Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green, Dark Roast
Where to Buy: Mauna Key Tea
Tea Description:
Selectively harvested for naturally low caffeine contents.
We processed and roasted to make this tea good hot or cold tea. Naturally sweet. Easy to prepare and easy to drink without adding sugar. One sample package (10g) makes 2qt of tea.Organically grown at our farm in Hawaii.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This dark roasted organic green tea has a lovely aroma and flavor much like that of a genmaicha.
It has a deep roasted flavor, with a sweet finish.
Mauna Key Tea has a page that explains how roasting effects the flavors of a green tea here.
One cool aspect of Mauna Key Tea’s website is that it allows for you to select your roasting depth. Light, or Dark on this tea.
I have found this to make quite a nice tea, iced or hot, and just as the description states, you really need not add any sugar or sweeteners. It has such a pleasant naturally sweetened flavor.
There is a toasty roast-y depth to it – not quite a smoked flavor, and nothing near a lapsang souchong type smoke, but just this nice toasty note.
There is a vegetal note but it is different than most greens. It reminds me of when I caramelize veggies on the stove top, or when my asparagus gets slightly browned.
The leaf itself looks like Yerba Mate in my opinion. Little flakes of leaf. Like confetti almost. Haha tea confetti can be thrown at my parties anytime!
I keep asking myself if it would be fair to compare this to a houjicha but I can’t say that it would. It still to me is lighter than houjicha and not nearly as deep in flavor notes.
This could, I suppose, be called a lighter houjicha but even still that is not quite correct.
Truly this is one you will have to try for yourself. I can see this would not be to everyone’s liking but for any true green tea lover it is a must try!
Also be sure to check out their page on Natural Farming here.
Houjicha (Smoky Roast) from Kyoto Obubu Tea Plantations
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green Tea
Where to Buy: Kyoto Obubu Tea Plantations
Product Description:
Roasted green tea, or Houjicha (ほうじ茶 sometimes 焙じ茶), is unlike any green tea you’ve tasted before. With a richly smokey flavor that is simultaneously light and sweet, houjicha has none of the bitterness of traditional green teas. And like decaf coffee, the roasting process removes the caffeine from the leaves making it the perfect after dinner / before bed drink.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This is my third and final tea from the December “Steep for Japan” Steepster Select box … yes I am a little behind this month! It was the 12 Day countdown with 52Teas that did it to me! But at least I am indeed tasting and reviewing it in the month of December, right?
The idea of this box was to celebrate the teas from Japan, and I think that the varieties offered in the box showed three very different types of tea from one very small country – all unique and very delicious reflections of a country that endured some pretty rough times this past year.
I’ve tried a couple of different Houjicha teas from Kyoto Obubu Tea Plantations, including the Organic Houjicha and their Houjicha Dark Roast. And I must say that even though they are all Houjicha, each possess their own unique qualities depending upon how they are grown and processed.
This Smoky Roast Houjicha is indeed smoky. The other Houjicha teas tend to have a smoky element to them due to the roasting process, but, here, the smoke is very well defined. It is evident in the aroma of the dry leaf and brewed liquor, and it is especially evident in the flavor. That being said, I wouldn’t call it overly smoky (this is no Lapsang Souchong). I like the level of smokiness to this Houjicha; it’s not too smoky for my palate, and I like that it does not overwhelm the other notes in the cup.
This tea is smooth and pleasantly sweet, reminding me a bit of caramel and I like the way the caramel-like notes meld with the smoky tones. A complimentary wood note fills in the background, providing a well-rounded flavor. It has very little astringency, and it is not bitter. Just a very enjoyable and relaxing cup!
As as it cools the flavors remain pleasantly warm and agreeable. The effect is something I’d liken to a soft, cozy blanket or fuzzy slippers; I get that kind of warm, comfortable sensation from this tea. Very nice, indeed!
ITFA Global Tea Taster’s Club, August Shipment, Part 2: Organic Houjicha
Leaf Type: Green
Produced for the Kyoto Obubu Tea Plantations
For More Information, visit the Tea Farms webpage
About ITFA Global Tea Tasters Club:
By subscribing to the Global Tea Tasters Club, you will receive tea from ITFA tea farms 6 times per year. Each time, we will select a different region to feature and as we grow in tea farm members, so will your tea experience.
Your tea will also be accompanied by info about the tea and the tea farms themselves.
To know where your tea is coming from, who has grown and produced it, to taste the difference in teas from around the world…what could be better?
Taster’s Review:
I know that I’ve said it before: I love Houjicha (or Hojicha, as it is sometimes called). I love the roasty-toasty flavor of it, and the sweet, honey caramel notes. It’s one of those teas that really remind me of autumn.
And this is quite possibly the best Houjicha tea that I’ve ever tasted. Yes, it’s sweet and roasty-toasty, with a very pleasant nutty flavor. But there is something more to this one, something that I don’t always experience with Houjicha. And that’s the creamy note that I’m tasting now. Sweet and almost milky.
According to the information that is included with the teas in the Global Tea Taster’s Club package, this particular Houjicha was harvested in June of this year. That’s roughly about three months ago! I have to believe that it is the freshness of this Houjicha that makes it stand out above the rest … and the fact that it is organically grown doesn’t hurt either.
I am so happy with this August shipment of teas from the ITFA Global Tea Taster’s Club (and it makes me wonder what is in store for us for October!) If you love tea – you’ve gotta sign up! You’ll be glad you did.
Houjicha – Dark Roast from Kyoto Obubu Tea Plantations
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Kyoto Obubu Tea Plantations
Company Description:
Roasted green tea, or Houjicha is unlike any green tea you’ve tasted before. With a richly smokey flavor that is simultaneously light and sweet, houjicha has none of the bitterness of traditional green teas. And like decaf coffee, the roasting process removes the caffeine from the leaves making it the perfect after dinner / before bed drink.
Taster’s Review:
I have always been fond of Houjicha (or Hojicha) green tea because I really enjoy its deep roasted flavor. This is one of the best Houjicha teas that I’ve encountered.
Even though the tea has a roasted and somewhat rustic taste, the tea still maintains an unbelievably smooth flavor and consistency. It has a slightly earthy/woodsy, smoky note that unites almost seamlessly with the roasted flavor. It has a silky mouthfeel that is almost a contradiction to the roasted earthiness of this tea. A delightfully delicious contradiction.
What I like best about Houjicha tea is the sweet, caramel taste that the roasting process imparts upon the leaves. It seems to remove much of the vegetative notes of a typical green tea, and the buttery notes seem to turn to a rich, buttery caramel taste. So YUMMY!
And I learned something new by visiting the Obubu Tea Store… I did not know that the roasting process removes the caffeine (I don’t know how much of the caffeine it removes) – but it is certainly good to know! This Dark Roast Houjicha would make an incredibly comforting tea to enjoy on the forthcoming cold autumn evenings.