A review of Houjicha Gold (Roasted Bancha) by Den’s Tea
Houjicha-Gold delivers a delightful and calming cup. Highly aromatic but gentle to your stomach with a low amount of caffeine.
Origin: Shizuoka
Harvest: Between First and Second Harvests
This Houjicha Gold calls for a very short steep, something I am not use to. I take a heaping teaspoon from the open packet and place this in my cup and add the boil water and left to steep for only 30 seconds.
Tea’s aroma is a very strong roasted cup of tea. It is medium bodied tea and the fluid’s color is darken brown. This tea is very woodsy and earthy smelling and taste like the Haiku tea I have sampled in recent past but this tea has leaves not twigs as did the Haiku tea.
I must say when I open the packet I was thinking this smelled like an over flowing ashtray with but ends of cigarettes. I am sorry; I do like the roasted and woodsy aroma that this tea conveys. And I think it would make a great ice tea…and perhaps adding Vodka to it since they both possess that drying effect when tasted. This is just a thought, and something to consider trying; Iced Houjicha Tea with vodka.
I also tried this tea with 2nd infusion for 15 second with boiled water added to my cup and it is less roasted in the aroma and much milder in the taste.