Maybe it’s been a while since I’ve had houjicha, but the aroma that came from the teacups was excellent, and mostly, a lot stronger than I expected. Usually I have to put my nose in the teapot to take in a nice aroma— here, it felt like the whole kitchen had been filled (at least momentarily) with a delicious roasted aroma.
And this houjicha is perhaps the best example I’ve had of a tea that has been successfully roasted to the point of caramelization. The first cup or two I drank hot, but used the majority of the kettle I brewed to make a big pitcher iced. It is delicious either way, but I almost think I prefer it hot, since the aroma is even better. Either way, this is definitely some of the best I’ve had.
As for Ippodo as a whole, this was my first order, and everything about them is really impressive. The way they wrap the teas, the info. packets they provide about brewing, about the company and products… they are all excellently and professionally made. You can tell they put a lot of care and thought to every detail.
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I have been thinking about ordering some houjicha for the summer. It will be a nice change from all of the senchas I have been sucking back lately.
Glad to hear you were impressed with the co. I have thought about ordering sencha from them, but am not thrilled that they only allow EMS shipping and have no PayPal option at checkout.
But, who knows?
Best wishes,
sherubtse
Yes, only EMS will certainly limit the number of times I would potentially order from them, but I totally understand why they would chose to do that as a business. It is strange that they don’t allow PayPal, since that does seem to be a fairly standard option.
I often like to have another kind of tea around (other than sencha) so I can change things up…. houjicha, gyokuro, or some kind of unrelated black tea. Though, that sometimes means I just drink sencha and the other …. :-)
Sorry, what’s EMS?
Express Mail Service – the expensive option of shipping (I’ve only seen it from Japan but it may be used elsewhere); usually starting at 1200 JPY ($15). But it is fast and insured. Some Japanese companies offer only EMS as a shipping method because SAL (surfaced air mail) while cheap, can be unreliable.
Some companies (e.g., O-Cha) also offer 1st class airmail, which is my preferred shipping option. It is quick and (relatively) cheap.
Best wishes,
sherubtse
Ah, I didn’t know there was another type. (Or, I assume 1st class airmail is the same as SAL). I have ordered from O-cha and used the cheaper option before, I but I don’t believe it was insured.
The cheaper option from O-Cha is not insured. But it is quick, taking just 2-3 days longer than EMS. And, it is faster than SAL (albeit more expensive as well).
Best wishes,
sherubtse
Cool, thanks for the info!
Miss your musings, bud! Let me know if you ever decide to order from Ippodo again — there’s a laundry list of things I’d like to try but could never afford by my lonesome :)
Hey Cole! Mostly, I just use teachat now. I like steepster, but decided I didn’t enjoy it enough to keep writing. Wanted to just enjoy tea as it is without thinking about how I’d write about it. And on teachat, they have cool tea tasting initiatives where you get to try a bunch of teas for cheap. ‘OTTI’ it’s called – check it out!
I have been thinking about ordering some houjicha for the summer. It will be a nice change from all of the senchas I have been sucking back lately.
Glad to hear you were impressed with the co. I have thought about ordering sencha from them, but am not thrilled that they only allow EMS shipping and have no PayPal option at checkout.
But, who knows?
Best wishes,
sherubtse
Yes, only EMS will certainly limit the number of times I would potentially order from them, but I totally understand why they would chose to do that as a business. It is strange that they don’t allow PayPal, since that does seem to be a fairly standard option.
I often like to have another kind of tea around (other than sencha) so I can change things up…. houjicha, gyokuro, or some kind of unrelated black tea. Though, that sometimes means I just drink sencha and the other …. :-)
Sorry, what’s EMS?
Express Mail Service – the expensive option of shipping (I’ve only seen it from Japan but it may be used elsewhere); usually starting at 1200 JPY ($15). But it is fast and insured. Some Japanese companies offer only EMS as a shipping method because SAL (surfaced air mail) while cheap, can be unreliable.
Some companies (e.g., O-Cha) also offer 1st class airmail, which is my preferred shipping option. It is quick and (relatively) cheap.
Best wishes,
sherubtse
Ah, I didn’t know there was another type. (Or, I assume 1st class airmail is the same as SAL). I have ordered from O-cha and used the cheaper option before, I but I don’t believe it was insured.
The cheaper option from O-Cha is not insured. But it is quick, taking just 2-3 days longer than EMS. And, it is faster than SAL (albeit more expensive as well).
Best wishes,
sherubtse
Cool, thanks for the info!
Miss your musings, bud! Let me know if you ever decide to order from Ippodo again — there’s a laundry list of things I’d like to try but could never afford by my lonesome :)
Hey Cole! Mostly, I just use teachat now. I like steepster, but decided I didn’t enjoy it enough to keep writing. Wanted to just enjoy tea as it is without thinking about how I’d write about it. And on teachat, they have cool tea tasting initiatives where you get to try a bunch of teas for cheap. ‘OTTI’ it’s called – check it out!