This is the Kirin Gogo no Kōcha Mottanai Tabechoku Fuji Apple Tea, featuring a black tea flavoured with 0.1% Fuji apple juice sourced equally from Nagano and Aomori prefectures. It forms part of Kirin’s Mottainai range, which embraces the “waste not, want not” philosophy by using fruit that does not meet commercial retail standards for sale as whole produce.
The beverage presented with a translucent golden hue. Aroma opened with soft, sweet Fuji apple notes supported by a light black tea fragrance.
Initial contact delivered crisp apple flavour with gentle acidity and mellow sweetness, accompanied by a light, clean body. Through the mid-palate, the apple developed into the fuller, juicy sweetness characteristic of Fuji apples, while the black tea remained in the background, providing structure and preventing the fruit from becoming overly sweet. The restrained tea base complemented rather than competed with the apple, maintaining a refreshing balance throughout.
Towards the finish, the apple gradually receded as the black tea became more prominent, contributing delicate fruity tannins and a mild dryness that added definition without lingering excessively. Aftertaste carried soft apple sweetness alongside clean black tea notes, leaving the palate refreshed.
Overall, a fruit-flavoured black tea with a layered flavour trajectory and a clean, well-integrated body, resulting in a balanced and refreshing expression of Fuji apple and black tea.
This Kirin Gogo no Kōcha Mottanai Tabechoku Fuji Apple Tea contained 400 mL. It was produced in Japan and purchased in Sydney, Australia in 2026.