Sweet Cravings Satisfied with Matcha Items from Makinohara

            Shizuoka has a lot of things to offer its visitors; from its beautiful beaches to premium shopping outlets, from the gorgeous view of Mt. Fuji to its well-known product, green tea.

            One particular place that will be worth a visit if you are keen on looking for great-quality green tea is a city called Makinohara located in the western part of Shizuoka prefecture.

            I have to admit that before coming to Japan, I was not a big fan of green tea. Back from where I am from, tea is meant to be only sweet and thirst-quenching. After coming here though, my world changed. From matcha-flavored drinks to other green tea-flavored sweets, to simply the humble hot unsweetened green tea, life would be difficult to imagine without it.

        A few things that I got my hands on from City-Cost which I’d like to introduce are these locally-produced green tea products from the tea farm / tea-themed park called Grinpia Makinohara.

•  Shizuoka Makinohara Sencha Tea Bags

        First up would be the Sencha Tea which comes in 15 bags secured in an airtight sealable pack which is convenient for storage purposes.  I drink green tea after eating dinner especially when I eat something a bit greasy. For my dinner, I made a pork and vegetable soup dish and paired it with rice. Due to the addition of pork in it, it felt greasy. Then, I decided to have my regular cup of green tea and as expected, the warmth of the drink cleansed my throat from all the grease.

• Nanaya Shizuoka Matcha Leaf Pie
  

        Next up is this beautifully packaged Leaf Pie. This was such a splendid surprise as it reminded me of a similar snack famous in Cebu, Philippines called "Otap". This one was a more elevated version of it though since it was softer and more importantly, the matcha filling was exquisite! It did not have an overpowering matcha taste, but a subtle sweetness to it. I also love the design of the product as well. I promised to eat one as I was sipping my coffee at home but it just wasn't enough, I ended up eating three!

• Shizuoka Matcha Syrup
  

        Lastly, this special Matcha-flavored syrup. I was thinking of using it to drizzle on top of my homemade pancake but since I had some sweet potatoes waiting for my attention in the kitchen, I decided to change my approach.

        I ended up making candied sweet potatoes which I usually prepare for my husband using brown sugar. This time around, I chose to add at least 4 tablespoons of white sugar and fried the potatoes. As I toned down the use of sugar, the sweet potatoes were not as sweet as I usually make them. To add some twist, I used the matcha syrup and drizzled it on the candied sweet potatoes. As a result, my husband gave me a thumbs up and I couldn’t agree with him more. The flavor of matcha with the less sweeter candied sweet potato was meant to be combined! I hope you try it out at home when you are craving for something sweet!

        Let me wrap up by choosing the best out of the three products above. Without any hesitation, I would have to say that the Leaf Pie would be my favorite. Everything was great of course, but I guess the presentation and the way I am familiar with the texture of the product are additional factors for my choice. I hope readers who have not tried these products shall get a chance to do so as well in the future.

This post is supported by Makinohara City, one of City-Cost's Supporters helping City-Cost bloggers to enjoy life in Japan and engage in new experiences.