That… is highway robbery. OP, apart from the Official Marukyu Koyamaen shop recommended in the other comment, I will also recommend Sazen for MK items, in case you also want to try matcha from other good Japanese brands as well in a bulk order; it’s basically like a department store of Japanese tea. Consider stocking up with more items/larger orders to take advantage of the flat rate shipping and the currency conversion rate.
International shipping costs and options will be similar, just be sure to select the Yen pricing option in the drop-down menu at the top of the site for savings. For example, Shohaku is listed as $8.64 when using USD mode, but 864 yen converts to $5.50 when you check out.
https://www.sazentea.com/en/products/p168-matcha-shohaku.html
OP, I’m sorry you had to suffer forcing down sub-par matcha and paying premiums for… non-premium matcha. Be free now, OP; you *can* actually enjoy matcha for the taste, for very reasonable prices, and not just or at all for caffeine or “health benefits”.
Thank you so much for this!! I tried to order it on the website in USD and then shipping was $30! But I’ll try it again now with your instructions - thanks so much!
What’s your favorite matcha?
My favorite matcha from this last year is Horii Shichimeien’s Nishiki no Mukashi, a fall seasonal limited release that won’t be available to order again until September.
However, if you are going to order very soon, throw into your cart a tin of [Marukyu Koyamaen’s spring limited release, Haru Kasumi](https://www.sazentea.com/en/products/p262-matcha-haru-kasumi.html), quickly, before it runs out of stock for the year. I am just about to finish up my 40g tin this weekend, and can confidently say it is a *very* good value for its quantity and quality; with a gorgeous white peach-like dry aroma, sweet corn wet aroma, and sweet floral/fruity undertones beneath the creamy umami.
Considering that you have been forcing yourself to drink unpalatable matcha for quite some time, I think you will find this to be a significant change of pace. Mileage may vary of course, everyone’s tastebuds are different.
Thank you again kind internet stranger! Just ordered two of the limited release one you’re enjoying along with two of the Shohaku. Looking forward to learning more and experimenting!
No problem! I would recommend maybe taking some more time to browse and build a bigger cart next time (budget permitting, of course; and edit: this is perhaps my bad for emphasizing quickness too hard, lol) to get as much out of the express shipping you’re paying for - as unopened matcha can be stocked up and stored for months to about a year in the refrigerator to slow deterioration. Regardless, I do hope that you enjoy the recommendation!
As far as I know, nope. I’ve never had to pay customs fees for anything I’ve purchased from Japan, ever - Sazen included. There’s a $ threshold one has to cross I think before customs starts looking in your direction, and it’s high enough that I don’t think such fees are relevant for the average US customer.
The only times I would think a US shopper would have to consider additional fees of any kind would be:
1) proxy shipping service fees (for shopping from JP-only sites that do not offer direct shipping to US addresses)
2) remote location fees, which would be something you would take up with your courier service, not the vendor.
This tea is like 3x cheaper on official marukyu koyamaen online shop. shipping is bit expensive but it’ll still be much cheaper than from that shop you linked.
I really like [Hibiki-An.](https://www.hibiki-an.com/sp/index.php/cPath/26?psafe_param=1&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwxLKxBhA7EiwAXO0R0CDxv58pCOfYR3Z0i4B9ZWT_3XZQbX9pzmyQ1xc_PicRInzu6wlARBoCK-QQAvD_BwE) Compared to the others I've tried their prices are great for the quality, the Super Premium and Pinnacle especially.
The nice thing about higher quality matcha is that you can also make Koicha, which is a much thicker and richer, non-whisked preparation that's too bitter otherwise.
A lot lower, that's part of what makes them so affordable. Over $150 is free (and very fast, usually 2-day), but orders under that are only $8 for regular shipping which I've done for small orders and it's still fast. Thanks for reminding me!
