Unsweetened Tea Beverage Day (Muto-cha Inryou no Hi)

What is Unsweetened Tea Beverage Day?

June 10th is "Unsweetened Tea Beverage Day" (Muto-cha Inryou no Hi) in Japan. The date comes from a play on numbers: "6" can be read as "mu" and "10" as "tou," together sounding like "mutou," meaning "sugar-free" or "unsweetened." The day was established by Ito En, a maker of unsweetened tea beverages such as green tea and barley tea, and was certified and registered by the Japan Anniversary Association. Its goal is to further promote unsweetened tea beverages at a time of growing interest in health.

The Birth and Growth of Unsweetened Tea Beverages

Bottled tea is taken for granted today, but the habit of buying tea to drink is actually fairly recent.

• 1980 — Canned oolong tea: Ito En began importing oolong tea leaves from China in 1979, and in 1980 launched what it calls the world's first canned oolong tea, opening up Japan's market for unsweetened beverages.
• 1985 — Canned sencha: In 1985, Ito En launched "Canned Sencha," the world's first canned green tea beverage, which it had developed in 1984.
• 1989 — "Oi Ocha": Partly because many people found the word "sencha" hard to read, the product was renamed "Oi Ocha."
• 1990 — Green tea in PET bottles: Ito En released the world's first green tea beverage in a PET bottle (1.5 liters), and in 1996 it obtained a patent for its "Natural Clear" method of producing bottled green tea.

Fun Facts About Unsweetened Tea

• Changing the idea that tea is free: In Japan, tea was long thought of as something served free of charge at restaurants and at home, and paying for tea was unusual.
• A challenge unique to clear bottles: Unlike cans, PET bottles show their contents, so the sediment that forms from green tea components became a problem. Ito En developed a method to remove it while keeping the tea's aroma and flavor.
• Other tea days: There are several tea-related days throughout the year, such as "Green Tea Day" around May 2 (Hachijū-hachiya) and "Japanese Tea Day" on October 31.

Enjoying Unsweetened Tea

Green tea contains catechins, which are believed to have antioxidant properties, and unsweetened tea is popular as a drink that goes well with meals. Use this day as an opportunity to reconsider your everyday drink choices. Whether it's tea from a bottle or carefully brewed in a teapot, take a moment to slowly savor a cup of unsweetened tea.