Happy Holiday

Holiday Gift Sale

Get 10 % off on wonderful holiday gifts. SÁ offers varieties of green tea gift sets during holiday season. Visit our website and choose a warm gift for your loved ones!

Click picture below to access.

After Thanksgiving BIG SALE

SA Japanese Green Tea is offering After Thanksgiving Sale.

The Selected items are 30 % OFF.

Start on 11/26/10 at 12 am to 11/30/10 at 11:59pm for a limited time only.

This is a great chance to buy SA green tea!

Click the picture below and get great deals!

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Tea of the Month: Sen Cha Tea-Pac

Tea of the month of November is Sen Cha.

Sen Cha is made of young tea leafs only. This is the most common green tea in Japan.

Sen Cha has been Japan's favorite green tea. You can enjoy the balance of sweetness and bitterness.

All the selections are tea bag.

What is the beneficial of tea bag?

Green tea is not fermented resulting in quick oxidation when exposed to Air, Light, Humidity or Heat.Oxidation causes the loss of flavor and many of the natural health benefits green tea. In order to prevent odor transfer, our tea bag is used polyester mesh tea bags unlike paper or nylon tea bags.Each package is filled and sealed with Nitrogen to remove oxygen that cause oxidation. Therefore, each time you open one of our Tea-Pac package, you are getting the world's best green tea as a fresh!!

All of selections are available on our website.

It is time to try Sen Cha and purchase online.

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Item Code

Sen Cha Tea-pac(18 count): S 18TP

Sen Cha pyramid Teabag(20 Teabags): 2-S20TB

Sen Cha Tea-Pac(100 count): S100TP

What's in common in these pictures?

Take a look of these photos. Can you guess what's in common in them?



Green tea!
If you guessed it right, you are a green tea savvy.

Believe it or not, they are all green tea products. The bag, purse, and shoes were dyed with green tea. It gives nice earth-tone brown color.
Body-wash towel, soap, mouthwash and socks were made for more of anti-odor purposes, because catechin in green tea is powerful antioxidant and help prevent odor.
True or not, you be the judge.

Discover the new taste#3

What is your plan for Halloween?

Why don't you bake and enjoy new taste?

Here is the one of the option to make your Halloween memorable. Discover new taste of cheese cake with green tea taste!

Green tea cheesecake

-Cream Cheese 250g

-Whip Cream 200ml

-2 eggs

-Sugar 90g

-Flower 30g

-Sen Cha powder( Match powder) 80g

1. Put cream cheese into microwave and make it soften about 30 sec to 1 min
2. Add sugar and mix well with cream cheese in the ball
3. Add eggs one by one and mix well
4. Add Sen Cha powder( Match powder) and flower then mix well again
5. Pour whip cream little by little and mix well
6. Bake cheese cake at 180-degree oven for 30 to 40 mins

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Enjoy new taste of green tea!

What Do You Think About Green Tea Cola?

You might have already heard Green Tea Coke has hit the Japanese market in 2009. Coca Cola Japan said it is enriched with green tea and good for health and beauty. It looks just like regular coke but it definitely made me wonder how it taste like.


Here's another green tea fusion beverage from the green tea mecca, Shizuoka prefecture, Japan. It is called "Shizuoka Cola" literally.



Yay! The color of this beverage does not disappoint me. The manufacturer of this very unique cola, Kimura Beverage Company, said that they wanted to create cola that goes well with Japanese food. It seems they put lots of thoughts into the balance of cola flavor and green tea flavor. It took them five years in planning and one year for product development. Too bad, Shizuoka Cola is only available in Shizuoka.

Business Trip to NYC

At the beginning of September, I went to NYC to see some of our customers. It had been 6 months since I visited NYC last time and I finally had a chance to walk around the city this time.

One of the highlights of this trip was visiting Rheon Cafe, one of our important customers. They are making green tea ring cakes, and these are so yummy. If you live in Manhattan, you should go and try the cake.

Discovery the new taste #2

Trick or Treat! Have you decided what you will do on Halloween? Some of you may have decided what costumes to wear or what to cook for party.

Today,I would like to share the green tea cocktail ,which will be good for any occasions.

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Green tea Cocktail

• A cup of Sen Cha or Hoji Cha( as you like)
• About 7oz of Plum wine

Shake well with ice cube as you like. Put the mint on the cocktail.

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I used this Hoji Cha, which is 10% off for October's tea of the month. Hoji Cha enhances robust flavor that blends well with plum wine. Sen Cha makes cocktail light and refreshing flavor.

Try New taste!!

Announce the prize winner

Thank you for coming Northwest Tea festival. It was wonderful time to meet all of you.

Hope you had a great time at the event.

Personally, it was a first time to attend this event as a member of Sugimoto Americaone, I was really surprised that people were knowledgeable about teas well.

