Houji-Kukicha (Roasted Kukicha)

I have to agree with Oh Cha…, when it comes to Green Tea, Japanese ones win hands down. I associate Chinese green tea to Gunpowder. I think I’m just not a fan of the smokiness. Japanese tea on the other hand has a toasty, roasted feel to it. It smells so good and it’s so inviting. I can drink cups and cups of this and not get bored. Fifteen second brew for Houji!?!?! I thought they were crazy, but I figured I’d best follow the instructions. It’s surprisingly good for a fifteen second brew. I’d like it a bit stronger, but it was definitely full of flavor. The cup brewed to a deep golden color. I suppose the color could resemble a clear hot apple cider, but it definitely didn’t taste like cocoa or apple cider. This cup wasn’t grassy at all, but it was more of a fireplace feel. Cozy and just right for a snowed in day. Going to try steep #3. I’m in love with this tea.

Got my order from Den’s tea today! And now begins my neverending search for the brown-colored green tea my host mother in japan made every day.

I apparently have no sense of smell right now, so I smelled nothing after pretty much sticking my nose in the actual bag and taking a huge whiff. My roommate and her friend both described it as smelling “fishy” and like “fish food”… not really pleasant apparently. (I think they are too used to smelling my fruity teavana blend teas!)

The color is very very brown, almost like dirt. I looks very dark in the cup I’m using, along with the bad lighting in the room but it’s still fairly dark, especially for a green tea. It seems its cooled off a bit, Here goes. Hmmm…..

I’m not really tasting much of anything. Maybe it’s because it’s too hot, or possibly because i have no sense of smell right now. As it cools down I’m picking up more flavors but I’m not quite sure how to describe it. First thing that came to mind was metal in my mouth, I’m getting that weird tingling sensation your teeth get. Definitely not pleasant. The more I sip, the more this weird metal taste seems to be coming out. I hope that’s just from the packaging and not from the tea. It’s really awful.

I’ll hold off rating this one till I make it again when I don’t possibly have a sinus infection

Definitely one of my favorites. A nice toasty flavored tea on a comfortable evening… makes me want to have a fire on my back deck and sit outside indefinitely.

PS- I oversteep EVERYTHING practically. The package of this from Den’s says to steep 15 seconds or something like that. I usually steep it for a good several minutes. Gives it a more robust flavor (but not overpowering). It is a little bit too weak for my liking if only steeped for 15 seconds.

Another positive- since it’s mostly twigs, and it is roasted, this tea is very low in caffeine, making it a good evening option for me. I’m fairly caffeine sensitive, so I have to switch to tisanes or low caff options at night.