Description
Qu’est-ce que le Hojicha?
Bien qu’il ne soit pas de couleur verte, le Hojicha (焙じ茶 ), littéralement « thé torréfié », est tout de même considéré comme un thé vert. Sa couleur brune ambrée et son doux parfum de noisette grillé résulte de la torréfaction des feuilles.
Il est le plus souvent fabriqué à partir de thé vert de moyenne à basse qualité, souvent de grade Bancha, ou de thé de tiges Kukicha (Bocha).
Il est néanmoins tout à fait possible d’utiliser d’autres types de thé plus haut de gamme.
Pour torréfier les feuilles de thé de la façon la plus homogène possible, les producteurs ont souvent recourt à une technique de torréfaction au sable ou au charbon.
Lors du chauffage du thé à haute température, la caféine présente dans les feuilles est en grande partie dissoute. Le Hojicha une donc une boisson peu caféinée et facilement consommable tout au long de la journée et en soirée, et peut convenir tout autant aux enfants qu’aux personnes âgées.
Sa douce saveur grillée est aussi souvent appréciée des personnes souhaitant passer du café au thé.
Profil de l’agriculteur
Akihiro Kita dit « Akky » est le président et l’exploitant agricole principal d’Obubu Tea Farm.
La création d’Obubu Tea est à l’origine de son désir de rendre le thé japonais accessible à tous !
Lors de ses années à l’université, Akky s’est fait engager en tant qu’employé saisonnier dans le village de thé de Wazuka et … ce fût le coup de foudre!
Il prit alors la décision de quitter l’université pour consacrer tout son temps à maitriser l’art de la culture du thé en devenant lui-même producteur.
Prenant conscience de l’envie et du besoin des agriculteurs indépendants tel que lui de partager la joie que procure une simple tasse de thé, il voyage depuis tous les ans durant la période hivernale pour diffuser sa passion pour le thé japonais avec des gens du monde entier.
Méthode de production et guide d’infusion
Obubu Tea –
Reviews by tea professionals and enthusiasts:
« The dry leaves have an aroma of smoke, seared wood, and roasted nuts.
The dark amber infusion has an aroma of caramel and smoke and a taste that is smooth with notes of smoke, nuts, and caramelized sugar.
By the second and third infusions, the sweetness had faded and the liquor color darkened to copper while the taste remained smooth throughout » – Heather Porter, 2016
« The taste was woody and sweet with just a slight hint of smoke. At first I had a hard time putting my finger on exactly what I was tasting and then hit me. Maple syrup! Talk about autumn in a cup. I could imagine few teas more perfect for the time of year when there’s just a hint of chill in the air (even if the day I drank it was more like an unusually warm spring day). This is probably the most complex flavor profile that I’ve ever gotten from hojicha. Even though it wasn’t a heavily bodied tea I was still able to get three very tasty infusions out of one kyusu. There wasn’t any astringency to speak of, even when pushing the water temperature or steeping time. I picked up some really cool things on this order, like a smoked black tea, as well as restocked things like sakura blossoms » – Nicole Martin, 2016
« I don’t think I’ve ever had a dark roast houijcha before so I was looking forward to trying this. It’s pretty yummy! It definitely has a roasted flavor that is reminiscent of coffee, but there’s also a fruity, sort of cherry flavor about it and something creamy that would best be described as caramel. Normally houijcha is nothing for me to get super excited over, but this was a delicious sample. Glad I was able to try it » – Tea Brat, 2015
« Happy Summer. Though I made my first iced tea today, I have still been having it hot. This has a nutty/ roast scent, with some sweetness. The flavour is kinda caramel nut, with a rich roast almost coffee taste. There is a little grain/ toast as well » – Lariel of Lorien, 2015
« i cannot tell you how much i love this! the flavor is deep and chocolately and earthy and mushroomy and smoky and just incredibly rich and delicious! and that was just the first steeping! the second steep is not quite as pungently composty (in a good way), but seems to have evened out in tone and smoothness of mouthfeel »- Julie, 2014
« Brewing the leaves makes the aroma much richer with stronger notes of cedar and hints of earthiness. The tea leaves smell savory, like dried oak leaves and roasted wood. Again it is very evocative of autumn air. The liquid however is sweeter, like freshly mown hay and roasted nuts. There is still notes of cedar smoke but it is much fainter » – Amanda Freeman, 2014
“Houjicha (Dark Roast) of Obubu Tea is, as the name suggests, strong roasted. The fragrance is woody and slightly reminds me of tobacco, pipe tobacco. The tobacco scent was persisting in the liquor too. In addition taste of dark chocolate and coffee joined the tobacco taste. Again, I see parallels to certain Pu-erh teas. Toasty and smokey flavors are only subtle while earthy tones are predominant. The liquor is shimmering chestnut brown in the cup – an unusual color for a green tea.” – by Teamania, 2013
“WHOA, very rich! Houijcha Dark Roast has a very robust, rich, earthy roasted flavor that reminds me of coffee. I guess we need a smokey meter – 5/10 on the Smokey-o-meter. It’s not like campfire smokey or raw pu’er smokey, it’s roasty smokey, like the smell of roasting chestnuts. No bitterness or dryness.” – by Oolong Owl, 2013
“This is deliciously roasty. I love the buttery-caramel taste to it. Silky yet rustic. One of the best Houjicha teas I’ve come across yet.” – by LiberTEAS, 2010
“I was not expecting to like it. I read in the reviews the word “smoky” and mentally wrote this tea off. Wow, this tea makes me rethink houjichas! Deep, robust, very chocolately.” – by Mel, 2010
“Whereas the loose leaf is DARK the infused tea is not. It sort of smells like roasted nuts with a musky smell of mushrooms hiding underneath. The taste is quite good tho! Probably one of my favorite Houjicha’s to date!”- byTeaEqualsBliss, 2010
“I have always been fond of Houjicha (or Hojicha) green tea because I really enjoy its deep roasted flavor. This is one of the best Houjicha teas that I’ve encountered. Even though the tea has a roasted and somewhat rustic taste, the tea still maintains an unbelievably smooth flavor and consistency. It has a slightly earthy/woodsy, smoky note that unites almost seamlessly with the roasted flavor. It has a silky mouthfeel that is almost a contradiction to the roasted earthiness of this tea. A delightfully delicious contradiction. What I like best about Houjicha tea is the sweet, caramel taste that the roasting process imparts upon the leaves. It seems to remove much of the vegetative notes of a typical green tea, and the buttery notes seem to turn to a rich, buttery caramel taste. So YUMMY!” – by Sorori Tea Sisters, 2010
“I noticed, that when getting ready to taste the tea, you are hit with a smoky/woodsy aroma, which is one of the tea’s strengths. The liquor is a dark orange, almost a deep amber. The tea has a robust, roasted flavor with notes of nutty, sweetness and a hint of chocolate.” – by Tyros of Tea, 2010