Even though I am from Japan and I raised up with green tea because my grand parents drinks green tea a lot,I barely can tell the taste of green tea.

Surprisingly, some kids liked to drink green tea because I didn't really like the taste when I was a little girl. Now, Green tea is well known as healthy beverages and green tea consumers are increasing much more than before. Since many people know the taste of teas and how to enjoy the tea, I am encouraged to learn different tastes of flavor.

Through this event, I learned how to brew the tasty tea.

I would like to share how to brew a tasty tea.

1).Put 1 tea spoon of tea and two third of boiled water in the pot.

2).Brew 10 seconds and pour little by little.

3). pour very last drop as well

The reason why last drop needs to be poured is it has the most intense flavor.

This process made the taste of tea so much better than how I used to brew.

I recommend all of you to try.

Now, I have an announcement!

As we mentioned, we hold a lottery to determine 3 winners of the applicants.

There are 144 applicants for this prize.

The winners are selected in a lucky draw.

Congratulation to you!!!!!

1. Mike Buerdia (Gift Set)

2. Geneva Neulbauer (SA mag cup)

3. Anne Gariel (Greeting Card Set-three flavor is included;Sen Cha, Hoji Cha, and Genmai Cha)

We will ship prize to you within a couple of days.

We appreciate your participation.

The Reason Why I Love Hoji Cha

I have been a fan of Hoji Cha since I was a little girl. Maybe it's because Hoji Cha was the first green tea my mom gave me. Hoji Cha is roasted green tea and known for its very low caffeine. In Japan pediatricians recommend Hoji Cha for babies. 　　Surprised?

Golden brown color, nice toasty flavor, calming aroma... ahhhh never get tired of Hoji Cha. What's interesting about this green tea is that it tastes delicious with cream and sugar. Just like black tea, it can be enjoyed as "Milk Tea". My kids LOVE Hoji Cha milk tea. I use loose leaf and brew it VERY thick and add a hint of cream and sugar.



Majority brands of Hoji Cha is made of tea leaves. SA Hoji Cha is made of mainly young twigs. Twigs have more sweetness than tea leaves. Tea Maestro Sugimoto's well-honed roasting technique beautifully crafts Hoji Cha.

Now Hoji Cha is the Tea of the Month. Don't miss out this offer!

by Hiroko

Say Teaaaa

It's World Smile Day this month.
A smile is one of the most obvious and effective methods of non-verbal communication. Your warm smile might brighten up someone's heart, bring positive attitude to your workplace, make people want to know about you, and simply you feel good.
Use the power of smile and be happy!

Smiles are everywhere. Even teas are smiling today.

by Hiroko

Tea of the month: Hoji Cha Loose Leaf

Tea of the month for October is "Hoji Cha Loose Leaf"

The selected Hoji Cha loose leafs are available on the website

http://www.sugimotousa.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=SU&Category_Code=HC9

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The item numbers on the website

• H30 L
• 2-H57
• H220L

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A robust and bold full-bodies tea. Hoji Cha is roasted giving it a distinctive character.

Golden brown color and low caffeine content make it appealing to tea drinkers of all ages.

Selected Hoji Cha is 10 % off in this month.

Don't miss this valuable chance.

The History of Tea.

Deep Flavor, Deep Story

Believe it or not, the origin of green tea can be traced back to 5000 years ago in China.

An herbalist, whose “study” has become the foundation of today’s Chinese Medicine, travelled across the land and sampled countless wild grass and leaves to study their effectiveness on human body. He was often poisoned and ate green tea leaves as antidotes for those poisons.

Green tea as antidotes?!

Interesting, huh? I find this story very amusing because it really depicts the nature of green tea. Today we drink green tea as a beverage because we love the flavor and we know it’s good for our health. But this story tells us more than we thought we know.

It is said that green tea was introduced to Japan in the 7^th century. Tea culture flourished as drinking tea was embraced by the samurai class and became their noble hobby. A whole sub-culture of teapots, tea cups, art and manner developed. After the war, green tea industry supported Japan’s economy by exporting overseas. Japan’s history is inseparably-tied to green tea.

Today in the states, green tea has been increasingly popular as it receives growing attention. Just like sushi and tofu have been adopted into their diet, there’s no doubt that green tea will be commonly enjoyed in their everyday life. Tea culture of the next millennium may be taking root in the United States. Who knows?

Discover the new taste

Summer is over in Seattle and It seems like rainy season is around the corner.

It gets easy to be tired to stay at home this season. To enjoy this season, why don't you start discovering the new taste of green tea together?

There are so many ways to enjoy green tea not only for drinking but also for cooking, baking and etc.

Today, I would love to introduce you a easy unique recipe with "Green tea powder".

You might be tired of same breakfast everyday, right?

Here is your new solution!

