Beat the winter chill with a cozy green tea break

While Makinohara has made a name for itself as a surfer's paradise, there are more charms to explore beyond the beach, as the city is also home to the largest tea plantation in Japan, the Makinohara Plateau, which accounts for 40% of Shizuoka's tea production.

Naturally, no visit to the area would be complete without trying some tea-related activities - visitors can enjoy tea leaf picking, or a range of matcha gelato tastings. But those of us a little further from the area don't have to miss out on the fun, as there are a variety of products that allow us to enjoy the taste of green tea from the comfort of our homes. 

Taking time out of a chilly winter day to warm up with a cup of tea is one of my favorite ways to unwind, and this time I decided to make it a green tea affair, with not only my drink but also the accompanying snack featuring the popular Japanese flavor. 

The word 'fukamushi' in Japanese means deep steamed, and in this case, the Shizuoka Makinohara Sencha fukamushi tea I enjoyed was steamed two to three times longer than regular tea, which gives it a unique flavor. In the past, I've noticed that some varieties of matcha that I have tried can have a bitter aftertaste that wasn't to my liking, but the deep steaming process that these tea leaves were treated with gave the tea a mild taste that made it easy to drink cup after cup. 

There are a number of different ways that you can enjoy this tea; I simply added the tea bag to my mug of boiling water, but you could opt for a more traditional serving style and brew the tea in a traditional Japanese teapot called a kyusu. It would certainly be an impressive treat to serve to guests visiting your home. 

The tea paired perfectly with Nanaya Shizuoka Matcha Leaf Pie, a delicate, crispy cookie in the shape of a leaf. Japan is famous around the world for the quality of its wagashi, or sweets, that are usually enjoyed with green tea. 

One of my favorite aspects of Japanese desserts in general is that they are never too sugary sweet or overpowering. While different in style from a traditional wagashi sweet, this mild sweetness was true too of the Matcha Leaf Pie, which had a crispy, flaky exterior and a subtle green tea flavor inside. I was particularly impressed at how the manufacturers had managed to recreate the beautiful leaf shape so perfectly with such delicate pastry. 

As the winter chill settles in and staying inside and being cozy is the order of the day, why not make time for a tea break and try some new and interesting flavors for yourself?