Premium Deep Roast Houjicha

Origin: Shizuoka and Kagoshima Prefectures, Japan
Cultivar: Yabukita
Harvest: 1^st Flush and 2^nd Flush 2021
Elevation: 150-350m

Houjicha is a category of Japanese green teas defined by its level of roasting. It is the coffee analog of tea. Green tea leaves and stems from sencha, kukicha and bancha are hot roasted and transformed by way of the Maillard reaction, like caramelizing sweet potatoes or striking the right roast in coffee or cocoa. There are different methods of roasting green tea to make houjicha and there are many types and qualities of Houjicha green tea. Houjciha can be light-roast, medium-roast and dark-roast.  The tea master roasts the tea to different levels suited to each combination of cultivar source, harvest season and the overall quality of the base green tea selected to roast.
 
This style of Houjicha is a dark or deep roasted “Bou Houji” which is made from roasting only the tender stems (Bou) that are sorted from sencha and kukicha lots. The “Bou-stems” and stalks from tea have amino acids, polysaccharides and fibers that when roasted with skill provide a deep sweetness, rich mouthfeel and a heady aroma. Tea masters know the aroma and sweetness in high-end houjicha is coming from the good selection of Bou raw materials. This lot is a great example of high-end raw material with masterful roasting that is deep and heavy but not burned or smokey. This batch is warming and toasty with a deep tea taste and notes of caramel, kuromitsu, dark chocolate, espresso bean and rich sweetness.