Houjicha Gold (Roasted Bancha)

I got my Den’s Green Tea Sampler for Novices today! I was so impressed with what was inside that little box: 4 samples of loose-leaf tea, 2 tea bags, 2 paper filter bags, a catalog, order form, pamphlet about Den’s Tea, a sheet of brewing instructions, and a large booklet all about the health benefits of green tea. If anyone doesn’t know, this was all for $3, with free shipping. Such a great deal.

So this was not only my first time with Den’s Tea, but my first time with an unflavored green as well. It took me a while to get over my fear of grassiness, but I’ve gotta take that plunge sometime, right? I didn’t know which tea to start with, so I plunged my hand into the samples and picked a random one.

These leaves were a medium brown color. When steeping, they honestly smelled like Pu-erh mixed with marijuana [I’ve been to lots of rock & metal concerts]. However, once decanted, it just smells a little like Pu-erh but less fishy and more woodsy/earthy. The liquid is brown, just like the leaves.

After that smell, I was a teensy bit scared to take a sip. I want to like green tea, but I guess I have to actually try it to like it, right?

It’s not nearly as heavy as I thought it would be. It definitely has a light mouth feel, medium body. If I didn’t know this was green tea, I’d mistake it for a light Pu-erh. It has most of the characteristics of a Pu-ehr; earthy, woody, and the tiniest bit fishy (but not in a bad way, I promise).

I like it. But I’m confused. It looks, smells, and tastes like a Pu-erh. What’s the deal? How is this considered green tea? I know it’s all about the processing, but… Can anyone enlighten me? Pretty please?

Den’s tea sample numero uno. I’m fascinated by the suggested temperature and steep times in the pamphlet that accompanied the sample “kit.” 15 seconds. Boiling. It’s intriguing enough that I have to follow it at least for the first try and see what happens. I just hope my reaction time is quick enough to be able to get the filter out in 15 seconds. Heh.

The leaves are uniformly brown but have gradations from a light milk chocolate color to a dark chocolate color. And they smell like…. toasted rice! Really toasted rice. Like the kind of toasted that sticks to the bottom of the pot and starts to carmelize when you don’t get the water/heat ratio exactly right. Fortunately, I’ve always loved that smell. :-)

At 15 seconds I get a liquor that is a tawny golden yellow, and a toasty aroma reminiscent of some oolongs but less intense and less full. The flavor, however, is surprisingly green! There is a roasted, nutty note, but mostly I taste a celery-like, sweet green flavor, with a bit of a rice-like flavor mixed in which I think is mostly coming from the aroma.

The second steep (20 seconds), brought out a slightly deeper, less green flavor, but I preferred the first steep. Next time I’ll go 15 seconds on the second as well and see what happens.

Like this one. Like.

I just read through the tasting notes and it’s very interesting to see the variety of responses to this one…

I got my Den’s Tea sampler in the mail today and was very excited, wow, that was fast but they are in Southern California. I was impressed by the literature they sent and all of the different brewing guides/instructions.

So it’s been ages since I’ve had a Houjicha really. I chose this because I wasn’t ready to go to sleep quite yet and thought I might try something with light caffeine. Steeped for about 90 seconds in an infuser mug, one rounded teaspoon to about 6 oz of water, 205 F.

Ah yum! I thought this was delicious. I love the roasted smell and the flavor is also woody, earthy, roasted, nutty and a bit sweet like molasses or honey. It doesn’t really taste like a green tea, it’s very meeeelllllllooowww, DUDE. :) This would be a nice one to have around for afternoon and evening and the price is sure right.

I thought this was excellent and I would definitely purchase it again. I’m looking forward to trying all the other teas in my sampler now. :)

I love the roasted scent of this tea. But then, I do have a certain fondness for roasty-toasty teas. But… I don’t care for smoky teas. Which… seems pretty odd to me.

I brewed according to Den’s Preferred Brewing Method, except that after I brought the water to a boil, I first poured it into my ceramic mug so that it could take just a bit of the heat off of the water before I poured it into my smart brewer.

30 seconds to deliciousness!

The aroma of the brewed tea is caramel-y, like caramelized sugar. It also has a slight coffee-ish scent to it.

The flavor – sweet, caramel, woodsy, with a deep earthy note. Kind of like a Genmaicha but without the grassy-green-tea taste, although there is a very gentle, almost-barely-there note of vegetative taste that I can detect. Sort of like a roasted brown rice casserole with a few roasted, deeply caramelized, root vegetables. Now… if only I could actually create such a dish – I’d be quite happy!

YUM, yum, YUM this tea is good.

Although I rarely have had Houjicha (hoji-cha) at home, it is one of the teas I have enjoyed in Japanese restaurants. It is high in umami flavors, with rich pleasant, roasty aroma. It is one of those teas that goes well with almost any meal.

I received this tea in my sampler from Den’s Tea, and have to echo my fellow Steepsterites that anyone who loves Japanese green teas is doing themselves a disservice if they don’t get this sampler (and more!) from Den’s.

