Customer Reviews

Ito En Oi Ocha Japanese Green Tea, 16.9-Ounce Bottles (Pack of 12)

5 star:		(40)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Nothing against the prior reviewer who does not believe this is the original Oi Ocha, but I must say though...as a repeat buyer both of these 16.9 oz. bottles from Amazon as well as 2 liter imports straight from Japan, the two are identical. Every now and then I feel like having the stronger Oi Ocha Koi Aji (not sold by Amazon as of the time of this review), so I'm familiar with it as well. I've uploaded three photos, comparing the packaging, as well as closeups of exactly 1.0 fl. oz. of each. (The prior reviewer's pic has ice, no listed amount, and appears to be far darker than the Koi Aji he believes it is.) Hopefully, this will help folks decide for themselves...as for me, I'll just keep on drinking my favorite beverage.

On to the actual review...for informational purposes, most of the bottled "green tea" sold in the US is nothing like real green tea. It's essentially tea-flavored kool-aid, with ingredients that have no business being there. Do not expect Oi Ocha to taste anything like these beverages and you won't be disappointed.

Mellow and ever-so-slightly nutty, Oi Ocha's flavor is delicate, subtle, and amazingly refreshing. Drink it as cold as possible, and store unused portions in the refrigerator after opening. (Left out and oxidized, it turns dark and the taste goes bad. I have a theory that this is what the prior reviewer may have inadvertently done.) It doesn't have a single calorie, and contains 120% of your daily value of vitamin C per serving, but I don't drink it because it happens to be healthy...I drink it because it tastes so very, very good. Oi Ocha is the best.

Why oh why drink sugar-laden sodas or even aspartame-filled diet drinks when you can drink something that's tastey and natural as well as good for you? That's what this stuff is - good green tea in a bottle that is ready-to-drink. It's absolutely great when cold. (The taste is nutty and mild.) Best of all, it has ZERO calories. But to be honest, I don't drink this because of the lack of calories. I drink it because it tastes GOOD. Buy some and see why it's getting very popular - even among those who aren't dieting.

I've always loved tea in general and prefer to drink tea over most other things. My story starts last year when I vacationed in Hawaii. I stayed at my buddies house and we made a trip to Costco. One of the items that he picked up was a case of Ito En Green Tea in a can, yes I said can. Being that it is always hot in Hawaii I was excited about trying this drink.

We left the tea in his fridge over night and the next morning I opened my first can. It was surprisingly good. I would say it has a medium bodied taste that is very, very smooth. The colder it is, the better. I liked it so much, that's all I drank on my 2 week vacation. I actually drank so much, I had to keep going back to Costco to buy more.

Anyway, I come back to California and the first thing I do is go to Costco hoping they have this tea. Sadly, they don't carry any non-sweetened teas in the store. It became painfully obvious how much soda, juice and sweetened drinks everyone drinks around here. Since I am a huge Amazon user, I searched and found this version of the tea in a bottle. No cans to be found on Amazon. I was worried it might not taste as good, but ordered the case anyway.

To my relief, the plastic bottled version tastes just about as good as the can version. I've always preferred aluminum cans over plastic bottles, but I'll take what I can get. If the can version is a 10, then the plastic bottled version is a 9.5. I would say it has a very slight bitterness to it in the bottle.

Bottom line is, this is some really good tea and it's healthy for you. If you want an alternative to sodas, I would definitely recommend this product.

I have received multiple shipments of this item from Amazon (a subscribe and save item delivered every month), and they have all been great. The real deal, same as the bottles you get in Japan. Until my most recent shipment - sent out Oct 19, 2011. When I opened the package, the bottles looked different and it said Made in Thailand. Why has the product changed when the price I'm paying is the same? Bring the original Made in Japan bottles back before I order this item from Amazon again.

This is the #1 seller Tea in Japan while there are tons of tea options. so i think it says a lot. It's realllllyyy good tea, from a tea drinker's point of view. It has the good green tea flavors w every gulp of it, you can enjoy that. Since I love green tea's flavor so much, now I am so happy to see they now offer a "darker" Oi Ocha version, stronger little bitter flavor. It has a darker green packaging. i hope you enjoy this and would love to see this tea more places!

Number one in Japan .. and number one in my book

It is so great now I can save 15 % now and get it shipped automatically every month.

No more lugging it in from the car !!

ITO EN'S OI OCHA is the best green tea in the world. No sugar, no additives ... simply delicious, refreshing, healthy, iced green tea.

I always buy whenever I go to Japanese store. This product is from major tea manufacture in Japan.

When I first arrived in Osaka, I already had green tea, so I went on a quest to find a quality green tea in a bottle. That's when I discovered Itoen bottled teas. I love Itoen products because they offer a variety of unsweetened Asian teas like Mugi cha (barley tea), Jasmine tea, and Oolong, Lemongrass, and mint teas. I like all of them but Oi Ocha is my favorite. Yes, its easier to brew tea at home but in Osaka, I was always busy and running around so I wanted something that was good that I could pick up at any vending machine or convinence store.
Oi Ocha goes well with quick snack foods like Onigiri (rice balls) with sour plum inside or butaman (pork filled buns with Cantonese barbaqued pork inside aka Nikuman outside of the Kansai area.)
I am so glad that amazon is offering a 12-pack to buy. I usually take it with me to work because I drink tea and bottled water more than anything else. I used to drink Coke but the excessive sugar puts on the weight. I never had a problem with weight gain from tea drinking.
If you're looking for a quality bottled green tea, then try this one. Its great as an everyday green tea without any sugar.
Its has no calories or added colors or flavors either.
It gets me going in the morning better than coffee.
I hate bottled teas from Lipton, Snapple, and Arizona.

I've tried all the bottled iced teas available, and this is the one I like best. No sugar/sweeteners. No floral/fruit flavors. Just perfectly brewed green (sencha?) tea taste. Perfect for a hot, humid day in Seattle. Or any day you need a cool drink.