Hoji-cha

I saw ashmanra’s post of a hoji-cha and remembered I have this version. For the life of me I couldn’t recall what it tasted like. One sniff of the dry leaf and it all came back. To me its like genmaicha without the puffed rice. Toasted bancha leaf. Well really fannings as this is a very inexpensive bagged version. Still it was quite enjoyable this morning. Yamamotoyama does cheap well.

I looked back at my previous tasting note – it was the middle of the summer and I was all concerned because the mill was talking strike. Oh the simple days, when I had a job, and money. I do have tea and a wife that loves me. Who needs steak.

That’s what I get for taking a day off. If it could break or go wrong this morning it did, and the moment I walked in the door I was irritated by the attitudes of the unscrupulous narcissists welding power. Not jealous, saddened by it. On top of that I learned the plant is going on strike at the end of the week. We haven’t had a raise in 3 years and now we are expected to go another 3 without one. Have you seen the price of everything lately? I need tea.

I picked up two or three and put them back before grabbing this one for no real reason other than I don’t have to think when I drink it. I decided to add 3 or 4 chocolate mint leaves. This is a simple heavily roasted bagged tea. The mint is very mild and adds depth to the drink. I never know how it will react in a tea. This time it creates a really creamy texture than tastes almost like milk chocolate. Usually it just tastes like a mild peppermint, so this is the first pleasant thing that has happened today.

Enjoyed the first cup so much I wanted to try it again. This time I left the tea bag intact and added the chocolate mint to the cup. The bag says to boil the water but I have learned using water well below boiling makes a better cup. The steeping aroma is nowhere near as intense as when I prepared this in the press. The cup smell stays about the same. The sip is good but not as great as before. Less chocolate and a bit more minty. The roasty tea has kind of lost its edge. Looks like removing the dust from the bag really does improve the cup. On the other hand, the press clean up at work was a hassle. Next time I may try not using the press plunger and instead pour the brew through a coffee filter to strain it. This has been a fun experiment. What I learned is if I remove the tea from the bag and add the chocolate mint, this takes on the characteristics of a brand new flavor. But when left in the bag, it tastes like the bag tea with the mint added.

The more I am tinkering with the time and temp the more I am really enjoying this. It is inexpensive dust in a bag green tea that has been roasted over charcoal. I used warm water, no where near boiling. In fact, it was cool enough for me to sip right away. Steeped about 2 ½ minutes. This is just a pleasant warm roasty sip. It feels like milk on the tongue. Its not going to blow your socks off but it is a nice cup of comfort.

I enjoyed the Foojoy oolong/chocolate mint so much I decided to continue to experiment. I grabbed my old tea ball which hasn’t seen the light of day in a long time. I intended to put the chocolate mint in the ball to make it easier to remove from the cup. While I was at it I figured I might as well free the tea from the bag. I tore open the bag and poured it into… and through… the tea ball. Oops. I learned there is a big difference between the fannings of my usual bagged teas and the dust in this one. Rather than waste the tea I put it into my press. Clean up will be a bit of a hassle but live and learn. The lesson wasn’t over yet. The aroma wafting out of the press was pretty eye opening. This tea is roasted (supposedly over high temp charcoal). The smell while steeping was intensely smoky. Nothing like leaving it in the bag. The cup aroma was heavily roasted but not smoky. The sip is really really good, except I added more sweetener than intended. But, this is the chocolatiest experience I have had yet with the addition of chocolate mint. The roastiness and chocolate blend perfectly. The mint is very mild and in the background. Get your hands on some fresh chocolate mint and give this a try. I think you will not be disappointed. I would give my experiment a 90+ if it were its own blend.

I like this but I think I would like it more if I would stop comparing it to genmaicha.