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“Sooooo…. I definitely have back to close to 850 teas again…. D: Anyhow, this one’s from Hallieod via Sil! Sweet, roasty, and delicious! And now they’re taking the computer away…..” Read full tasting note
“Sipdown, 142. Another Sil sample! I don’t know if I’ve ever had a houjicha, so I am interested to try this one. I ended up looking up some steeping parameters from Den’s and roughly following them:...” Read full tasting note
“this was sent to me by Halieod a long while ago and it appears as though i haven’t had a chance to log it until now. I’ve had a number of cups of this, though its not always the first thing i...” Read full tasting note
“Sipdown #28 I saved the best for last. :) I have had my eye on this tea for a while, like around 6 months I think. Houjicha is one of my favorite teas, so I’m really looking forward to trying...” Read full tasting note
Our Organic Houjicha is certified by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries of Japan. They are grown with only natural organic fertilizers and no agricultural chemicals or pesticides.
Houjicha, also called Bancha, is made by roasting Sencha tea leaves over high heat. It is a brown tea with a toasted nutty flavor. Therefore, it is also easy for to try Japanese tea for the first time.
The first three processing steps of Houjicha tea leaves are the same as for Sencha: 1) Steaming, 2) Drying and Crumpling, and 3) Shaping. But to make Houjicha, the tea goes through one special additional step: 4) Roasting.
Like Sencha, tea leaves for Houjicha are grown with fully-flooded sunlight, so that Houjicha contains beneficial Catechin. And since Houjicha is pan-roasted, it is very low in caffeine. In Japan, Houjicha is commonly given to babies and people who are sick because it is both nourishing and low in caffeine. Besides, Houjicha is perfect for iced tea. It will cool you on a sizzling hot day.
The flavor is very smooth and the aroma lingers nicely for a while.
It is said that Houjicha grown specifically in Ujitawara, where Hibiki-an is located, has a particularly delightful aroma, even when compared with other Houjicha grown in the Kyoto region of Japan.
Also this Organic Houjicha is a good affordable everyday tea, and tea farmers drink large quantities of it every day. Houjicha is a source of health for farmers, and Japanese farmers are well-known for their good health.
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Sipdown, 142. Another Sil sample! I don’t know if I’ve ever had a houjicha, so I am interested to try this one. I ended up looking up some steeping parameters from Den’s and roughly following them: 1st steep, boiling for 30 seconds, second, boiling for 15 seconds, third, boiling for 30 seconds.
I was first hit by a roasty scent and a bit of spinachy aroma. This is an interesting tea… It’s roasty, but it’s vegetal. It’s not really like a roasty green oolong, which usually have a hint of floral notes. This isn’t totally my thing, for sure; I’m generally not much on roasty teas, and the intense bean/greens notes in this underneath the roast are also not hitting me right. I think if I wanted that combo of flavors I’d go with a traditional tieguanyin. But I’m glad I got to try this one out.
this was sent to me by Halieod a long while ago and it appears as though i haven’t had a chance to log it until now. I’ve had a number of cups of this, though its not always the first thing i reach for. What i like about this is that it’s a roasty taste, without being an oolong ;) I’m glad that i’ve had this one to try! Thanks Halieod!
Sipdown #28
I saved the best for last. :) I have had my eye on this tea for a while, like around 6 months I think. Houjicha is one of my favorite teas, so I’m really looking forward to trying this one from a new-to-me tea company. This is grown right in Japan! It doesn’t get any better than that. Thank you to Sil for sharing this sample!
Ohhhh, yes! The brewed tea aroma is intoxicating and instantly made my mouth water. The taste is a perfect roasted green tea flavor. It’s roasty toasty and delicious! I’ve had several different types of houjicha, and this one is particularly buttery. I don’t think I’ve encountered a buttery houjicha before. It’s really interesting and complements the roasted notes nicer than I would have thought.
I love the description of this tea: “Houjicha is a source of health for farmers, and Japanese farmers are well-known for their good health.” LOL! I didn’t know that! :P If you’ve never tried houjicha before, this is an excellent one to try. Its buttery notes are unique, but it still maintains the prefect roasted flavor that I would expect.
Houjicha is nothing like unroasted green tea (sencha, matcha, gunpowder, dragonwell, etc). It’s not grassy at all and instead can be quite nutty. I think this particular tea is less nutty because of the added buttery notes. Nevertheless, it’s a great representation of what roasted green tea has to offer: a tasty warming cuppa!
This is truly a delicious and special tea. I’m savoring every sip. Mmmm, yum! And now I know that Hibiki-an offers excellent quality teas. I’ll have to check them out further, and I’ll probably pick up more of this while I’m at it. ;) Thanks again, Sil!!!
Nope, I won’t be able to make myself like this tea, so I’m offering it up to anyone who wants it. I’m fairly certain this is a “good” houjicha, though I have little enough experience with it. Smelling this and my Lapsang explained it all – that’s smoky, woodfire-ish, even peaty. This is acrid. Doesn’t taste as bad as it smells, but not my cuppa.
If a few people would like to try, I’ll split it up, otherwise I’m happy to send it off around the world again. Please, someone(s), take me up on this offer! I got free shipping as it was part of a 3 packets of 100 g each deal, and the other two I love, so it’s all good.
if you want to set aside some of this for our swap that would be fine with me:) yours is on the way today by the way – was late getting to the post office on the weekend
Oh good, will do that! I saw you’d liked a houjicha, I think. Thank you again for the tea swap!
NP. as for houjicha, the one i tried seemed interesting enough that i’ll try a few more. It’s no black tea for sure but it wasn’t bad. And the girls here will happily take it off my hands if i drink a small cup and don’t enjoy it lol
I’ll take some off your hands too, if you still have any.
CHAroma – i’m pretty sure she sent the entire bag to me, though i did just dole out healthy amounts to Kittenna and Raritea. You and i can certainly do a swap at some time so i can send some your way. there’s no way i’ll finish off this bag soon :)
Okay cool, well let me know whenever you’re up for a swap. Thanks! :)
Great Canadian Travelling Tea Box (pt.1)
I had this tea Feb 3rd
Dry leaf: The leaves are brown and have a very nice and grassy scent.
Steeped: The water is a clear brown color and has a grassy scent. The taste of the tea is sooth, and has extremely subtle hints of lingering spice.
At least you’ll be set in the event of a zombie apocalypse. ;)
(X^D)