Hi all – I returned from my first trip to Japan a few days ago and brought back a few boxes of green tea. The last one I got was a box of 20 bags from 7-Eleven for maybe 250 yen and it is quite literally one of the best green teas I have ever had. I am trying to find it on amazon but the translation is a bit tricky for me. I believe it is Ito En but it looks like it may include matcha powder. I do not see that in the translation and wanted to confirm which tea it is. If you happen to know which variety this is can you please let me know? Thank you!!
by ashhholle
10 Comments
Costco
Pretty sure that one’s a 7-11 product (very recently in my home, but I just emptied that box the other day and have since discarded the packaging).
I’ve been using another Ito En Matcha Green Tea otherwise – just as good. (I will post a link to a hosted photo…when I find the time to find a simple image host because I can’t simply plop it in this reply. I promise I’m not crazy lazy, I am just very tired and sick and I don’t have all the time in the world to find an image host for a sub that doesn’t support photos in replies 🙄)
Idk about that specific one ( I’m in the US so I’ve never seen how Ito En is witten in Japanese, but that looks like the Ito En logo to me! ) but you can find other Japanese brands in Costco, on Amazon, and if you have any Asian markets locally (not even just specifically Japanese ones).
Ito En and Maeda-En are some larger brands that have lots of tasty choices, but if you find an Asian Market you’ll likely find some others too. In my experience I’ve seen almost all Ito/Maeda-En though. Their pre-bottled green and oolong teas are really nice and convenient too. Especially the Ito En jasmine green!
Asian supermarkets
Does that say “dark brown” in the center and “body fat” at the top?
We have Enson Market selling Asian foods where I buy mine if I’m not ordering online.
Can’t go wrong with any green tea or matcha sourced from Uji.
According to the packaging this is Koicha tea, the other commenters are right that the brand is Ito En.
That said Koicha is strong matcha, like matcha made with less water than usual and matcha isn’t really tea bag friendly, not to mention the photo on the package shows leaves that aren’t ground to a powder, so it’s probably not Koicha but has Koicha elements.
Another reddit or said only “costco” and I’d say give that a shot. The Kirkland green tea at costco is also Ito En brand, and is a sencha+matcha mix so it should have a similar taste.
Otherwise look up “Ito En Koicha Premium Tea Bag” to find this exact product online. Or give some matcha from stores that specialize in Japanese green tea a try.
https://www.japanesegreenteashops.com/products/ito-en-oi-ocha-koicha-with-matcha-premium-tea-bags-20-pack
Try higher quality loose leaf?