Quality, variety, color and ambience are perhaps the four virtues that all cafés should strive for, and once experienced, the Green-8 Café of Shizuoka Prefecture surely ranks up there as one the best.
Run by young local tea farmers, the Green-8 Café boasts a selection of over 30 different tea varieties, each one mastered to bring out the best of the tea itself. The rich and vibrant colors of the teas are like a rainbow, bringing a joyful contrast with the tea fields in which the café is located.
After ordering at the café bar (all of which was built using recycled materials, furniture and driftwood), a short walk takes you to a floating private terrace, smack-bang in the center of the tea field from which the teas are made. I was amazed at just how fresh the tea-scented air was, and how easy it was to clear the mind. A perfect place to freshen up with a delicious iced tea after escaping the summer sun.
The main tea product here is called "Ryougouchi"「両河内」and can be blended into a variety of flavors. As much as I would recommend anyone to go to this café in person to enjoy it, you can also buy it at their online store.
The on-site café also has a small gift shop with some of the cutest tea products I have ever seen, perfect for any gift occasion (especially if you like cats, I mean, who doesn't like cats). The tea can be bought at multiple stages of the production line (from raw leaf thru finished product), making it easy to sample the large suite of different varieties. But wait, there's more! Additional to the teas on offer, you can also treat yourself to their wide selection of sweets that go down perfectly with the tea.
Needless to say, I'm a fan of Green-8 Café, and I hope you will be too.
Getting there
The cafe is about a 20-minute drive or taxi ride from Okitsu Station on the JR Tokaido Line, which in turn is a 17 minute train ride from JR Shizuoka station.
