This is the comforting tea that a Japanese grandma would offer at the end of a long work day or in an easy going morning. Naturally sweet and almost impossible to over-steep, this is a very easy going tea with notes of roast rice and brown sugar. TEA INFO TYPE Green Tea ORIGIN Kirishima, Kagoshima, Japan GPS 31.7ºN 130.8ºE TASTING NOTES Roast Rice | Caramel GROWER The Hayashi Family WHAT IS HOJICHA? Hojicha (ほうじ茶, 焙じ茶) is Japanese style, roasted green tea. Unlike traditional green teas, which are typically steamed, hojicha leaves are roasted at high temperatures, giving them a unique, toasty flavor and a reddish-brown hue. This roasting process also (reportedly) reduces the caffeine content, making it a popular choice for evening tea drinkers. The kanji for hojicha is 焙じ茶, where 焙じ (houji) refers to the roasting process, and 茶 (cha) means tea. The earliest records of hojicha date back to 1920's Kyoto. BREWING GUIDE HOJICHA WATER 100℃ | 240ml (8oz) TEA 1 tbsp | 4g STEEP STYLE 90 seconds | multiple steeps EQUIPMENT Kyusu or glass teapot ABOUT THE GROWER Our friends in Kirishima are 5th generation farmers. Over 100 years ago, the first Hayashi brought tea seeds from Shizuoka Prefecture 静岡県 - the major green tea producer of Japan. Those trees are still alive now! And they make Zairai Fukamushi. In the 1950's, the Kirishima growers were pioneers in the use of pesticides. In the 1980's, they were the first farm in the region to go organic, and have remained so since. Having inherited a historical culture of tea cultivation and production, the current generation growers are nonetheless innovative and unorthodox. They experiment with non-traditional tea production, such as various single-cultivar sencha; matcha made of special samidori leaves; and green tea paste that tastes awesome in nitro.
