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Organic Hojicha from Mighty Leaf Tea

Steepster Score 17 Ratings Rate This Tea

75/100

Organic Hojicha

Green Tea by Mighty Leaf Tea

Roasted green tea from Japan, Hojicha green tea is made of Japanese bancha tea, a mixture of pan-fired and slow roasted green tea leaves that yield a rich, nutty brew. Escape and find your retreat overlooking a glistening Lake Motosuko in the Japanese Alps with this green tea. Within the green tea category, Hojicha contains lower levels of caffeine.

22 Tasting Notes

Lisbet
66

I’m having an abysmal day so am trying to keep the tea flowing. And I’m in the library at my language program, so I was limited to their teas for a little while (I brought my own to the library but already finished the tea I brought. Yikes.) Anyway, I typically dislike Hojicha but decided to give it another shot for the sake of trying one of the few Mighty Leaf teas I have left to try.

And I kinda like it. I really enjoy barley tea and this is like green meets barley. Very nutty, only slightly vegetal. I think the water the coffee shop gave me is a bit hot for this tea, so I was careful about the steep time.

In Japan, (cold) barley tea (mugicha) is a summer drink- so I feel happy drinking this in my Japanese language program because of its similar taste. Give it a try and see if you don’t feel refreshed and cleansed!

rabbysmom
58

Smells earthy and tastes rich, if that’s possible for a green tea. Not light tasting in my opinion. Not sure if I’d buy a box, but it is good for plain green tea.

shesteeps
80

On first sip I thought I wouldn’t enjoy this cuppa. I was wrong. I get a strong connection with sunflower seeds (the unsalted version) when drinking this and it reminds me of summers as a child. Very satisfying.

Des
Des

When I was first getting into green tea (and teas in general) I was also overly tunnel visioned on intaking only organically. So this organic Hojicha was one of the first teas I drank religiously. I drank so much of this tea in the beginning. I remember thinking it was the best green tea I’d ever had, and at the time it probably was. But then I started opening up my palette and bringing in teas that weren’t organic but were actually higher in quality. And when I went back to the Hojicha, I thought it tasted awful and I stopped drinking it.

Well, I need to clear out my tea cupboard and make room for newer, fresher teas, so I brought this in to work. I steeped it in an infuser with 140 degree water for only about 10 seconds. It has the same qualities as the Ma Zha Oolong I’d been drinking. This is probably due to the fact that both teas are roasted. Both have a similar nose and color. Dark with hues of red and yellow. It’s not as bad as I remember it. It has a tinny taste (that can be due to the metal infuser I used and the tin I kept the tea in). For as dark as it brews, the flavor is pretty light. I could probably brew this for a little longer before the tannins take over the taste. Hints of sweetness and notes of saltwater. It’s not a bad choice if you’re not used to other Japanese greens like Sencha.

Ross Duff
88

MMMMMMMMMMmmmmmmmmmmm………..
It’s like a Wuyi Rock Oolong but lighter (in a good way) a WONDERFUL evening tea.
Sunflower oil undertones, with a toasty palatal, smooth feel.

MrCallahan
99

I really enjoy this tea, and it has become a staple in my collection of tea. With the tea leaves being roasted, it actually eliminates some of the caffeine. So those of you trying to avoid, or drink less caffeine, this is a great choice of tea.

The taste is not like your usual green tea, it has a darker, nuttier taste to it, and will grow on you the more you have it.

theKENnection
70

The only tea in the break room with ANY amount of caffeine in it. #need

momo
66

Drinking this at a coffee shop while awaiting information on a party’s secret location! This tea, while good, is not as exciting as that. Of course this is also the first time I’ve had tea from a bag in months so I feel like I’m missing something. Still it is a good option to have, it isn’t too toasted tasting and it most importantly has warmed me up.

Andie
88

I loved this tea. It has a great nutty flavor. It is wonderful.

tiinacious ™
100

This delicious green tea is the first one I tried from Mighty Leaf and is the one responsible for me placing a $110 order. I’ve tried to find a hojicha equivalent to Mighty Leaf’s to no avail. Hojicha is has a nutty, maybe even woodsy, aroma. Great to drink plain. I boil the water and let it sit for a minute or so before steeping. The bag says 2 to 3 minutes so I go in between and it’s great. I normally don’t like green tea but this one is amazing and has made me a loyal Mighty Leaf customer.

