Houjicha Gold (Roasted Bancha)

This is very pleasant – roasty, earthy, and woodsy. It’s not at all vegetal or seaweedy, and in general I’d say the flavor profile is fairly subdued – it’s like a less exuberant genmaicha. I was looking for something straightforward and soothing this morning, and this tea fit the bill. I can see it being pleasant iced as well. In the interest of full disclosure, I did brew this western-style (3-minute steep) – I find it results in a more relaxing and enjoyable tea-drinking experience for me.

Got around to one of my Dens samplers. smoky,sweet, a surprisingly light. Like their genmaicha without the grassiness.

Toasty deliciousness.

Got this in a generous sampler box from den’s tea. I’m very used to drinking roasted greens from china so it was nice to mix it up with this Japanese roasted green tea. This Houjicha is wonderfully roasted with a caramel sweetness, it never gets too ashy. It almost reminds me of a roasted Taiwanese oolong, but with a little more sweetness. A great afternoon tea and perfect after a greasy meal.

I have been drinking Japanese teas for about 2 years but never tried Houjicha yet, nor ordered from Den’s, but Mary Lou and Robert Heiss new book, “The Tea Enthusiast’s Handbook” had recommended Den’s. Since O-Cha (my former supplier of Japanese tea) was hitting me up with a foreign exchange fee, I decided to order my sencha resupply from them and at $2.00 an ounce, figured this was worth a try since it was one of their best-sellers. I love Den’s packaging of their tea. It comes in resealable bags that give a great airtight seal, which is a huge plus since I am maxed out of Teavana containers.

Anyways, I am very pleased with what is in my cup this morning. The brew is deep bronze and very clear (unlike any other Japanese tea I’ve ever had) and smells delicious! Smells woodsy and toasty and like everything from Japan I smell a slight hint of sea life, but in a very appetizing way (think grilled herring). Tastes almost exactly like it smells and goes great with breakfast. Definitely a repurchase. Funny that this is classified as a green tea – sure tastes different from anything I’ve tried before. I read up on this after trying it…interesting how recent an invention it is (1920s) and amazing how so much of this camellia sinensis plant is tasty (even supposedly last-harvest, “trashy” leaves and stem).

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…

First time trying Houjicha and I am enjoying it very much. I like roasty teas. This also has some sweetness. It’s actually reminding me of ginseng oolong a little bit. I haven’t had that tea for a while in my steeper, so I don’t think there’s any lingering flavor that’s causing it. But it has the same seaweedy sweetness that I like.
I brewed this as suggested; heaping teaspoon, boiling water, 30 seconds. Yummm!

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…

This is like the wuyi of Japanese tea. Super duper toasty! There was also quite a bit of creaminess to it, which surprised me.