Houjicha - Kuma san’s Back Kitchen Lightly Hand Roasted Tea

Houjicha Background Information:
Houjicha means roasted tea. Although its colour is brown due to the roasting process, houjicha is still a Japanese green tea as it is not oxidised or fermented. It is low in caffeine due to the roasting process, meaning it is ideal to drink at any time of the day and by people of any age, and houjicha is said to be especially good for our bodies during the cold winter season too. There are two main types of houjicha - one contains mainly leaves with little to no stems, whereas the other type, indeed like this ‘The Bone’, contains a much higher proportion of stems (sometimes known as kukicha or kuki houjicha).

Notes For This Particular Tea:
Kuma san is a decorated tea farmer who put Jouyou (his town) ‘on the map’ when he won first prize at the 71st chahinpyoukai (national annual tea fair) in 2017 for his single cultivar Saemidori in the gyokuro category. We are grateful and privelaged to be working directly with him and his cousin Nakatani san. This tea is roasted from shiraore (stems of gyokuro) and has been roasted by Kuma san himself by hand in a very large pan (nabe) in his back kitchen. Despite the fact that he started roasting tea in this way very recently, he has already won three stars at a local competition, the Teafes Premium Tea Contest 2023! Since the tea has been shaded before harvest and only lightly roasted, expect a very savoury flavour profile (don’t be misled by the amber liquid colour) which you can highlight or supress depending on the brewing temperature and time.

Hot brewing guide:
Houjicha 5 grams
Water 150ml
First infusion 80°C for 10sec
Second infusion 85°C for 20sec
Third infusion 90°C for 60sec

To pour over ice (kyuurei):
Houjicha 6 grams
Water 130ml
One infusion only 85°C for 90sec

Pour over lots of ice and serve immediately. Alternatively, our personal favourite is to pour over just a few ice cubes (~100g) and enjoy when cold but not ice cold (or wait for it to warm up closer to room temperature).

Storage:
Store in the fridge or at room temperature in a cool dry place, and avoid exposure to sunlight and air - both of these will degrade your tea. Houjicha is usually best consumed within 6-9 months from when it is first opened, as it is not particularly sensitive to oxygen unlike sencha or matcha. A light roasted houjicha like this though, would ideally be consumed within 2-3 months after opening.