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As this is my daily drink, I’m surprised to find a few changes in the latest batch I got in. There are fewer twigs than my last few 1-pound bags, and the tea appears a little darker roasted. The flavor, while not light, is a hint sweeter, too. To me this tea has plenty of that savory quality, umami.

I start my day with a teaspoon now, in a lidded, ceramic mug, loose. As I go through my day, I add another teaspoon or two, finishing at night with just hot water on the still flavorful leaves. While I dip into other teas quite a bit, this one is like a comfortable pair of slippers…always welcome.

Played with this at the office today. The soft water and low temp in our filter dispenser leaves me wanting…..so I used a boatload at a time, maybe 3 tablespoons, and drank and refilled my ceramic travel cup all day. It’s definitely not a palate elevating experience, but it’s not a distraction at work, either. And I rather like the harsh first cups, which help me brace for the morning onslaught.

This is a deeply sensual tea, aged to complexity, that can be steeped more than 20 times, and keeps on giving flavorful cups. It took a while for me to be able to get any decent flavor in this at home. If you try it, don’t give up. The water needs to be just off boiling, not cooled, and I steep no less than a tablespoon, mostly a bit more, at a time. Best in my smallest guywan.

This will do for the afternoon at work. I always think there is almost no caffeine in it, but then I don’t fall asleep on my commute from work, so there must be some.

I have tried all different ways of brewing and drinking this. The flavor I brought out was wonderful, but nothing like the depth and richness brewed into it by Imen, at Tea Habitat. I clearly haven’t learned to brew tea yet.

Brewed from water stored in a clay vessel, and into a clay water pot, over a small clay charcoal stove, into a teapot made from clay from the same region as the tea…..well, it creates a layer of flavor and depth to the tea that must be tasted to be believed.

Just finished 2 weeks of drinking this daily.

I found that with just a few leaves in my cup, I still really enjoyed this.

Hojicha is my favorite daily drinker. This one is just fine for the first thing in the morning. Great cuppa later in the afternoon, when thoughts move beyond the work day.