> They will sell me 100g of first cut shincha for $3-5 (in vacuum packed foil packages even!).
To put this in perspective for those unfamiliar with green teas: 100g of a good shincha in the US would cost at least 3x that much. For example, Upton's, my favorite specialty tea retailer who has good prices, will sell you an excellent shincha (88th Night Shincha https://secure.uptontea.com/store/item.asp?itemID=TJ87 ) but 100g will cost $34 - excluding S&H (~$5).
To put this in perspective for those unfamiliar with green teas: 100g of a good shincha in the US would cost at least 3x that much. For example, Upton's, my favorite specialty tea retailer who has good prices, will sell you an excellent shincha (88th Night Shincha https://secure.uptontea.com/store/item.asp?itemID=TJ87 ) but 100g will cost $34 - excluding S&H (~$5).