Sipdown no. 40 for the year 2014. A sample teabag from the work stash. Again guessing at temperature. Split the baby on time between the suggested 30 seconds to 1 minute and steeped for 45 seconds.
I don’t think I’ve ever had houji-cha before (and now because of the thing… you know, the phobia…) it might be a long time before I have it again unless I have some other samples tucked away somewhere.
Which is a shame because this is delicious. The aroma after steeping is wonderfully roasty, almost like an oolong but not as strong and with clear whiffs of green tea vegetalness. There’s a sweet toastiness to the flavor, too, but without reminding me of popcorn like genmaicha does. I don’t get any bitterness, just a bit of grass in the finish that lets me know this is a Japanese green tea despite what my senses might be telling me.
This toastiness is more like what you get from roast vegetables. Though I wouldn’t go so far as to call it caramel, I can see where that thought originates. It’s the same sort of roasted sweetness you get from carmelized vegetables, like onions.
Really enjoyable.
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i LOVE hojicha and recently acquired it!! granted it’s just in teabags (by Eden) but WOW what an amazing flavor profile. yes, i too get a roasted/toasted sensation from the tea, while still being able to detect that it’s a green tea. it does remind me a little of oolong come to think of it, as both remind me of the kind of tea served up in Japanese restaurants! (at least the kind i frequent..) what i distinctly remember about the tea, despite not knowing what kind they use, is that it definitely has a roasted brown-rice quality…in my particular hojichas i do get a bit of popcorn, but maybe Hojicha varies among brand, and from teabag to loose leaf! i’m excited to try all kinds now. ur ‘caramelized vegetable’ note sounds scrumptious tho!
This was, I think, my first and I really enjoyed it!
i LOVE hojicha and recently acquired it!! granted it’s just in teabags (by Eden) but WOW what an amazing flavor profile. yes, i too get a roasted/toasted sensation from the tea, while still being able to detect that it’s a green tea. it does remind me a little of oolong come to think of it, as both remind me of the kind of tea served up in Japanese restaurants! (at least the kind i frequent..) what i distinctly remember about the tea, despite not knowing what kind they use, is that it definitely has a roasted brown-rice quality…in my particular hojichas i do get a bit of popcorn, but maybe Hojicha varies among brand, and from teabag to loose leaf! i’m excited to try all kinds now. ur ‘caramelized vegetable’ note sounds scrumptious tho!
This was, I think, my first and I really enjoyed it!