The MOST EXPENSIVE Shizuoka green tea I’ve ever bought

Tea has always been a cheap drink in my mind. You can get a box of tea bags for about 10 yen per bag, and that could be all it requires for a quick wake up in the morning or the enjoyment of a cozy evening. Plenty of clinics, waiting rooms, and of course, restaurants also serve you tea for free, so tea is supposed to be a common cheap drink.

So when I saw this expensive bag of Shizuoka tea (pictured below) in the supermarket I frequent priced at 1,200 yen for a 100-gram bag, I thought: “I need to know what this is like, and how it is different from the cheaper stuff I have been drinking!”

It wasn’t easy pulling out more than a single bill for one bag of tea, but I also thought: “If I don’t try this while I am in Japan now, when will I ever have the chance?”

(Green tea from Shizuoka made using the breed of yabukita (やぶ北) tea)

After the mental struggle, I brought the tea both with excitement and a little bit of buyer’s remorse. After I got home, I opened the bag to take the very first sniff of its aroma. The best word I could find to describe it would be “crisp”. It was like the cleansing breath of fresh air in the morning when you go hiking in a misty mountain. That feeling of crisp air, but from a bag of tea I just opened. That must show how fresh the tea leaves were packaged!

Since it has been getting cooler (I have been walking around with a cardigan lately), I decided that this would be my first cup of hot tea of the season.

The moment I poured the hot water onto the leaves, I was surrounded by the aroma of green tea. It is like the leaves were stuffed with flavor, so brewing it just released everything at an instant! 

After enjoying the smell of the hot beverage, it was time for the taste time~

.....YUMMMM!!!!!!!

This Shizuoka tea was over and above any tea I have ever tasted!

It went from “crisp” to “comforting”. The tea settles on your tongue to let every taste bud soak in the goodness of this expensive tea. Bitter yet refreshing, and the way it lingers in my mouth for a long time after each sip is really enjoyable. 

You know how the first sip of every tea tastes good but as you get used to it, the taste starts to go away? I feel like this tea doesn’t have the same problem and every sip felt just as pleasurable as the first! Overall, this tea is A-MA-ZING!

Would I buy this again? 1,200 yen for a bag is still quite a heavy price to pay, so while I won’t do it again for myself, I would get this again when I need a nice souvenir for a friend visiting from outside of Japan!

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.