Space Cowboy wrote:
> There's no such thing as a good penny/gram Japanese tea. Even
> that is throwing away loose change. I'm paying the price
> break you suggested and more. I'd still like one commercial
> recommendation regardless of price.

Try some by Maeda-en. I've had some bought here in the US and it
was fine. The thing is, by commercial brand, the assumption is
recognizable, never-changing, iconic packaging. This sort of
thing isn't so common for Japanese teas.

> I suspect the good stuff isn't on the shelf at any price. I'd
> just like to know if people in Japan are paying for quality
> at specialty tea shoppes or whatever. It's no indictment of
> the Japanese tea industry if those in the West have to travel
> East for a good sencha.

You can get good tea in Japan at practically any grocery store.

--crymad

>
> Jim
>
> crymad wrote:
>
>> Space Cowboy wrote:
>>
>>> Locally it is easier for me to get good puerh than a
>>> Japanese green. We have a well established Japanese
>>> community with commercial enterprise. As I stated before
>>> you have to be in a store when matcha arrives because it
>>> will unstock that quickly. So my question for those who
>>> should know is there any commercial shelf brand you would
>>> recommend as being much better than average. I might be
>>> able to find it here but I gave up because I was
>>> disappointed at what was available commercially. AFAIK
>>> the really good stuff doesn't leave the country. My local
>>> tea shoppe has a limited selection of Japanese tea
>>> bancha,sencha,matcha but I don't think they are
>>> benchmarks.
>>
>> Commercial brand out of Japan? Instead of searching by
>> brand, it's probably easier to just search for price. You
>> might as well give up on penny/gram teas you're always so
>> rapturously discovering in groceries devoted to other lands.
>> Just go into a Japanese grocery and buy anything that's at
>> least $10/100g. You might get lucky.
>>
>> --crymad
>
>