New year, new tea: Hanbei Shizuoka green tea

Happy new year, everyone!

With the new year, I got to enjoy a brand new bag of green tea from Shizuoka. I have never seen this brand before: Hanbei. Looking at the package, it looks like a small company compared with many other brands of Shizuoka green tea, so I picked up this 150 g bag for 600 yen and decided to let it be my first taste of Japan in the new year. That is a pretty reasonable price for a hefty bag.

This tea is quite subtle, and this is the keyword I would use to describe this tea in many ways. The smell is extremely, extremely gentle. It doesn’t rush to my nose like what you would expect from opening a new bag of tea. It matches with its simple packaging design which doesn’t necessarily jump out.

One thing unique about this tea is that the bag contains not only leaves, but also the stems and buds. The fact that it includes every thing supposedly helps us taste the tea fully.

When I poured the tea into a container for storage, I could see that the tea leaves are really fine as well (which actually caused me to make a mess on the table, so be careful!)

We made a pot to share on the table, so I put a couple of spoonfuls of green tea into the pot plus a little more. Again, because the leaves are so refined, you want to be cautious when scooping the tea.

The taste of the tea matches with its smell and package. Mild and gentle.

Different from many other Shizuoka green teas I have tasted before, this felt more like a green tea for beginners. The color is greener, the flavor is sweeter, and for those who are not used to drinking green tea, this would not overwhelm. I wonder if this different is due to the inclusion of the stems and buds. The bottom of the tea cup collected quite an amount of residue, but even near there was not as bitter as I thought.

While I prefer stronger tea this was good for the new year here in Japan. After a heavy meal with everyone around the table, I did not desire anything with a strong impact. Instead, a simple and more “dull” tea like this was helpful in calming me down and helping me relax in zen.

I like that this tea doesn’t overpower my taste buds or my feelings. Rather than a beverage, I enjoyed it as a way to let my mind wind down. Again, I think this would make a good introduction for people who are new to drinking Japanese tea.

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.