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Answerman - Do Japanese People Really Only Drink Green Tea?


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Brand



Joined: 30 Jan 2006
Posts: 1028
PostPosted: Fri Mar 03, 2017 1:14 pm Reply with quote
Also, cold Oolong tea can found in pretty much any drink vending machine (from at least what I could tell). And while it isn't exactly 'tea' per se barley tea is served in a lot of places.
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the green death



Joined: 28 Jul 2015
Posts: 128
PostPosted: Fri Mar 03, 2017 1:34 pm Reply with quote
I make a weekly visit to Lupicia, a Japanese tea shop and they sell tons of black tea. I'm drinking some now! Not a comment on the article as I'm sure the info is all correct, more a plug for Lupicia. If you're a tea drinker you can order online if you don't live near one. So good!!
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mgosdin



Joined: 17 Jul 2011
Posts: 1302
Location: Kissimmee, Florida, USA
PostPosted: Fri Mar 03, 2017 1:56 pm Reply with quote
I cut back on Sodas and started using various Teas some 20 years ago. Now I keep mainly to various "Green" Teas and Coffee, no sugary stuff thank you. We actually used barley tea when I was a kid along with sassafras tea, long before the FDA took exception to it.

I like the taste of Macha, but my kids refer to it as that "Killer" tea.

Mark Gosdin
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HeeroTX



Joined: 15 Jul 2002
Posts: 2046
Location: Austin, TX
PostPosted: Fri Mar 03, 2017 2:09 pm Reply with quote
Cold Barley Tea (aka "mugi cha") is actually often the drink of choice in the summer, and as Brand noted is often served (or otherwise available for free, aka from a dispenser) in many smaller restaurants. If anything, I'd say the US is more "limited" in its tea drinking since the most prevalent form is (unnamed) "iced tea".
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albanian



Joined: 18 Nov 2005
Posts: 133
Location: UK
PostPosted: Fri Mar 03, 2017 3:15 pm Reply with quote
Thank you for the very useful answer, Justin. I somehow knew you would be the one with the knowledge. As the temperature locally has dropped a bit recently I have found myself drinking quite a bit of genmaicha - though kabusecha is probably my favourite Japanese tea.

And speaking of grassy tastes, I particularly like the taste of the fermented Chinese tea, Imperial pu'erh, which gives the sensation of curling up in the corner of a garden on a warm summer's evening and having large quantities of freshly-mown grass cuttings poured over you...

...and ranks, in my personal opinion, with the smell of freshly baking apple and blackberry pie, or a 30+ year old Château Lafite Rothschild after it has been 'breathing' for three hours or so!!
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relyat08



Joined: 20 Mar 2013
Posts: 4125
Location: Northern Virginia
PostPosted: Fri Mar 03, 2017 3:20 pm Reply with quote
I'm curious if kombucha is popular in Japan at all. That's kind of the only "tea" like drink that I consume, and it has been gaining in popularity in the US just massively over the last 5 years(I was into before everyone else. Razz ) . Great stuff, but certainly not for everyone. Laughing
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Parsifal24





PostPosted: Fri Mar 03, 2017 3:22 pm Reply with quote
That was really informative never knew that there where so many different kinds of green tea I mostly drink coffee now and didn't drink either for years. At first because I never developed a taste for either than because I was Mormon for over four years and of course they don't drink tea or coffee for religious reasons. I honestly wouldn't know where to begin with green tea if I were to start drinking it.
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Paiprince



Joined: 21 Dec 2013
Posts: 593
PostPosted: Fri Mar 03, 2017 3:54 pm Reply with quote
D00dleB0Y wrote:
This is the dumbest question ever. Obviously Japanese drink more than just Green Tea. In fact, it's a bit racist to even phrase it in such a way. Poor context and very unfortunate.


Yep. Just one of those questions that sees Japanese people as this otherworldly, mystical race. Nevermind the fact that their love of Western culture also stems from their selection of choice. They consume tea from all over and even anime portrays Westaboos in the stereotypical Victorian tea party as one of their fetish fantasies.
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Zin5ki



Joined: 06 Jan 2008
Posts: 6680
Location: London, UK
PostPosted: Fri Mar 03, 2017 3:57 pm Reply with quote
In spite of my nationality I am not a tea drinker! Never did I quite gain a taste for it. While green tea in particular is certainly a healthful beverage, it never quite struck me as something with the capacity to refresh.

HeeroTX wrote:
Cold Barley Tea (aka "mugi cha") is actually often the drink of choice in the summer, and as Brand noted is often served (or otherwise available for free, aka from a dispenser) in many smaller restaurants.

