Tested: Ito En Sencha Shot Green Tea

I like to keep an eye on all the crazy new energy drinks because sometimes you find something healthy. Today that something was a small can of green tea straight from Japan.

This is the Sencha Shot from Ito En, a premiere tea brewer in Japan. If the name didn’t give it away, the rock solid, steel can sure would have. This is not the can to try smashing on your forehead!

It actually reminded me of the Starbucks Double Shot Espresso can, which clues you in to the taste. In a word, it’s strong! This is the tea version of an espresso - strong, bitter, and a definite wake-up call! I guess that’s how they take it in Japan.

I wasn’t expecting something that was all-natural, unsweetened, and had 0 calories to be tasty, but I was still surprised at how “full-bodied” the flavor was. Some people call it “full-bodied” or “authentic,” but I have a more descriptive opinion…

I think it tastes like crap. Figuratively speaking, that is. Literally, it tastes (and smells) more like vomit. I couldn’t drink the whole thing (even though the can is only 6.4 ounces.) The terrible smell rising from the can sets the stage for a bitter green tea, which actually isn’t so bad once you’re drinking it.

Like I said, I couldn’t finish the can, so I let it sit overnight in the fridge. Then the horrid smell was gone the next morning. I was able to taste this “authentic Japanese green tea” which was interesting, but still on the bitter side. The taste actually seemed like I was chewing on raw tea leaves and branches out in the wilderness (except that I was sipping it from a can in the comfort of my living room.)

Moving on to the health benefits…

The highlight of this tea is that it contains 152 milligrams of catechin tea antioxidants. Epicatechin, epicatechingallate, epigallocatechin, and epigallocatechingallate, to be specific.

Surely the high concentration of antioxidants plus a day’s worth of Vitamin C is worth the bitter taste!

My final verdict is…

If you like to try exotic or just plain weird drinks, this could be for you. It could also be used as an espresso replacement for someone looking for a pick-me-up with more antioxidants.

If you like green tea as we drink it in America, though, steer clear of this.

Official site: www.itoen.com/sencha/

Buy it: Amazon.com

I almost bought these for Christmas gifts last year… for my enemies!

* It got a 4-star rating at Amazon.com, so some people must like this stuff.

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