Amber Houjicha Tea from Kyoto Obubu Tea Plantations

obubu-houjicha-amberTea Information:

Leaf Type:  Green

Where to Buy:  Kyoto Obubu Tea Plantations

Tea Description:

Houjicha Amber as the name says is exquisite in color, aromatic in fragrance and powerful in flavor. Its color is that of the stone, amber, that is often used for both jewelry and to perfumery.

To produce Houjcha Amber, Obubu uses tea leaves of Sencha of the Summer Sun and roast them to create a luxury type of Houjicha. Sencha of the Summer Sun is characterised for its strong bitter taste because it uses tea leaves that are small and fine.  Its rich and robust flavor makes it an ideal choice for after heavy or oily meals.

Learn more about this tea here.

Taster’s Review:

It’s been a while since I’ve had a cup of Houjicha, so I thought it was definitely time for a cup.  This Amber Houjicha Tea from Kyoto Obubu Tea Plantations is really lovely.

According to the above description, the leaves used for this Houjicha is the Sencha of the Summer Sun, and this was a Sencha that I really enjoyed … so I found myself eager to try this tea after reading the description.  I wondered how different the flavor would be after the roasting process.

Interestingly enough, I still taste some of the Sencha in this tea, although it is … certainly different from a typical Sencha (duh, right?)  But I taste some of the vegetative notes of the Sencha tea, as well as some of the floral notes.  The Sencha of the Summer Sun was a rather assertive green tea so, I guess it should come as no surprise that some of those flavors still shine through after the roasting.

But, I like how the vegetative notes taste  … more like roasted vegetables as opposed to “creamed spinach.”  Some of the creamy notes of the green tea are also present in this cup, and when united with the toasty flavors, it gives a creamy, nutty sort of flavor that is really quite appealing.

Sweet and delicious, with a moderate amount of astringency … this is different from the usual Houjicha which I might describe as a mellow, easy-going kind of tea … this one has a certain lively vibe to it that makes it different but still quite delightful.

If you like Houjicha … add this to your MUST try list!

Ceremonial Grade Organic Matcha from Infussion

CeremonialMatcha

Tea Information:

Leaf Type:  Green (Matcha)

Where to Buy:  Infussion

Tea Description:

This is the cream of the crop of Japanese teas, imported directly from Uji, Kyoto. Tea leaves used for producing matcha are shaded for 20 days before the harvest. This guarantees low level of tannins and unusually high antioxidant, caffeine and l-theanine levels. Such leaves produce top potency tea devoid of bitterness. This is the only Camellia Sinensis product that has stems and veins of the leaves removed. Slow, cold grinding using granite mills is needed to produce finest Matcha and it can take up to 1h to produce 30g of this unique tea.

Learn more about this tea here.

Taster’s Review:

This Ceremonial Grade Organic Matcha from Infussion is absolutely magnificent!  It is so incredibly smooth and sweet!

The powdered tea whisks up to a beautiful, bright jade green liquid with lots and lots of froth that doesn’t disappear quickly!  It stays nice and frothy!  The green tea powder also does not separate quickly the way other Matcha can sometimes do.  It remained incorporated as I continued to sip.

The aroma of the prepared Matcha is sweet and vegetative … redolent of freshly cut grass in the spring … when the grass buds are still new and fresh.  It’s quite lovely.

The flavor is sweet and vegetal, tasting of sweet grass, but also of freshly steamed spinach that has been lightly buttered.  There are faint notes of delectable bittersweet chocolate.  The texture is creamy and smooth with no grit.  The sweetness of this Matcha is really enchanting!

The more teas that I try from Infussion, the more I am impressed with this company!  The quality of their teas is outstanding.  If you like Matcha, this is one that you should try … it’s an excellent Ceremonial Grade Matcha and I love that it’s Organic too!

Kyobancha from Tealet

Tea Information:

Leaf Type:  Green

Where to Buy:  Tealet

Tea Description:

After the long cold winter tea growers in Kyoto Prefecture harvest tea leaves and twigs to produce Kyobancha. It has a deep woodsy flavor that is sure to warm you up on a cold holiday night. Many tea-growing regions refer to Kyobancha as ‘bancha for babies’ because it is so low in caffeine because of its late harvest date. It is very difficult to find this tea in stores because tea-growing families usually just drink it themselves.

Learn more about this tea here.

Taster’s Review:

I don’t think I’ve ever had a Kyobancha before, so I was excited to try this tea from Tealet.  The leaves are large and remind me a bit of a white tea, actually, like a darker white tea such as a Shou Mei … a really high quality one, where great care was taken to preserve the whole leaf.

