Hōjicha
 |
| Type: |
Green |
|
| Other names: |
焙じ茶 hōji-cha, pan-fried / oven roasted tea |
| Origin: |
Japan |
|
| Quick description: |
Popular in Japan. Roasted Bancha or Kukicha tea, often used as an after-dinner tea. |
|
| Temperature: |
82°C |
| Time: |
1 - 3 minutes |
| Number of infusions: |
2 |
| Quantity: |
4 teaspoons per litre |
Hōjicha (ほうじ茶?) is a Japanese green tea that is distinguished from others because it is roasted in a porcelain pot over charcoal; Japanese tea is usually steamed. The tea is fired at high temperature, altering the leaf colour tints from green to reddish-brown. The process was first performed in Kyoto, Japan in the 1920s and its popularity persists today.
Hōjicha is often made from bancha (番茶, "common tea"),[1] tea from the last harvest of the season, however other varieties of Hōjicha also exist, including a variety made from sencha, and Kukicha, tea made from the twigs of the tea plant rather than the leaves.
Hōjicha infusions have a light- to reddish-brown appearance, and are less astringent due to losing catechins[2] during the high temperature roasting process. The roasted flavours are extracted and predominate this blend: the roasting replaces the vegetative tones of standard green tea with a toasty, slightly caramel-like flavour. The roasting process used to make Hōjicha lowers the amount of caffeine in the tea. Because of its mildness, Hōjicha is a popular tea to serve during the meal or after the evening meal before going to sleep and even preferred for children and elderly.
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