Now on to my tasting…
Color of the infusion is a nice reddish brown. there is a wonderfully savory and aromatic nuttiness that blends with the roasted flavor. I find myself salivating and wanting another sip, time after time—and then it is gone! Wait, time to go for another steep.
Soothing, comforting, and really a pleasant feel on the tongue. Another tea to go on my shopping list. ;)

This tea keeps reminding me of something and after two cups of it tonight I think I know what it is. It has that bran-like flavour that you get from brown rice or maybe whole wheat bread, combined with a bit of “green”-ness and a touch of charred/roasted corn.

The wet leaves in the bottom of the strainer actually look like little bits of charred wood instead of resembling anything remotely leaf-like. It resteeps very well though, the second cup being almost identical in taste and strength to the first.

This tea was drinkable, much better than sencha. Its a little earthy and a little nutty tasting. It had a light mouthfeel and not as tasty as the genmaichi. I’m trying to like green teas, but its really not working for me. I like many of the chinese and Indian green teas but the Japanese variety is baffling me.

Hey, this is pretty good!

This is left from my sampler I got some time over the winter. I was scared of it. I was really scared of it once I opened the little packet and smelled it. Even more so when I accidentally set it to steep for a minute rather than the 15 or 30 seconds recommended.

But, I actually like it. It’s very different from anything else I have. Very roasty and earthy, and I am getting a grainy or maybe popcorn flavour from it. But it’s not as heavy as I expected and it’s not bitter. Quite smooth, in fact.

Second try at this one, this time giving it a minute instead of 30 seconds steeping time. That definitely brings out the roastiness more, which is nice, but it also highlights a strangely astringent characteristic I hadn’t noticed before: I’m feeling the “puckeriness” more at the top of my mouth than at the back or on the sides.

It’s still just okay for me. I think I’d enjoy it more in the morning than in the late afternoon. We’ll just have to try it again!

I prepared this as Den’s Tea’s oh-so-detailed chart instructs: 2g tea, 4oz boiling water, 30/15 second steeps. First impression: reminds me of (roasted) yerba maté or kukicha. It’s a very mild flavor, not at all bitter, but also not very tea-like to my palate. Slightly sweet, but also somewhat… dusty, in flavor? Oddly dry. The second steep is very similar.

This is interesting, but not likely to become a staple of mine any time soon. Maybe it would be a good low-caffeine option if you’re a purist who doesn’t drink flavored teas or tisanes, but I can’t really imagine the mood where I’d pick this over everything else in my cupboard.

Waiting for the leaves of my strawberry shortcake to dry so I can pick them out of my teapot cover and resteep… ugh… I also needed something w/ a quick steep time because I didn’t want to be away from steepster too long:) so I went w/ one of my Den’s Tea’s samples.

Serving size: 1tsp/8oz water

There were a few ginseng green leaves left that contributed to the liquor but I’m still shocked at how dark brown and coffeeish it is after only 15sec. The aroma is much like genmai cha except darker. Yes, an aroma can be dark lol. The taste is much the same- roasty, toasty, deep, slightly coffee ish even, and gentlemently. Looks like a black tea though, not a green…

Steeped according to the parameters on the Den’s tea website.
The aroma of the tea was quite burnt and a little off putting, to be honest. Despite the scent, though, the taste of the tea was quite smooth. The tea itself brewed up a light brownish, which makes sense given the leaves being roasted.
It was a very smooth tea, and it felt a little nutty in flavor as well, though I think that’s from the roasting. I did a second steep (this time following the recommendation and doing 15 seconds) and the tea tastes much the same as the first time, perhaps just a little lighter and less nutty.
This is only my second of the four loose leaf samples, and I think that the sencha just barely edges it out, but I certainly would not refuse a cup of this; if I had enough money (and enough space) I would definitely order some for my stash…

Yum! Finished this off last night and shared it with my man :) Delicious. Farewell houjicha!

I’ve been hearing about how good iced houjicha is, so I finally tried it.
I wanted a big pitcher full, so I used 36oz water and 3 heaping TBSP (9 tsp, as the formula is 1 tsp per 4 oz water) of leaf.
After I got the water to a boil, I poured it over the leaves in our big glass teapot. I let it steep a little longer than suggested to make sure it was strong, filtered the tea into the pitcher and once it cooled to room temp put it in the fridge.

(You know what, even though its kind of boring to read, I put all those directions in most of my tasting notes in case I ever come back and want to know how I made something, in case it turned out well. Also, in case there is someone else who wanted to try it.)

Anyway, iced houjicha IS good. Strong sweetness, light roasted flavor, the benefits of iced tea without the bitterness you get from many mass produced, bagged black iced teas. I shouldn’t even compare the two, as they aren’t in the same category, but having dark-colored iced tea in a pitcher reminded me of what everyone drinks in the South (Lipton, Luzianne, etc.), but tasted SO much better.

Definitely recommended!

Very mild and comforting cup of tea.
Nice roasted flavor but not overpowering:)