Oi Ocha - Tea, Please!

If I am guilty of one thing, it is that I have been neglecting certain aspects of my life. This blog being one of them, and a bottle of Oi Ocha (Tea Please!) Ito En brand green tea being the second.

This particular bottle which sits on my desk, staring at me in contempt while I write this post, has been living in my refrigerator door for about as long as I have neglected this blog.

I found this particular tea at my local supermarket and was pleasently surprise when I realized that Ito En brand Oi Ocha tastes nothing like any other mass-market tea that I have had.

The bottle's label states that it is "Japan's #1 Green Tea," and proper grammar not withstanding, this is very unlike any bottled American tea that I have had. Rightly so. Oi Ocha, which according to the company's website means "Tea Please!" is actually green tea matcha, one of the more unique forms of green tea and probably the most widely known.

Matcha is actually the same tea used in many Japanese tea ceremonies. It has a very bitter, almost grass-like taste, but is unusually crisp and refreshing. Unlike many processed green teas that we find here in America, it is in no way sweet. Though, I have found that that some matcha is actually supposed to be sweet and is used in many confections. Though both times I have had matcha in the past, both have had the same bitter, grass-like taste.

Although this tea might be a step outside of your comfort zone, I reccomend that you try it. If not for the experience, but to really taste and learn about matcha.

I know this post was short, but I must digress. . I want to make this blog a bit more fun. In doing so, I want to start a photo project about tea. I would like to hear your ideas, if you have any for a project that I could start using my camera.

If your curious, please feel free to go look at my Flickr account and check my previous photo work.