Ito En - Unsweetened Oi Ocha Dark Green Tea 16.9 Fl. Oz.

Arrives with minimum 11 months best by date plus always fresh flavor as I would expect to receive in Japan

This bold flavour is actually more flavorful than the regular from this company. It’s smoother and there’s no oily after taste like with the regular. I love these they are my guilty pleasure I wish they weren’t quite so expensive. It’s a real treat when I get them.

If you were to walk down a street in Tokyo, you would probably see at least one vending machine that has bottles of Ito En tea. I've deeply enjoyed my vacations in Japan, so having this stuff available at home in the U.S. is a daily way to evoke fond memories for me. That said, there are pros and cons you need to consider for yourself. A big pro to this kind of tea is that it contains zero sugar. My stomach can't handle sugary soft drinks anymore -- and I certainly don't need the calories -- so that's a very good thing for me. Another pro for me -- but maybe not for you -- is that this stuff has a nice little jolt of caffeine. If you're a coffee drinker, the caffeine is probably insignificant to you, but I only drink tea anyway. If you have hypertension, avoid this stuff like the plague. A con is that these bottles of tea are not organic products. That might not be a big deal to you, but I try to buy organic whenever possible. That's not really a priority for a big Japanese company like Ito En, though;this is a fairly industrial product, so don't go thinking there's anything particularly healthy about it. Another con along those lines is that I wouldn't doubt the plastic bottles contain a certain amount of BPA or other nasty stuff associated with polymer chemistry. I'm willing to take the hit out of nostalgia, but maybe you're not so foolhardy. Finally, there's the taste. That could be a pro or a con, depending on what you like. I've been a tea drinker since I was a teenager (many decades ago), and I particularly like Japanese green teas. This stuff is very processed and not what I would call high-grade tea -- it's sort of like the Coca Cola of teas. As I said, for me it's a tourist's taste of Tokyo. But if you're accustomed to sugar-laden American soft drinks, you might find this tea too bitter and astringent. The lack of sweetness and carbonation might be very off-putting for you children who think Mountain Dew is mother's milk.

Received a 12-pack recently of the dark flavor ("Bold Taste"/濃い味, with the dark green packaging), and I can confirm that the taste is exactly what I remember from having drunk way too many of these when traveling across Japan. If you're in the States like me, you need to be aware that we in America tend to want to put sugar in everything, and you might think that the green-tea-flavored sweet tea they sell at the store is how it's supposed to taste. THAT IS NOT GREEN TEA :) So yes, I can confirm this is the good stuff, and YES it is supposed to be bitter and strong, perfect for grabbing from the fridge on the way out the door on a hot summer's morning. They do have a kick to 'em - you should be aware the dark flavor has about 104 mg of caffeine, while the standard lighter-green bottles have 60 mg according to itoen.com, so lighter might be the way to go if you want to keep caffeine low. These are made in Taiwan and they are the same bottles you might find if you are lucky enough to have local convenience stores that stock these -- a surprising number of indy convenience stores in my area carry these. They charge about $2.50 normally, so you're saving about 80 cents a bottle getting it from Amazon instead. I did purchase it straight from Amazon instead of using a third party -- make sure it says "ships from and sold by Amazon.com." Who knows how Marketplace sellers might be handling it, especially given MK's review - I did not see any of those issues, no sedimentation or anything like that, and yes, I checked every bottle because that review freaked me out. If you DO experience issues, please make sure to mention the seller; that will help the rest of us know who to avoid. I can confirm that the ones I got that were sold by Amazon were fine, and I will continue getting them. A side note, if you're ever NOT in a rush and have time to really enjoy the tea, it is totally worth it to brew your own pot of green tea. Ito En makes several loose leaf varieties as well as tea bags, and I have yet to be disappointed by any of them.

Great Taste, Bold, and non sugary option