Secoma's Shizuoka Green Tea & Shochu

Last time I was excited to have found a can of alcoholic Shizuoka green tea, which was green tea mixed with shochu, but it was a bit underwhelming. (You can read the full review here: https://www.city-cost.com/blogs/neko/wj7em-money_tea )

But, I considered it a good start on my journey to enjoy ryokucha wari, and it got my eyes open to search for similar products on the market.

When I was in the nationwide drug store chain, Welcia, I passed by a green can, took a double-take, and placed it right into my shopping basket. Another ryokucha-wari that uses Shizuoka green tea!



This is from the Secoma brand, which I believe is an in-house brand for Welcia?  The good news is that it was cheaper than the previous offering from the convenience store. This was only 110 yen, rather than the 150 yen Takara can from before.

Since I felt a bit tricked last time, I read the labels well enough this time around. Despite seeing "100% Shizuoka Kawane matcha used" on the label, this was only explaining that all the matcha used in the can were from Shizuoka, which accounted for 13% of the tea. The other 87% were "Japanese green tea" from who knows where.

I was thinking about what that means in terms of quality, but 13% is an improvement on the 10% of the previous drink. And I also really like that this says "Shimada City green tea project."  Shimada City is in Shizuoka Prefecture and I feel like by enjoying this can I am directly supporting a local endeavor.



Oh, one more thing before I review the drink, this is 7% alcoholic!

Now onto how it tastes. Without false expectations this time, I had a much better feeling about this alcoholic green tea cocktail. If you are not familiar with ryokucha-wari, they really are not strong in flavor in any way. It still tastes like I was drinking normal green tea but with a slight spike.

With that said, the green tea was a lot more prominent this time. Maybe it is the matcha? But the Shizuoka green tea bitterness was definitely more noticeable and delicious. It also leaves a bit more of an aftertaste that lingers around as the alcohol lingers too. Refreshing is not the best word. Calming would be a good description.

The color itself is so clear and pretty that looking at it through my glass was enjoyment in itself. There was even a bit of green tea residue! Wow!

Again, this is another drink that is easy to down. Hard to say what to match it with, as I have been drinking ryokucha-wari by themselves instead of with a meal.

Overall, the pros of this drink are that it is cheap (110 yen!), it has a 7% kick, and it supports a local city project in Shizuoka Prefecture. Would I recommend this? Yes :)

Pick it up if you see it someday!

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.