    In my quest to learn more about the green tea from Shizuoka available in my prefecture, I've enjoyed a variety of selections including some fairly expensive and fairly inexpensive options. At a price of less than 600 yen for 350 grams and available at a nearby grocery store, this tea is decidedly mid-range. 

    First off, I love the packaging, including the older-style paper label and the way the clear plastic shows off the rich color of the tea leaves. Even the subtle pinstripe-like design on the plastic is a plus in my book. This looks like a tea that is likely a good value when you need 350 grams of the green stuff.        
    But how it looks does not always translated to how it tastes. I reviewed the ratio of leaves per cup on the Internet (generally around 5 grams for 8 ounces of water) and brewed up my first batch.

    The color came out a little lighter than I had expected and the flavor reflected that, but with a surprisingly strong sense of umami. I found this the be a refreshing and easily drinkable tea with none of the bitterness I have come to associate the cheaper teas with, even from Shizuoka. Some small leaf particles did slip through the the filter in my tea pot, creating a level of green tea debris in the bottom of the cup, but for the enjoyment of the beverage, this held little interest as a downside. All leaf teas have some level of tea debris, and at least this wasn't too sludgy or clingy.    
    Most of the flavor of this first batch wound up so subtle that I was not entirely sure if I had made the tea too weak. So I added two more little scoops of leaves and tried one more time.

    The tea stayed the same light color and was just as soft and refreshing in flavor, though admittedly, the amount of tea debris increased at least 2 fold, and this was after rinsing the cup out at the end of the previous sampling.
    Even with the debris increase, the beverage was absolutely lovely, and very gentle though not sweet. Green tea like this has a short lifespan in my household, not because it belongs in the bin but because it is so delicious it is bound to be enjoyed repeatedly in the coming weeks. I would be surprised if this pinstriped package is still in my house next month. It'll likely be emptied much sooner than that.

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.