Last weekend, I decided to pick up Costco’s Kirkland brand of green tea.   It was surprisingly very good green tea.  The tasted reminded me of the green tea served at authentic Japanese sushi restaurants.

It turns out the teas are Japanese grown green tea and packed by Ito En.  According to Ito En, out of Japan’s 47 prefectures (provinces), there are only three major tea producing regions.  For a small island nation where space is a premium, growing tea must be something they cherish.

It is definitely good green tea.  Even when steeped for a long time, the green tea never gets bitter. It reminded of the green tea I got from Two Leaves and a Bud, but so much cheaper. Being that it was 100 bags for around $12. They are also available at Amazon for slightly more.

The tea is packed in flat nylon mesh bags. At first thought, maybe this contributed to the taste of better tasting tea.  As the material is suppose to encourage a better infusion. Many “gourmet” packaged tea have been using these nylon tea bags for the past decade.

The downside to the nylon bags is that it’s not biodegradable. And at the rate of 100 bags per customer, that’s a lot of nylon bags being thrown in the landfills.

I also don’t feel so safe (health wise) about exposing the nylon bags to the high temperature of my water.

Due to these reason, I can’t get myself to purchase the teas again.  I would suggest they change to tea bags made from natural fiber.  Even the cornstarch based mesh tea bags are biodegradable, but they are still made with GMO- based material.

Another thing that bothered me was the excessive packaging.  It may seem cleaner and easier when in office or restaurant settings, but it’s still too much package for my taste.

The folks over at Two Leaves and a Bud also do the same thing.  If anyone cares about the environment and the future of our planet, please reduce and recycle materials.

In the end, I think it’s best to just stick with loose leaf tea and brew it yourself.  Use a reusable tea filter or some kind of mesh.  Or use unbleached paper tea bags and fill them with your own teas.

A little more about the tea growing regions of Japan:

“Shizuoka, Kagoshima and Mie are the three major tea-producing regions. Shizuoka, located in the area between Mt. Fuji and the Pacific coast west of Tokyo, is Japan’s most prolific tea-growing region, accounting for over 40% of Japan’s commercial production each year.

Kagoshima, in southern Kyushu in the far southwest of Japan’s main archipelago, which produces about 20% of Japan’s tea.

Mie, in central Japan, famous for its long history of tea cultivation. Other important tea-growing regions include the areas of the ancient capitals—Nara and Kyoto—where Japanese Buddhism has its roots, and various parts of Kyushu, with its comparatively mild climes.”