Description
What is Hojicha?
Hojicha (焙じ茶) meaning ‘roasted tea’ ,is still a green tea although it is not green in colour. This type of tea is, unlike common green tea, brown in colour as the leaves are roasted in order to achieve their unique character and nutty flavour. Hojicha can originate from either Sencha, Bancha or Kukicha but most often one would find it made from the slightly bigger and coarser leaves of the sun- grown Bancha or Kukicha. As these leaves are more dense and show a firm structure they are not so heat sensitive and can easily be further processed by roasting after steaming and drying. For roasting the tea leaves evenly a charcoal or sand roasting technic is often used for the final step. By bringing the tea to a high temperature almost all of the tea’s caffeine is extracted from the leaves. This makes Hojicha a wonderful drink throughout the day and especially suitable for the evening. Due to its roasted flavor it is often consumed by people who want to change from coffee to tea.
Farmer Profile
Akihiro “Akky” Kita is our president and lead farmer here at Obubu. His desire to make this tea available to the general public is the foundation of Kyoto Obubu Tea Farms. In college, Akky took up a part-time job as a farmhand in Wazuka, and fell in love with the tea of this region. He made the decision then to leave college and devote his time to mastering the art of tea farming. Recognizing the need for independent farmers like himself to spread the joy of drinking Japanese tea, he travels each year during the winter off-season to bring Japanese tea to people all over the world.
How to Brew Hojicha
English (UK) 
Français
Obubu Tea –
Reviews by tea professionals and enthusiasts:
“Really strong, earth flavour. Only had the sample size of this one but really enjoyed it” – Jeremy, 2016
“The dry leaf aroma is smoky and peppery with notes of wood and salt.
The orange amber infusion has a rich and smoky aroma with notes of roasted nuts and wood and a hint of fruit. The taste is smooth and light, nutty and woody, savory and almost sweet with a long nutty finish” – Heather Porter, 2016
“Opening the bag of this tea I loved how rich and earthy it smelled. I couldn’t believe how dark the leaves were-everything about this tea seemed to say that this was a black tea.-even when brewed up. But alas, I looked it up on the website and it is indeed a green tea. Apparently it is virtually caffeine free due to the roasting process, so I saved this tea until after work around supper time. I’ve been trying to work 6 days/week in order to pay off my credit card and save money and although I do not work a physically demanding job, I do need a pick me up after work. This is nice because it’s “real” tea (i.e not a tisane) but without caffeine. I love the depth of flavour and the smokiness” – Kristal, 2014
“This tea is roasty and comforting. It isn’t as sweet as some houjicha I’ve had but it is really mellow. There’s a bit of sweetness in the aftertaste. The aroma gives hints of burnt cedar… and as usual with me and heavily roasted teas there is a note of dill. The flavor is of toast, a little bit nutty, mild and very relaxing. The wet leaves in the teapot smell like cigar tobacco. Now that I’ve noticed that and the tea has cooled some, I can definitely taste cigar smoke in the taste” – Lion, 2014
“I’m rapidly falling in love with Japanese green teas and hojicha in particular. This hojicha had a lighter color than the others that I’ve tried. It also had a slightly less roasty taste and was closer to other Japanese greens in my opinion.” – by Jennkay, 2013
“This isn’t as roasty or toasty as some Houjicha’s I have had but I’m ok with that! There is always a place and a time for a more gentle Houjicha. This is that time. Equal parts woodsy and nutty – this is satisfying and soothing. A delight!” – by TeaEqualsBliss, 2012
“I love a good Houjicha and this one is definitely good. Sweet and toasty and soothing too. The toasty notes give this a very autumnal feel. Nutty, sweet and delicious. There is very little astringency to this. I don’t really notice much of a smoky note, but more of a roasty-toasty kind of taste to it. The smokiness seems to arrive toward the end of the sip, and linger into the aftertaste.” – by LiberTEAS, 2012
“I prefer the darker roasts, but this is wonderful iced. Very tasty, toasty and refreshing.” – by Mel, 2011
Daniel Daniel (verified owner) –
Refreshing light body, smoky and nutty aftertaste