Nakamura-en Tea Shop Kyoto Karigane Hojicha is a premium green tea that is made of roasted stems filtered from kabusecha which is a shaded green tea.
The tea shop itself is a quaint, 100+ year old shop near Ryogoku station on the JR Sobu line. The owner is Mr. Nakamura who speaks a bit of English, and selects some amazing teas from around Japan….including this one. The promoter of this wonderful tea is Yunomi Life and it’s available for purchase on their website.
The harvest is spring and the region is Kyoto Pref, Japan which contributes to the overall experience of this tea. The aroma is intense – right out of the bag! The flavor on the tongue is smoky and roasted up front with a sweet end sip.
The layers of flavor have you craving more. This is certainly a tea that you will take your time with. One to contemplate and appreciate. One that you will remember long after the cup is finished. A mighty fine roasted and toasted green!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Yunomi
Description
Roasted leaf stems filtered from the production of gyokuro (the most premium form of leaf green tea with lowest level of catechin) in Kyoto, Japan.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Tea of Inquiry from Allegheny Coffee & Tea Exchange. . . .
Fun facts about genmaicha tea:
– It’s tea cut with rice, including popped rice (“popcorn tea”).
– It’s consumed all over the world.
– It used to be associated with the lower class, because they couldn’t afford straight tea.
– It might be an appetite suppressant. People with less money would drink it when they couldn’t afford food.
– It’s DELICIOUS.
If you’re like “I want to get on board with green tea, but I can’t even begin to deal with all that GREEN flavor,” give this a try. It’s a workaround. It tastes like toast/popcorn/rice. It has a robust, grainy/nutty kind of flavor. The “green”ness is cut down significantly.
Plus, I mean, you’re getting down with the proletariat. You’re supporting the REGULAR FOLK on PRINCIPLE.
I don’t have a lot of experience drinking this new favorite type of tea. If you’re a connoisseur, I can’t tell you whether Allegheny Coffee & Tea Exchange’s “Tea of Inquiry” is a stellar example of the genre. But I think it’s delicious. I recommend trying it or another gemaicha today! It might be for you.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Allegheny Coffee & Tea Exchange
Description
A special Japanese blend of fine green tea and toasted rice.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Ancient Green Leaves from The Tea Can Company. . . .
This is my first tea from this company! Looking at their website, I see the reason for their name. Many of their teas are available with different labeling, and there are some really lovely options here. In addition, you can choose a tea and request custom labeling for an event or for a company – such possibilities!
This tea promises to be a smooth, Japanese pan-fired Sencha tea. Mine is in a sachet and I see some flat leaves about two centimeters long as well as a bit of crumble and dust, probably from its rough transit to my house while out of its tin. I feel sure the leaves in the tin were quite whole when the tea was received by the person who ordered it!
There were no instructions on the website as to steeping parameters so I used my usual green tea process – 175F for three minutes.
The resulting liquor is quite pale but fragrant. My first impression is of roasted chestnuts, the classic pan-fired green taste to me. It is lively and brisk without astringency. The flavor lingers well after the sip. The briskness dries the tongue and makes you reach for more, and I notice the initial roasted nut flavor shifted to a quick tingle and then a sweetness rising up into the whole mouth. This lingers for quite a while.
Eager for more, I resteeped my sachet. The liquor is about the same color. The flavor is nearly identical with perhaps a lighter roasted nut taste up front and even a little more sweetness, but that could be simply building the longer I drink this.
If you are a fan of pan-fired Japanese tea, you may want to give this one a try!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: The Tea Can Company
Description
Refreshing, smooth and high in antioxidants. Classically Japanese, sencha green tea is pan-fired for a taste that is smooth, refined and easy on the palette. With a refreshing aroma and lovely true green color, this tea is rich in antioxidants that promote well being.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
