Gogo no Kocha (Afternoon Tea) and Its History

Gogo no Kocha (Go Go Tea) and Its History

Developed as a richly aromatic black tea that could be enjoyed by adults, Gogo no Kocha (Afternoon Tea) is widely adopted as the tea beverage of choice.  Since it first went on sale, Gogo no Kocha has continued to evolve through comprehensive marketing activities that go along with the changes in the times.  In 2010, Espresso Tea conceived from canned coffee was a big hit.  So, let’s trace the history of Gogo no Kocha that began with three young female employees.

I’m going to go buy some tea.

You want anything?

 “Gogo Tea” really hits the spot.

There’s also Espresso Tea.

Gogo no Kocha

1986

Kirin Brewery Head Office

When we put PET-bottled oolong tea on sale for the first time in the world, it had a huge reaction.  And, as you know, it gave rise to an oolong tea boom.

Marketing Department

In charge of Food and Soft Drink Planning

Taking advantage of this enthusiasm, we’ll develop a new tea beverage.

It seems that all kinds of tea beverages are already being marketed.

Black tea can still be further developed.

We already have “Ouity,” and other vendors are also marketing lots of canned tea drinks.

 

But they are all sweet.  It would be nice to have a real black tea drink.

I’d like you to think up a new product from the viewpoint of young women.

 

Certainly.

Tea can easily be prepared at home using tea bags.

Iced tea, not hot tea.

I mean iced black tea in a PET bottle.

 

It’s easy.  Let me handle it.

Production Department

See.

Thump

This is not black tea.

What!?

Black tea is clear when it is hot, but it becomes cloudy when it is cooled.  Iced black tea in a PET bottle has to retain a nice clear color even if cooled.

Huh?

The technology group researched every possibility, from tea leaves to extraction methods.  In time, the group developed a clear iced tea production method.

It’s a fine line between leaving some bitterness of the tea and preventing precipitation.

This will do!

What shall we name it?

Most brand names containing the word “tea” are already in use.

In England, there is the custom of afternoon tea.

Gogo no kocha would be a direct translation.

The Duchess of Bedford began the custom of afternoon tea during the 19th century.

Let’s use an image of her.

For the bottle design, I’d like to emphasize the red color of the tea.

1986

Gogo no Kocha Straight Tea went on sale.

The clear color of iced tea in a 1.5 liter PET bottle was conspicuous.  It became a big hit.

Later, a Gogo no Kocha canned version was introduced.  Other items in the series such as milk tea and lemon tea also made their appearance.  Sales grew quickly.

1994

Commercials featuring actress Kyoko Koizumi became popular.  An ad campaign where people could win a Koizumi Trunk became a topic of conversation.

“It has to be black tea.”

1996

When Gogo no Kocha in 500-milliliter PET bottles went on sale, their high portability quickly increased opportunities for people to drink black tea.

2003

With the use of pure water and more tea leaves, renewed and tastier Gogo no Kocha made its appearance.

Tea fit for adults.  It’s actually healthy.

However, when the tea beverage market became saturated, sales of Gogo no Kocha also peaked.

 

I want a new category of Gogo no Kocha.

Compared to coffee and sugarless tea drinks, the number of black tea drinks consumed per person is low.  There has to be another new way to enjoy black tea.

Get me Mr. Nishimura.

For 10 years, Nishimura had been in charge of developing canned coffee “Fire.”  He became the project leader for developing a new black tea drink.

People drink black tea to relax and coffee during breaks.  If we made tea rich and bitter in taste, people might also come to drink it during breaks like coffee.

Tea leaves get jammed in ordinary pressurized extractors.

We need to build a high-temperature, high pressure extractor exclusively for black tea.

How can we effectively extract the high-quality bitterness of tea leaves?

The laboratory repeatedly tried different blends at the extractors in the factory.

February 2010

Gogo no Kocha Espresso Tea went on sale.

It’s a big hit with its bitter, rich taste.  I never thought that tea would have such a deep, rich taste.

Kirin Beverage has been developing and manufacturing Gogo no Kocha since 1991.

 

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