1. Green tea toast

*Bread----------1 slice

*Sen Cha tea powder---2 tbsp

*Butter or Margarine--as you want

1). Toast a slice of your bread

2). Spread butter or margarine as you like

3). Sprinkle Sen Cha tea powder

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I used this Sen Cha powder which is available on the website, Sugimoto America. Sen Cha is now 10 % off.

• Easy & Quick
• Versatile application
• Rich in anti-oxidant
• No teabag, eco-friendly

Just mix the powder with hot/cold water and enjoy it.

Hope you enjoy this easy green tea toast. I will upload as many as recipe I can. Also, I would be really happy to share your own recipe with green tea series, Why don't we get started together and share the recipe?

Let's discover the new recipe of green tea.

I look forward to hearing from all of you!

Tea of the Month: Sen Cha

Tea of the month for September is Sen Cha

For over three centuries Sen Cha has been Japan's favorite green tea. Sen Cha is a premium tea renowned fore its balance of sweetness and bitterness.
All Sen Cha is 10 % off in this month.

Enjoy this delicious traditional Japanese green tea.

Green Tea Facial Pack

One of our customers in Colombia asked me yesterday if he can use our Sencha Powder to make a facial pack. The answer is "YES." Green tea has many properties which are good for our skin.

1. Catechin: Strong antioxidative effect (fighting to active oxygen causing aging process), Antibacterial effect
2. Vitamin E: "Anti-aging vitamin"
3. Vitamin C: Helping synthesis of collagen

--How to make green tea facial pack--

1. Mix one third of Sencha powder and two third of flour
2. Add water bit by bit until it becomes thick paste
3. Put the paste on your skin and wait 10 minutes*
4. Wash out the paste with warm water

*Please do skin patch test before use

OR, you can use Sen Cha teabag for facial massage. Even after steeping, many of properties are remained in tea leaves. The teabag massage makes your skin clean and smooth.

Tea of the Month: Genmai Cha

Auguest's Tea of the Month is Genmai Cha.

Genmai Cha is an aromatic rich blend of roasted brown rice and storn-milled Matcha powder. Our Genmai Cha was selected as the best flavored/blended green tea at the World Tea Championship 2008. Experience the difference.

Please refer to our website for more information.

Caffeine in Green Tea

As you may know, green tea has caffeine just like coffee. Some people are very sensitive to caffeine and never eat/drink anything contains caffeine. However, I'd like to recommend all of you to drink green tea everyday even if you are super-caffeine-sensitive person.

Depending on season of the harvest, green tea leaves contain 1.6 - 3.5% caffeine. What does it mean? Let's say 2.5 grams of tea leaves are in a teabag and steep the teabag in 8 oz. hot water. In the 2.5 grams of tea leaves, there is 40 - 88 milligrams of caffeine, but not all of them are extracted into the water. In the first 90 seconds, less than 50% of the caffeine come out, so in the 8 oz. water, there is only 20 - 44 milligrams of caffeine. (In the FDA website, I found 100 - 200 milligrams of caffeine is moderate and not farmful.) Additionally, green tea has theanine which is unique amino acid almost exclusively found in green tea. Theanine counteracts to caffeine and reduce the caffeine's alerting influence.

Caffeine is not always bad guy. Do you know what caffeine does for you? Caffine accelerates metabolism and helps you to loose weight. Many people say "green tea help to loose weight," and caffeine is highly related to this benefit. Caffeine also has awakening effect which sometime bother you in night time but usually help you to focus on your work or study. Some studies in Japan say combination of caffeine and theanine bring you the ideal relaxation. Caffeine counteracts to drowsiness, and theanine reduces mental stress.

Everything, even water, can be harmful if you take too much. Moderate amount of caffeine will help you to be healthy. Many Japanese drink a cup of green tea after every meal, and this is the reason they live longer.

Tea of the Month: Hoji Cha

We, SUGIMOTO AMERICA, start offering "Tea of the Month." Every month, we choose one of our teas and apply 10% discount for the tea.

For this month, I chose Hoji Cha because Hoji Cha is best when chilled. As blogged before, iced Hoji Cha is my favorite, and it's always in my fridge during summer time. Enjoy your summer!

Bulk Tea Selection

As I mentioned before, my company started offering 8 kinds of bulk tea leaves, 3 kinds of bulk large teabag, and 3 kinds of green tea powder from the World Tea Expo. Since I blogged about it, we have received many inquiries about these teas, and now these teas are available in our online store.

For the person who is not familiar to these Japanese green teas, we offer 3 kinds of samplers.

Bulk Sampler A
1. Sen Cha (Fukamushi)
2. Sen Cha Premium
3. Ban Cha
4. Kona Cha

These 4 teas have pure green flavor and loved by Japanese for centuries. If you prefer strong, green, pure flavor, this sampler is worth trying.