Phil Hovatter
93

My favorite among the (few) unflavored greens I’ve tasted so far. Slightly smoky and nutty, it produces a rich and comforting cup. I’m a cardiac patient on a low-caffeine diet, so I appreciate the miniscule amount of caffeine in this medium-bodied brew. I could drink this one every day.

Christeana
87
Christeana 5 tasting notes

Hojicha is my favorite daily drinker. This one is just fine for the first thing in the morning. Great cuppa later in the afternoon, when thoughts move beyond the work day.

I had made this a daily drinker. Then for a while, I went with a Genmaicha, as I wanted the soothing nature of roasted grain. But Genmaicha can be greener, grassy, and I wanted a roasted tea with a roasted grain.

What’s a girl to do? Re-invent. I found some organic hull-less barley at the natural foods store, in bulk. I roast about two-days worth at a time on the stove top, in a frying pan. And then combine with the tea for a rich, soothing, roasty-toasty cup.

I admit I find it a bit heavy in warm weather, and move to tea or tea and fuit combos. But it hasn’t been that hot, and I find a morning and an evening cup of this keeps me gently alert and happy.

So I don’t do tea bags much these days. I happened to get a chance to request a sample, from the company, and decided to try a “tea sachet” of the same stuff I drink hearty, strong, thick mug-fulls on a regualar basis.

I tried a cup of this at work. The tea has qualities that I don’t have a chance to savor when I overwhelm the flavor with lots of tea in the cup. This is a good reminder to explore, and not be so rigid with my brewing style.

As this is my daily drink, I’m surprised to find a few changes in the latest batch I got in. There are fewer twigs than my last few 1-pound bags, and the tea appears a little darker roasted. The flavor, while not light, is a hint sweeter, too. To me this tea has plenty of that savory quality, umami.

I start my day with a teaspoon now, in a lidded, ceramic mug, loose. As I go through my day, I add another teaspoon or two, finishing at night with just hot water on the still flavorful leaves. While I dip into other teas quite a bit, this one is like a comfortable pair of slippers…always welcome.

Played with this at the office today. The soft water and low temp in our filter dispenser leaves me wanting…..so I used a boatload at a time, maybe 3 tablespoons, and drank and refilled my ceramic travel cup all day. It’s definitely not a palate elevating experience, but it’s not a distraction at work, either. And I rather like the harsh first cups, which help me brace for the morning onslaught.

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Chromalaya
61
Randall Chase
72

I had this at a conference in Austin, as Hojicha from a bag goes, it wasn’t bad, I have had better but it made my day during a long meeting. Its a good mid-grade tea roasted green tea. I enjoy Hojicha for those days I want something between a green and and a black, its smooth enough to make a nice daily tea. 

Hongcha
70
Hongcha 2 tasting notes

Strictly speaking, the company needs to research for the better roasting of green tea. Not perfect, but this tea is delicate enough. Hoji tea is a kind of daily tea for me, and the Organic Hoji in Mighty leaf shows the good performance and give me the enough pleasure for anytime I brew it. Recommend it to people who need the light, but intimate daily friend. Some dust are in a tea cup but it doesn’t matter.

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Allen Pike
33

Tastes kind of seaweedy. I like seaweed in my sushi, but I guess not in green tea.

laurenpressley
46
laurenpressley 4 tasting notes

I appreciate the lower caffeine dose, and could see this as an evening cup. It’s darker than the rest of the Japanese green teas in the sampler pack, and earthier.

I hadn’t had this in a while, and apparently my tastes have shifted. Or maybe it doesn’t hold up well over time? I still caught the earthy tones I tasted the first time, but just doesn’t stand out as what I’m looking for when I want to have a cup of green tea. I could, however, see how this one might grown on you if you gave it a chance. I’m just not sure that I’m interested in working that hard to like it.

On another tea note, one of my twitter friends shared an article with me this morning, that I think you might like: http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2010/jan/31/tea-drink-alexander-mccall-smith It’s by Alexander McCall Smith on his tea addiction. :)

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