In Japan, there are a variety of bottled green tea.
Today, bottled green tea is popular and essential for those who don’t make green tea at home.
You’ll be surprised how much bottled green tea products share shelves in grocery stores, convenience stores, and vending machines.
Japanese beverage companies provide a wide variety of products year around.
In this post, let’s take a peek into bottled green tea in Japan, besides, some of the products are available in your country.
ITO en “Oi OCHA”
You may already know the most popular bottled green tea-Oi Ocha.
Ito En is the tea distributor leading tea products in Japan, and “Oi Ocha” has been the staple brand when we talk about “green tea”.
Oi Ocha can be translated to “Honey, (or hey!) bring me a cup of tea”.
“O~i Ocha” is made with special-grown tea leaves that are cultivated for only Oi Ocha products.
The clear and refreshing taste is easy to drink.
Suntory “Iyemon”
Suntory is also one of the top beverage companies, but, you may know this company as a mainly liquor supplier like whisky.
Sountry’s staple bottled green tea product called Iyemon (not lemon, it is pronounced as i e mo n) was produced to catch up with Oi Ocha sales in 2004.
This product was produced as Sountory teamed up with the long-history tea distributor in Kyoto-FUKUJUEN.
Fukujuen a tea distributor in for 200 years in Kyoto.
Fukujuen is also a tea brand with over 220 years of history.
Fukujuen was founded in 1790 as a tea distributor.
Still, Fukujuen is known nationwide, and workshops and cafes in Kyoto and Uji are popular spots to visit.
Since Iyemon (i e mon) is blended with over 20 types of green tea leaves including matcha green tea, you can enjoy rich smooth authentic Japanese green tea with well-balanced refreshing flavor and astringency.
You can enjoy authentic Japanese green tea “Iyemon” at home by brewing it with a tea bag.
Coca Cola Japan Ayataka
AYATAKA is also one of the top popular bottled green tea and has well-balanced sweetness, freshness, astringency, and bitterness. It may be the best bottled green tea for those who like deep-brewed Japanese green tea.
Great quality and the tea is like brewing loose tea leaves in a Kyusu pot.
A traditional Kyusu teapot logo design on the bottle refers to AYATAKA’s feature which is a tea like when you make green tea in a Kyusu teapot.
The murky deep green color was a brand new idea since the unclear color tended to be uncomfortable for bottled green tea products.
AYATAKA is also supervised by “Kanbayashi Syunsyou Honten”, which has been the tea distributor for 450 years, Uji, in Kyoto.
Matcha powder is also blended in AYATAKA green tea which provides a rich deep complex flavor.
Contrary to Oi Ocha, it has an authentic strong green tea flavor.
OTHER TYPES OF GREEN TEA
According to the Coca-Cola Japan website, “blended tea beverages” are beverages that are made by blending (mixing) various plant-derived ingredients and extracting or brewing them into containers.
In this market, mostly the top 2 products have been shared for a long time, which is “Sokenbicha” and “Jurokucha”.
Main customers of bottled “Blended teas” are women especially pregnant and mommys because it doesn’t contain caffeine.
Also due to the healthy eating trend, the sales has been slightly increasing.
Coca Cola Japan SoukenBi Cha
“Soukenbicha” (爽健美茶) is a bottled blended tea that has been popular since it was on the market in 1994 with the concept of “fresh, healthy and beautiful”.
The product features are “caffeine-free”, “28 kinds of allergy specific raw materials are not used”, and a uniquely refreshing taste.
- Coix seeds
- Brown rice
- Barley
- Dokudami (Houttuynia cordata)
- Hub tea (Senna occidentalis)
- Chicory
- Evening primrose
- Nanban millet
- barley baby leaves,
- Ashitaba (Angelica keiskei)
- Mugwort
- Quinoa
- Sesame seeds
- flax seed
- Rooibos
Asahi Juroku Cha
Asahi Soft Drinks started selling the belnded tea, Juroku Cha in 1993.
“Jurokucha”(十六茶) is based on the concept of
“a tea that blends 16 (Juroku means sixteen in Japanese) good ingredients in an exquisite balance”.
The main ingredients are below and has refreshing aftertaste.
- 2 kinds of Barley
- Hub tea (Senna occidentalis)
- Barley Sprouts
- Corn
- Brown rice
- Dandelion root
- Loquat leaf
- Kawaroketsumei (Chamaecrista)
- Burdock
- Foxtail millet
- Panicum miliaceum
- Red bean
- Perilla leaf
- Jujube,
- Yuzu peel
Japanese Roasted Tea
Japanese roasted tea called “Houji-cha” in Japanese, made from roasted green tea leaves and stems.
Unlike green tea, Houjicha is reddish-brown. The roasting process eliminates the astringency, and the flavor is mild and nutty, making it a perfect drink for tea time.
Ito En Houji Cha
“Itoen Hojicha” uses 100% of the highest quality scented green tea produced in Japan. It is blended the best teas with different roasting levels to bring out a sweet scent and extract at a high temperature for a short time to suppress miscellaneous tastes and create a gentle taste.
Coca Cola Japan Ayataka Houjicha
“Ayataka Houjicha” has finally released from the “Ayataka” series, Coca Cola Japan in 2018 as the nearly trending of Houjicha.
The murky color which is the concept of “Ayataka” remained and
The rich flavor of roasted green tea, nice astringency, so you can enjoy an authentic taste as if brewed in a teapot.
Also, it has a good aftertaste.
Others
Suntory Oolong Tea
“Oolong tea” (烏龍茶) is a semi-fermented Chinese tea that has a wide variety, 800 species.
Oolong tea contains “Oolong Tea Polymerized Polyphenols (OTPP)”, a polyphenol peculiar to oolong tea, which improves fat burning and speeds up metabolism.
In 2006, Suntory launched black oolong tea as a food for specified health uses. Since it contains caffeine, it has diuretic effects.
In addition to helping digestion, it also has the effect of warming the body, which is also effective as a measure against cold sensitivity.
Burley Tea ( Mugi Cha)
Suntory, Mugicha.
“Barley tea” called “Mugi cha” in Japan is a roasted-grain-based infusion made from barley which is a staple across East Asian regions such as Japan, the Koreas, China, and Taiwan. It has a roasty, toasty, nutty flavor.
In Japan, it is usually served cold and is a popular summertime refreshment.
It reminds me the time when I was a kid, “Mugi cha” is the summer drink for children so it is always chilled in the refregiarater at each home.
Besides, Barley tea is not only for quenching the thirst and also improves blood flow.
Tokuho Products
“Tokuho”(特保), “Tokutei Hokenyou Syokuhin”(特定保健用食品) is the official name, means “Food for specified health use (Tokuho)” refers to commercially available food that has a scientific basis for efficacy and safety, and has been approved by the Consumer Affairs Agency in Japan.
“Tokuho” labeled bottled tea developed for consumers who are concerned about body fat is increasing due to an increase in lifestyle-related diseases since “Helthia Ryokucha” produced by Kao in 2010.
“Suntory Iemon, Tokucha”, is one of the top sales among the “Tokuho” products.
Conclusion
Japan has long loved to drink green tea, but today the Japanese enjoy a myriad of different types of tea, from domestic green tea to British tea, which is favored by exotic species.
Now, you know that not only green tea and Matcha but there are also many kinds of unsweetened tea in Japan, as bottled teas!
If you visit Japan or oriental grocery stores, try some of the Japanese bottled tea!
Japanese bottled teas (except for iced English Black tea) are unsweetened and bring you several health benefits!