Bulk Sampler B

1. Kuki Cha
2. Hoji Cha
3. Genmai Cha (without Matcha)
4. Genmai Cha with Matcha

These teas are also traditional green teas in Japan and have very unique flavor. If you are tired of plain green tea, this sampler will let you find another world of green tea.


Powder Sampler
1. Sencha Powder
2. Hojicha Powder
3. Genmaicha Powder

These powder green tea can be used as healthy ingredients for your cooking. Please find your original recipe by using these powder.

If you have any question about these teas, please feel free to contact us.

Iced Hoji Cha

Finally, summer came to Seattle. It's about 80 degree now, and the bright sunshine shines in through the window. From my office, I could see many people eating lunch out today.

Traditionally many Japanese drink barley tea during summer. Because it is caffeine free, many parents let their children drink barley tea. So did my mother.

Today, I love to drink iced Hoji Cha. Its taste is very similar to barley tea, but Hoji Cha has more smoky flavor. Also, Hoji Cha has catechin, which many studies showed its health benefits, so I can say iced Hoji Cha is healthier than barley tea.

It's very easy to make iced Hoji Cha - just make strong hot Hoji Cha and put ice cubes in a cup. Or, if you would like to brew Hoji Cha with cold water, please use a little bit more leaves than usual and steep for 5 minutes. Cold-brew Hoji Cha has much sweeter than hot-brew Hoji Cha because theanin (sweetness) is extracted more than tannin (bitterness) in cold water. Our website has a little bit more information about the balance of theanin and tannin (please refer the "water temperature" section).

Seattle's summer is short. I will enjoy it with iced Hoji Cha!

World Tea Expo 2010

World Tea Expo 2010 was held from June 11 to 13 at Las Vegas Convention Center. First of all, I want to thank all the customers who came to our booth. We received many valuable feedback from our customers, and we are sure that these feedback will help us to improve our tea quality and service. It was our 3rd consecutive year to have a booth at this show, and we were very pleased that many of the attendees already recognized our company as a quality tea supplier.

This year, the Tea Maestro and his wife (my father and mother) came to help me. My father had talked with many customers and explained about his teas, and my mother had prepared more than 800 cups of tea samples for 3 days. It was great chance even for me to listen what my father talked about his teas and also see how my mother brewed each tea respectively.

From this show, we started offering 8 kinds of bulk loose leaf for customers such as tea houses, cafes, restaurants, and hotels. All of the teas were traditional green teas in Japan, but some teas were quite new for here in the U.S. As a Japanese tea specialist, we would like to continue to introduce unique Japanese teas for American tea enthusiasts!

For inquiry regarding to the bulk loose leaf, please contact us.

World Tea Expo 2010 is just around the corner.

World Tea Expo 2010 will be held from this Friday until Sunday. This year, our tea maker, Tea Maestro Sugimoto, will come to help us from Japan. If you are coming to the show, please stop by our booth #529 to talk with him. This is a great chance to learn about Japanese tea from the Tea Maestro.

For more information about World Tea Expo, please visit their website.

Temomi Shincha 2010 Brewing

Today, I finally had a time to brew my own Temomi Shincha. Temomi Shincha is once-a-year enjoyment for me and lets me remember fond memory of my grandfather. When I was working for my father's tea factory, my mother occasionally made Temomi Cha just for fun. She sometime shared the tea with my grandfather, and he was delighted with it. Every time he drank Temomi Cha, he said "Kyohei, this is the tea I drank when I was kids. It is delicious!!"

The following is the way I enjoyed Temomi Shincha 2010.

I didn't have a special tea pot for Temomi Cha, so I used a regular 12 oz. tea pot. To be honest, this tea pot was too large for brewing Temomi Cha properly.

For the 1st infusion, I used 100F water and steeped for 3 minute.

After 3 minutes, tea leaves were partially opened, so I waited extra minute.





After a minute (total 4 minutes), I poured the tea little by little into 2 cups. *Remember the last drop is the most flavorful, so make sure no water remains in your pot.

For 2nd infusion, I used 130F water and steeped for a minute.

In the 2nd infusion, we could enjoy much more astringency than the 1st infusion. This was because most of the sweetness (amino acid) in the leaves had been extracted into the 1st infusion.

After the 2nd infusion, tea leaves were completely opened and changed back into whole leaf. Of course, we could enjoy 3rd infusion, 4th infusion, or more.


If you see the open leaves closely, you can see how suavely my mother kneaded the leaves. Surface of the leaves are so beautiful, and there is no damage on it.

I made Temomi Salad, too. After the 3rd infusion, I steeped the leaves in boiling water for more than 5 minutes. This took bitterness out from the leaves and made the salad smooth taste.

As a salad dressing, I recommend a little bit soy source and vinegar. It may surprise you to know how chewy the leaves are.

Enjoy!