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First Flush Hojicha Loose Leaf Green Tea

£21.00
£21.00
£0.28 per cup
Sale Sold out
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A top grade sencha green tea that has been gently roasted to create the most deliciously complex Hojicha we have ever tasted.

From the renowned 200-year-old Moriuchi tea garden, this is a truly exceptional Hojicha (also know as Houjicha). Incredibly rich and robust, with a full spectrum of flavour from the finest spring sencha, expertly roasted by a great tea master.

Tasting Notes

Notes of roasted hazelnut, fresh walnut with the elegant hint of tannin and leather found in great Shiraz or well-developed Syrah wines. Deep and toasty with the fresh notes of a spring tea. Soft umami and lingering sweetness.

Origin

Moriuchi tea farm, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan

Cost Per Cup

£0.28 per cup based on 2g of tea per 150ml of water and 3 infusions.
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Recommended Infusion Guide

  • Quantity

    Use 2g per 150ml of water.

  • Temperature

    For the optimum infusion use 70-80°C water.

  • Time

    Infuse for 60-90 seconds, tasting regularly.

  • Infusions

    You can infuse this tea at least three times. With each careful infusion, different subtleties of flavour are revealed.

1 3

More infusion tips

How to infuse your tea is very personal, and these are just our recommendations based on experience. Please experiment with these variables to your heart's delight. These are our recommendations, not hard and fast rules. The most delicious tea is the one you love.

Our guide uses a standard tea cup size (150ml/5.5 oz) as a measure, please adjust the quantity of leaf accordingly for less or more water. Our whole loose leaves are of such a high quality that you can infuse our teas at least twice, and the second infusion is often better than the first, with different flavours revealed as the leaf softens. If you prefer your tea stronger, add more leaf, don’t leave it for longer (this will just make it bitter).

Please experiment with the time and temperature of this tea. It will reveal your heart's delight. At a lower temperature and a shorter infusion time, it will be sweet and delicate. By raising the temperature and increasing the time, you’ll get deep complexities of a red wine. Hotter and longer infusions will embolden the tannins.

Masumi Moriuchi grows some of Japan’s best first flush sencha. To turn it into Hojicha is unusual (to say the least).

She sent it to a specialist roaster to create this unique First Flush Hojicha. The leaves, stems and buds all roast at different speeds, meaning that each must be lifted from the heat at precisely the right moment — a craft that produces a breathtaking spectrum of colour and a depth of flavour no single roast can match.

The result is an epicurean and robust hojicha that brings out exquisite qualities of the first flush tea.

"I have taken my green tea to a professional roaster and asked them to make Hojicha from it. Their skills are exceptional, and they can create a much more delicious Hojicha that truly brings out the best qualities of our tea, far better than what we farmers could produce on our own."

Masumi Moriuchi

"To prevent the stems and buds from burning, we remove them as the roasting progresses - adjusting the amount of roasting according to the stems' progress. This is why the leaves appear slightly green. When using a roasting pan, we remove the buds when they turn yellow. If you roast the leaves until they turn brown, the buds would be burnt. Bancha without buds roasts more evenly. Tea like this with many buds is difficult to roast uniformly. In fact, tea made only from stems (the lowest grade) is easier to roast but tastes bland in comparison. Leaves have astringency and sweetness, giving it body. The addition of buds enhances the umami flavor. I think Moriuchi's hojicha is delicious."

Roaster

Shipping, delivery & more...

United Kingdom Shipping Information

FREE UK Tracked Delivery when you spend £40 or more

FREE UK Express Delivery - Next Day* when you spend £50 or more

UK Tracked Delivery - Two Day Tracked £3.99

UK Express Delivery - Next Day* Tracked £4.49

UK Express Courier Delivery - Next Day* Courier from £6.99

*Subject to next day cutoff and postcode location. Availability of rates depends on location and order weight. For a complete overview of our shipping rates please see our delivery page.

Returns

The Rare Tea Lady believes that our teas are some of the greatest in the world, and that our range and service are second to none.

In the isolated case that you are not completely satisfied with any product you purchase from our website, please get in contact with our customer services team to discuss returning your order.*

In most instances, we will give you a full refund of the item's cost, excluding postage. We may ask you to return the item to us.** Customers in the UK & European Union have statutory rights not affected by this guarantee, but any bags of tea must remained sealed for this to be in effect.

*We only accept returns/refunds for tea within 30 days of receipt, because it is impossible for us to know if the tea has been stored correctly.

**We will endeavour to ask for pictures where possible - but if you have changed your mind and are outside of any statutory rights time period, return postage is payable by you.

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