Organic Houjicha

Description

Houjicha — also written hojicha — is a roasted Japanese green tea made from Bancha leaves. “Bancha” simply means “regular tea,” and the leaves are left to grow larger for a bigger yield, which pushes up their catechin content and, left unroasted, their bitterness too.

Roasting is what sets this hojicha tea apart. Because Bancha is harvested later in the year, in summer or autumn, it already carries less catechin than a spring-picked leaf, and the roasting process softens it further — stripping out the sharpness typical of green tea and leaving behind a smooth, gentle cup. The result is a hojicha tea with roasted, slightly sweet and smoky notes and a robust, comforting mouthfeel, closer to a light roast coffee than a typical grassy green tea.

Organic and low in bitterness, this hojicha tea is an easy everyday pour — equally at home as an afternoon cup or a lighter, later-in-the-day alternative to stronger green teas.