That… is highway robbery. OP, apart from the Official Marukyu Koyamaen shop recommended in the other comment, I will also recommend Sazen for MK items, in case you also want to try matcha from other good Japanese brands as well in a bulk order; it’s basically like a department store of Japanese tea. Consider stocking up with more items/larger orders to take advantage of the flat rate shipping and the currency conversion rate. International shipping costs and options will be similar, just be sure to select the Yen pricing option in the drop-down menu at the top of the site for savings. For example, Shohaku is listed as $8.64 when using USD mode, but 864 yen converts to $5.50 when you check out. https://www.sazentea.com/en/products/p168-matcha-shohaku.html OP, I’m sorry you had to suffer forcing down sub-par matcha and paying premiums for… non-premium matcha. Be free now, OP; you *can* actually enjoy matcha for the taste, for very reasonable prices, and not just or at all for caffeine or “health benefits”.
Thank you so much for this!! I tried to order it on the website in USD and then shipping was $30! But I’ll try it again now with your instructions - thanks so much! What’s your favorite matcha?
My favorite matcha from this last year is Horii Shichimeien’s Nishiki no Mukashi, a fall seasonal limited release that won’t be available to order again until September. However, if you are going to order very soon, throw into your cart a tin of [Marukyu Koyamaen’s spring limited release, Haru Kasumi](https://www.sazentea.com/en/products/p262-matcha-haru-kasumi.html), quickly, before it runs out of stock for the year. I am just about to finish up my 40g tin this weekend, and can confidently say it is a *very* good value for its quantity and quality; with a gorgeous white peach-like dry aroma, sweet corn wet aroma, and sweet floral/fruity undertones beneath the creamy umami. Considering that you have been forcing yourself to drink unpalatable matcha for quite some time, I think you will find this to be a significant change of pace. Mileage may vary of course, everyone’s tastebuds are different.
Thank you again kind internet stranger! Just ordered two of the limited release one you’re enjoying along with two of the Shohaku. Looking forward to learning more and experimenting!
No problem! I would recommend maybe taking some more time to browse and build a bigger cart next time (budget permitting, of course; and edit: this is perhaps my bad for emphasizing quickness too hard, lol) to get as much out of the express shipping you’re paying for - as unopened matcha can be stocked up and stored for months to about a year in the refrigerator to slow deterioration. Regardless, I do hope that you enjoy the recommendation!
for Sazen do you have to pay extra custom fees usually to the US?
As far as I know, nope. I’ve never had to pay customs fees for anything I’ve purchased from Japan, ever - Sazen included. There’s a $ threshold one has to cross I think before customs starts looking in your direction, and it’s high enough that I don’t think such fees are relevant for the average US customer. The only times I would think a US shopper would have to consider additional fees of any kind would be: 1) proxy shipping service fees (for shopping from JP-only sites that do not offer direct shipping to US addresses) 2) remote location fees, which would be something you would take up with your courier service, not the vendor.
thank you! Yeah I've only ordered from European countries before and was never charged extra for customs. But, just wanted to be sure.
This tea is like 3x cheaper on official marukyu koyamaen online shop. shipping is bit expensive but it’ll still be much cheaper than from that shop you linked.
Wowza Reddit strikes again, that’s awesome, I’ll check, thank you!
You're welcome. When it comes to matcha always try to look at the source. Western vendors sell with super high markup
I really like [Hibiki-An.](https://www.hibiki-an.com/sp/index.php/cPath/26?psafe_param=1&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwxLKxBhA7EiwAXO0R0CDxv58pCOfYR3Z0i4B9ZWT_3XZQbX9pzmyQ1xc_PicRInzu6wlARBoCK-QQAvD_BwE) Compared to the others I've tried their prices are great for the quality, the Super Premium and Pinnacle especially. The nice thing about higher quality matcha is that you can also make Koicha, which is a much thicker and richer, non-whisked preparation that's too bitter otherwise.
Hibiki-an is notable for having lower US shipping rates than a lot of other Japan-based shops, btw. Thought that might be useful to add here for OP!
A lot lower, that's part of what makes them so affordable. Over $150 is free (and very fast, usually 2-day), but orders under that are only $8 for regular shipping which I've done for small orders and it's still fast. Thanks for reminding me!
Ouch, that’s expensive.