Iyemon Cha

Thought that I’d go ahead and try the standard Iyemon Cha today since most of my experiences with the rest of them have been so good. In fact, from what I can tell from the website, after this is done, I just have the Hoji cha left to try before I am completely done with the Iyemon lineup. Progress people! There IS an end in sight.

I found this tea pretty smooth, if a little thin. It’s slightly bitter but only slightly and, while at least it is not all over the place with it’s green tea flavor like whatever yesterday’s tea was, it could still stand to be a bit more assertive about itself. It seems very much to fade into the background even as you drink it, which, of course, may be the point. Before you know it, it’s gone and you have to go out and buy some more! I’m wondering if I find that the mehness I have about it’s taste has anything to do with comparing it to the extremely assertive taste of the koime. It’s possible! But either way, the Matchairi Reicha still wins over both of them. Oh Matchairi Reicha…will I ever be able to drink you again?

Iyemoncha seems to be quite popular in Japan, produced in a certain tea garden in the Kyoto prefecture (Unfortunately, I was unable to read the name of this garden), and possible to buy almost everywhere in its cold, bottled form.

I feel however that there is a limit to how good a tea can taste when bottled and iced this way. The taste is not what I would call bad, but has notable signs of “wasted” quality and did not really meet the expectations I had.

After trying the hot version and getting a somewhat better taste from it, I feel that the best way to drink this tea is to buy the leaves themselves and make it at home.

I used to drink this 3-4 times a week for several months when I first discovered it. It’s the kind of bottled tea you drink, and before you know it, you’ve finished a whole bottle! Some days I ended up buying two bottles just for lunch, because it disappeared so fast.

It can’t compare to tea at home, of course, but it’s allright to pick up when you’re away from home and thirsty. It’s definitely one of my favourite bottled green teas in Japan, and possible to buy at almost every street corner from a beverage vending machine.

Slightly bitter taste, but try it along with a quick meal of (Tonkatsu) Curry Rice, and it’ll be great!