Costco Shizuoka Green Tea

After reading the many articles on City-Cost about the quality of Shizuoka green tea and the different types there are, I start to recognize some teas by the name and immediately knowing that they are from Shizuoka.

When I was in Costco the other day, I found them too. Costco was the last place I would have expected to run into some because I only go there to deal with my homesickness. Whenever I go, I would be surrounded by snacks, food, kitchen appliances, English books, LED lights, more things I don’t need… but they are usually things I find outside of Japan. So seeing cases of tea in Costco, while completely reasonable, it caught me by surprise.

I saw the words “honyamacha” written on the cases near the drinks section, which by now I realize is a type of Shizuoka tea.

For 1458yen for 6 bottles of 2 liter tea, each one was a bit less than 250yen. To be honest, that is kinda expensive. The tea I usually purchase from supermarkets would be around 110yen per bottle. However, the package says that this was the tea used by the great Tokugawa shogunate of Japan. Now, that makes it suddenly a lot cooler. 

Thinking about it, it is Costco, and my beloved Costco would only carry good quality items, so the fact that I found it there was already the reassurance of good quality tea I needed.

I bought a case (actually I had to convince my two friends to give it a try too). I cracked open a bottle right after getting home. The tea was rich with the deep flavor that I enjoy. The bitterness is there, but the aftertaste was very natural and refreshing. I had expected it to be more of a clear tea but the color was more on the dark side, and it reflects the bitterness too.

The best part, of course, is the fact that I didn’t have to brew the tea myself, and I had 2L readily available for me. It is kinda rare to find pre-made bottles of Shizuoka tea, especially if you are looking for bigger bottles. The downside is that you have to buy them by cases (at Costco anyway), but given how often we drink tea at home ourselves, when friends visit, or when we bring them to parties, we know that it will not take long to finish.

They also have houjicha from the same honyamacha brand from Shizuoka. I am not as much of a fan of houjicha compared to the standard green tea, but the choice is there, so take your pick (or get both) from Costco!

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.