Maruko Seicha’s secret cheap Shizuoka tea

Several users have talked about their experience with expensive Shizuoka tea. While those all sounded great and all, it is not easy putting a thousand yen down for a bag of tea every time, so what I found today really caught my attention.

This bag of Shizuoka tea, simply titled Shizuoka Tea, was by far the cheapest bag of tea of its region I have ever encountered! For below 300yen including tax, I got this 100g bag to enjoy! For this price, the tea I could get is typically “made in Japan” tea without its origin mentioned. This is almost half the price compared to the other standard Shizuoka green in the store, and about 35% of the price of the most expensive bag! I haven’t even mentioned how it is including a bonus 10% amount, though I am now curious whether this is one of those “always 10% extra” kinda thing.

Okay, I know I know, the price by itself means nothing if the tea itself is mediocre. I had the same thought too when I purchased it, thinking whether this would satisfy my tastebuds as the other ones I have tried, and I wondered if other users who are used to better tea would accept it at all.

I poured it for myself one afternoon to test it out. On the smell test, it passes as the tea gives a profound aroma not different from what I had expected based on other Shizuoka green tea I have tried before. The deep rich color that was in the cup also gave me a lot of confidence. So far so good, nothing was really telling me that this is only a fraction of the price. Finally, I went in for the taste test.

Okay, this is where the differences come. There are two things I noticed: One, this tea is not quite as strong as the other ones I have had before. The taste itself is very nice, but in order for it to reach the same strength, I would need to use more tea leaves or to let it sit for longer; Two, the aftertaste disappears rather quickly. Considering the aftertaste is what I really enjoy about good Shizuoka tea, this could have been better. But thinking about the price I paid for this again, can’t really complain!

I was reading the package while enjoying the tea. On the back of the glossy bag, it says that the tea is a “yabukita-tea”, so it is roasted using the same technique that is unique to Shizuoka green tea. The company that made it is Maruko, which I think is one of the biggest tea brands in Japan. However, it is also interesting to note that the tea doesn’t put the usual “Ocha no Maruko” branding label, although it is from the same company Maruko Seicha!

Doing a bit more research, this tea actually isn’t on Ocha no Maruko’s website!!!!! But again, it is from Maruko Seicha. I guess they wanted a share of the cheap tea market without making their brand cheaper? Interesting...

For casual tea drinking, I think this is very much good enough, especially if I am having it at lunch with food or something. Since I am not quite the tea master, I am able to recommend this to any readers who want to enjoy Shizuoka tea on a budget!

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.