A nice surprise! Oigawa Shizuoka tea bags!

Have you ever had the feeling of finding a product with no expectations, and you ended up enjoying it a lot that it surprises you?

When I found this box of Shizuoka green tea at the food department of a local department store, I didn’t give it much thought before putting it into my shopping basket. I was out of tea at home. This box was reasonably priced. The package didn’t stand out but there was nothing wrong either. So why not?

I didn’t really understand the name until doing some translation homework. Apparently the name on the box says: tea factory’s catering green tea. So this was tea they serve in the factory for themselves!

Now, I kinda doubted it. For one, I didn’t see this brand’s non-catering tea on the shelf. And two, is it really catering tea when you sell it as a product too?

But I couldn’t argue with an affordable tea. For 500 yen, the box comes with 50 tea bags. The packaging also shows that it has 100g of green tea. 10 yen a drink? Sounds good to me!

The side of the packaging also sells this as a “mild” flavor tea. Personally speaking, I think this tea is underselling itself. The flavor is not lacking by any means. It does take a bit of time for it to spread in your mouth after you take a big sip. Give it some time, and the taste is quite profound though not so bitter. The taste also doesn’t stick around, and that simply makes go back to drink more. It is a good drink to keep myself hydrated throughout the day.

The pre-packed tea bags are great too. They are not fancy or silky or stretchy and there is no need for them to be. The paper label itself doesn’t even have the brand name, but just plain white! Keep the cost low and that makes me happier.

I used the tea for hot first, then a few days later I used them for cold. The bag did well in both conditions, though I think it is more suitable for hot. The green tea was kept in and I didn’t feel like I was drinking up the tea leaves when I hit the bottom of the cup. Very clean!

A down side I have against this tea is that the amount of tea in each bag isn’t really a lot, so the flavor is gone after the second time I try to dip the tea again. I had no choice but to use a new one if I wanted more, but typically one to two cups satisfy me, so the size is just right.

With its blend packaging, I almost missed it and thought some worker forgot to take the product out of the box, and I am glad I didn’t skip on it. I will go back for more the next time I leave my house!

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.