Would you recommend unsweetened barley tea as a cold drink? It seems to be all the rage in anime, though my correspondences on the matter all seem to tell against it.
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Fenrin



Joined: 19 Dec 2015
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Location: SoCal
PostPosted: Fri Mar 03, 2017 4:19 pm Reply with quote
I drink a lot of honey-sweetened green tea (the cheap kind in boba tea drinks) but I've been wanting to ween off the sweetener and delve into high quality teas, what's a good tea for people who aren't used to the bitterness yet? What's the consensus on the quality of store bought teas?
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paperfanofdoom



Joined: 15 Mar 2013
Posts: 33
PostPosted: Fri Mar 03, 2017 4:22 pm Reply with quote
This feels as general a question as asking if the British only drink black tea or if Americans only like sweet tea. Green tea's the most popular and significant to Japan, but there's still black tea over there. Alot of them are bottled (usually either straight with multiple varieties, lemon, or Royal Milk as the article says), but cafe menus have a variety of black teas.

The main distinction though is that black tea seems to have a specific identifier with Western taste, so unless you're at a Western-inspired cafe or restaurant, there's less variety/availability of specific types of black tea.

Seems comparable to green tea in the States where, unless you search for it through Asian markets/restaurants or high-end supermarkets, you'll most likely stumble across whatever generic blend Twinings or Lipton has. It says "green tea", but doesn't tell you what kind. Trying to dig for sencha here after getting a taste for it is suffering.
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Brand



Joined: 30 Jan 2006
Posts: 1028
PostPosted: Fri Mar 03, 2017 4:34 pm Reply with quote
Zin5ki wrote:
Would you recommend unsweetened barley tea as a cold drink? It seems to be all the rage in anime, though my correspondences on the matter all seem to tell against it.


I had it both hot and cold while I was in Japan and I would say it is an acquired taste. And this is from someone who loves the 'earthy' (okay, it tastes like dirt, but the best dirt ever) Oolong tea. But I didn't think the barley tea was gross or anything it just has a very plant like taste.

Fenrin wrote:
I drink a lot of honey-sweetened green tea (the cheap kind in boba tea drinks) but I've been wanting to ween off the sweetener and delve into high quality teas, what's a good tea for people who aren't used to the bitterness yet? What's the consensus on the quality of store bought teas?


I'm a bit of a tea snob (not super hardcore though). If you are looking for good quality tea in a normal supermarket than Twinings is probably the best. If you live near a Wegmans then they have actually a pretty good line up for loose leaf tea for sale. I still like a lot of my teas with some sweetener. I'll use a packet of Stevia in a lot of black teas. I'd try something like a Jasmine or an Earl Grey tea because they will have a bit of a fruity/flowery taste which would help if you think tea is bitter.


Last edited by Brand on Fri Mar 03, 2017 9:19 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Randamo



Joined: 18 Dec 2014
Posts: 23
Location: Central Coast, Australia
PostPosted: Fri Mar 03, 2017 4:48 pm Reply with quote
Not really a tea, but last time I was in Japan in late May, cafes would sell Yuzu-cha, which is like a Yuzu jam with hot water. Very sweet and delicious.

If you go to the basement floors of shopping centres, where the fancy gift food is, they have all sorts of teas, including black teas/european style. And I'm certain I've seen cafes and hotels offer more than green tea.

I'm super lucky to have a specialty tea store that sells the different types of Japanese tea. There is a marked difference in all of them in taste.
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Mapmerry



Joined: 16 Aug 2015
Posts: 14
PostPosted: Fri Mar 03, 2017 5:00 pm Reply with quote
Fenrin for a less bitter but still has a bit of that green tea taste I'd recommend Watanabe black tea. It's like a half half between green and black tea in taste. Not sure where you would get it in America I get it from the gilded teapot UK site.
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Lactobacillus yogurti



Joined: 17 Aug 2011
Posts: 839
Location: Latin America
PostPosted: Fri Mar 03, 2017 6:01 pm Reply with quote
Zin5ki wrote:
In spite of my nationality I am not a tea drinker!


In that aspect, we're complete opposites. Despite where I'm from (South America... Not stating the exact place, though!), I can't stand the taste of coffee. It's too bitter/sour/strong for me, so I've been drinking tea since I was a teenage microbe. I'm not picky about flavors, mixes, etc, but right now, my preference is in a nice, robust green tea. I'm also drinking a cup of pu erh tea when I have some time to brew it in my office (I keep all my teas, my tea ball and my own mug in my locker), and I share my tea with my friends.

I'm not quite a connoisseur, but I love tea with all my nucleus.
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