The aroma reminds me of a Houjicha tea – its got a toasty kind of scent to it.  The flavor is also kind of roasty-toasty like a Houjicha.  In fact, if I were served this “blindly” … I would guess it was a Houjicha, although there are noticeable differences in the overall flavor. This Kyobancha tastes lighter, and seems to have a little less body and texture to it than a typical Houjicha.  It’s a lighter roasted taste, and just overall a lighter tasting tea.

In this video from Tealet, Elyse from Tealet discusses the differences between Kyobancha and Houjicha.  It’s a short but informative video, check it out!

I love the sweetness of this tea!  It tastes a bit sweeter to me than a Houjicha, with very little vegetative taste.  It kind of tastes like raw sugar cane, with some nutty notes and hints of a hay-like vegetal note.

The best way I can describe this is this:  Imagine Houjicha and White Tea had a love child.  That child would be named Kyobancha!

I really enjoyed this new experience.  Thank you, Tealet, for making it happen!

Houjicha from Tealet

Tea Information:

Leaf Type:  Green

Where to Buy:  Tealet

Tea Description:

Grown on the Obubu Tea Plantation in Kyoto, Japan.

Houjicha is a Japanese roasted green tea that has rich, sweet flavors that cannot be found in any other Japanese green tea. The roasting of the tea brings out a smoky flavor that removes any of the bitterness often found in Japanese green tea. The heat processing of the tea leaves removes caffeine which makes this the perfect tea to pour at night or with the family. Children and novice tea drinkers find the sweet taste easy to drink.

Learn more about this tea here.

Taster’s Review:

I do enjoy a good Houjicha, and the Houjicha from the Obubu Tea Plantation are among some of the very best that I’ve tried, so I was very pleased to learn that Tealet was offering Houjicha from Obubu as well as some other amazing teas from this plantation.

This Houjicha is lightly roasted, giving it a pleasing toasty taste.  The toasty flavor gives it a very autumnal taste, and it’s so comforting to sip.  It has a cozy feel to it, sort of like getting wrapped up in a big, warm, fluffy blanket.  It has a very soothing effect … relaxing.

This is beautifully sweet and not at all bitter.  Instead of the “green” vegetative taste that comes from most green teas, this has more of a sweet, roasted nutty taste.  There is some smokiness to the taste as well, arriving toward the tail of the sip, and then lingering into the aftertaste.

 

I enjoy Houjicha served hot or iced – but, it is most soothing when served hot, and it doesn’t need any additions, it has a natural sweetness to it that I wouldn’t want to overwhelm with additional sweetener and I think that milk would overpower the whole cup.  It’s really quite delightful, just as it is.

Sencha Kyoto Cherry Rose Festival Tea from Culinary Teas

Tea Information:

Leaf Type:  Green

Where to Buy:  Culinary Teas

Tea Description:

Sencha Kyoto Cherry tea tends light liquoring, fresh and smooth with reasonable depth and body. The cherry flavoring and subtle rose hints give this green tea a wonderful exotic character.

Learn more about this tea here.

Taster’s Review:

Spring isn’t my favorite season.  I have allergies, and while I have learned how to keep them under control for the rest of the year, at the start of the spring season, it would seem that some new strain of pollen has infiltrated my breathing space and for the first few weeks of spring, I’m sneezing, coughing and itchy.  But that’s spring for you … or rather, for me.

But, there is one thing that brings a little sunshine into my springtime:  cherry flavored Sencha teas.  No other tea says “Spring” to me like a cherry Sencha, and this Sencha Kyoto Cherry Rose Festival Tea from Culinary Teas is quite nice, indeed.

The blend starts out as a feast for the eyes with its vivid green tea leaves and the contrasting rose petals.  And fortunately, I’ve gotten past the new spring pollen initiation, so I can smell the lovely fragrance that this tea offers as well:  sweet cherry and a whisper of rose.

The green tea tastes crisp and fresh, but it doesn’t taste real grassy.  It has a light buttery taste and texture, not really creamy, but more of what I’d call “supple.”  The rose is a bit of an accent flavor, offering just a hint of sharpness to offset some of the sweeter notes of the cherry.  The cherry flavor is light and sweet and has a hint of tartness to it as well, and I like that this doesn’t taste like a cough drop.  I’ve had enough of those this season already!

This is one of the best ways to celebrate spring – with a cup of Sencha Kyoto Cherry Rose Festival Tea!