Houjicha - Kuma san’s DARK ROAST TENCHA STEMS

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 privileged to be working directly with him and his cousin Nakatani san. This tea is roasted from the stems of a blend of cultivars of tencha - the tea’s name before it is ground into matcha. Kuma san grows multiple cultivars as tencha such as Saemidori, Okumidori, and Kirari 31, but the specific blend for this tea is kept a secret. Since this houjicha has been roasted at a high temperature, much of the savouriness of the original tencha has been lost, but the lack of astringency and bitterness persists through the roasting process, so you can enjoy a roasted flavour without harshness or astringency - it offers an incredibly smooth flavour. The aroma of the tea is more intense than the body of the tea itself (unless you brew it very intensely) and it pairs extremely well on with food items.

Hot brewing guide:
Houjicha 5 grams
Water 150ml
First infusion 80°C for 30sec
Second infusion 85°C for 30sec
Third infusion 90°C for 60sec

To pour over ice (kyuurei):
Houjicha 6 grams
Water 120ml
One infusion only 80°C for 120sec

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 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. Ideally we recommend for thsi tea be consumed within 8 weeks of being opened, but this is a dark roasted houjicha and not as strict of a limit compared to steamed teas.