Hot black tea may be the ultimate make-anywhere beverage ¡ª what¡¯s easier to carry than a tea bag? But green tea is almost always made in Japan from loose tea, the leaves either dried for basic rokucha or powdered as matcha. This requires a small pot with a filter, or, at the least, a mesh strainer. As the centerpiece of the tea ceremony, matcha usually comes packaged in a pretty ¨C but not particularly pocket-friendly tin. Don¡¯t tell the nice lady who taught you about the traditional tea ceremony, but there¡¯s a movement afoot for tea that is shaken, not stirred.

Manufacturers at this year¡¯s international food trade show Foodex had a few solutions for making fresh green tea on the go. Green Tea Espresso, on shelves this spring, comes in six single-serving envelopes of intense powdered tea packaged in a plastic cup with a domed lid, a cross between a coffee cup and a martini shaker. Shake a packet of the powder with some milk and ice,?and you¡¯re good to go. ?Don¡¯t expect the syrupy green tea latte you find in convenience stores or coffee chains ¨C this stuff has a bitter kick. ¡°Just like only a small percentage of coffee drinkers like espresso, we only expect a small percentage of people who like green tea to like this,¡± said a rep as he whipped up a batch at Foodex. ¡°But those who like it, really like it.¡±

Karatsuya has another shake-and-go tea option that¡¯s a little milder. Despite the delicate sakura petals on the bottle, Marugoto Rokucha Benifuuki [whole leaf benifuuki tea] has just a touch of a chem-lab feel to it. It¡¯s a bottle of spring water from Kirishima in Kyushu with a dose of powdered green tea sealed into the cap. A strong twist releases the powder into the bottle. Shake and drink for dark, cold green tea that¡¯s always freshly made. The company claims that using the entire leaf doesn¡¯t waste the vitamins, fiber and allergy-fighting properties that get left behind in brewed tea. To combat hangovers, another type has liquid turmeric extract (ukon) in the lid.