Kids Web Japan

The world's first canned green tea (ITO EN Ltd.)

Green tea is a traditional drink with deep roots in Japanese culture. "Shall I make some tea?" is a question often heard in Japan both at home and at work. Green tea is a popular drink just after a meal or whenever people feel like taking a break. People usually drink green tea hot. The tea is made by boiling water in a kettle, putting the tea leaves into a small teapot, then pouring the hot water into the pot. The tea is then poured into teacups.

The first company to make and sell a canned version of this traditional Japanese drink was Ito En Ltd., a drinks manufacturer based in Tokyo. At the time, Ito En Ltd. was already selling canned oolong tea, which it had introduced in 1981. Ito En Ltd. was the first company in the world to sell oolong tea in a can. (Oolong tea is a brown unsweetened tea.) Until the introduction of oolong tea, canned drinks had always contained sugar and had tasted very sweet. Ito En's oolong tea was the first canned tea that contained no sugar and did not taste sweet.

It was thought to be impossible, however, to make canned green tea, because green tea needs to be freshly made in order to taste good and be good for you. When green tea is left standing overnight, it takes on a bad taste, and certain substances in the tea leaves undergo changes that make them irritate people's stomachs. Green tea is a very delicate beverage.

Today green tea comes in both cans and plastic bottles. (ITO EN Ltd.)

But Ito En was determined to offer green tea in a can. In order to preserve the natural fragrance and flavor of the tea, the company decided not to use any artificial additives. Instead, it developed a new technology that involved injecting nitrogen gas into the tea in order to remove any oxygen. (Oxygen is what causes the tea to change when it is left standing.) By doing this, Ito En succeeded in producing a canned green tea in 1985.

It took a while for canned green tea to catch on. Green tea is traditionally served free with meals at restaurants, and people were not used to the idea of buying green tea in readymade form to drink outside the home. However, Ito En's green tea started to become more popular in 1989, when the company gave the product the name Oi O-cha! (Gimme Tea!).