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Okay, so this was obviously a must-try in my recent Camellia Sinensis order. Any tea with evergreen elements, I’m here for it. And this is hojicha, which sounds even better.

To be honest, the first couple of cups of this left me wanting a bit more of the cypress. I could taste it, especially at the tail end of the sip, but the hojicha was overpowering it a little bit. This last cup seems much more evergreen-forward, maybe there was extra cypress hiding at the bottom of the bag? Either way, I can taste more of those refreshing piney notes, and also a lovely resinous sap-like flavor that I don’t think I’ve tasted before in a tea. Not sure if that’s down to the cypress compared to more common evergreen ingredients like fir, cedar, and juniper. Actually it’s reminding me a bit of cardamom, which feels like an odd thing to say. Regardless, it’s lovely. The hojicha adds a lovely sweet, roasty-toasty, woody, autumn leafy foundation that really brings home that feeling of sipping tea in an evergreen forest.

What a perfect winter tea! I’ll definitely have to order more of this at some point.

Flavors: Autumn Leaf Pile, Cardamom, Dry Leaves, Earthy, Evergreen, Forest Floor, Menthol, Mineral, Nutty, Pine, Resin, Roasted, Sap, Smooth, Sweet, Toasted, Woody

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 4 min, 0 sec 3 tsp 16 OZ / 473 ML
Kaylee

Ooh I bet a cedar hojicha would be interesting!

Lexie Aleah

cedar hojicha sounds delicious!

Cameron B.

Any hojicha is good with me, ha ha. :D

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Comments

Kaylee

Ooh I bet a cedar hojicha would be interesting!

Lexie Aleah

cedar hojicha sounds delicious!

Cameron B.

Any hojicha is good with me, ha ha. :D

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Bio

Hi, I’m Cameron!

I’m a 30-something software engineer currently living in Austin, Texas with my husband and our two pugs, Gobo and Ume. I tend to cycle between my different hobbies, and they include piano, knitting, video games, board games, miniature painting, planners, bento, Korean skincare, and – of course – TEA! But really, what I’m best at is “collecting” hobby-related things… ;)

~ 2024 SIPDOWN CHALLENGE! ~
- December sipdowns: 0
- Total 2024 sipdowns: 156

I prefer my tea lukewarm or at room temperature and without milk or sugar. I steep Western style, and fluctuate between using big mugs or small teapots depending on the season.

I am always up for a swap! Just let me know if you’d like to try something in my cupboard.

Tea Preferences:
I enjoy both flavored and unflavored teas in many forms. These days, I drink mostly flavored teas, and I tend to gravitate most toward black, green, oolong, and herbal varieties. I do have a special fondness for straight Japanese green teas, however.

I do not sweeten my teas, and pre-sweetened teas are usually too sweet for me. I also do not enjoy stevia.

I tend to reach for fruitier flavors rather than desserty ones these days, but I do have favorites from both categories. Willing to try anything once! There are a few ingredients/flavors that aren’t generally my jam, such as coconut, rose, lavender, and chocolate flavoring. But I also have teas that I love with some of those things, too! :)

Favorite Companies:
3 Leaf
Bird & Blend
Dammann Frères
Harney & Sons
Kyoto Obubu Tea Farms
Lupicia
Old Barrel Tea Co
Simpson & Vail
Taiwan Tea Crafts
TeaVivre

Tea Rating Scale:
90-100: Outstanding! Permanent cupboard resident
80-89: Great – a possible staple
70-79: Good, but I wouldn’t buy it
60-69: It’s decent
50-59: Meh… I may or may not have finished the cup
40-49: Ick. Couldn’t finish it.
00-39: Repulsive, I spat it out

I will sometimes refrain from rating a tea if I feel I’m too biased due to my personal dislikes, or if I suspect the sample has been compromised by age or scent contamination.

Cupboard Spreadsheet:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ZEuKf1-ppR-VXajO4vV39zU1N3zjFJteEPAynqD2yl0/edit?usp=sharing

Location

Austin, Texas

Website

https://www.instagram.com/tea...

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