Houjicha Shimizu FF
Houjicha is a Japanese green tea whose name literally means "roasted tea" - usually a roasted bancha made from one of the later and less prized harvests and very heavily roasted. Houjicha Shimizu, however, is a slightly different story. Leaves and stems from the most prized first (ichibancha) harvest were used to make it, and the roasting was masterfully done to the best degree.
You can smell the sweet roasted nuts in the aroma, and in the bright brown color infusion, you're in for a taste of houjicha taken to a whole other level. The roastiness here is just the right amount to give off a noble flavor that can best be described as dark caramel.
Unlike other Japanese teas, this one contains a minimal amount of tein.
History of houjicho began in 1920 in Kyoto - While the mechanisation of harvesting made the job immensely easier, compared to hand-picking, there was more debris, fragments and stems to sort through and discard between the leaves. Due to Japan being an island with limited resources, care is taken to be thrifty and minimise waste... So one tea merchant had the idea of roasting these scraps on charcoal - the success didn't take long to spread throughout Japan.
Houjicha became famous in Europe as "macrobiotic tea" - in macrobiotics it is served hot and cold as a highly alkalizing - and therefore de-acidifying - drink. Those who have visited Japan will remember the first shock of tasting houjicha. In contrast, consuming Houjicha Shimizu is a pronouncedly delicious experience for the palate and olfactory cells .
From our own experience, we can recommend Houjicha FF as an excellent tea for digestion, or as a rescue after an overly fatty meal.
Area: Shizuoka
Supplier:
Mr. Morishita
Preparation
Perfect for the teapot
300 ml / 5g 
90 °C 
60 / 180 sec
Houjicha is easy to prepare and can withstand higher temperatures and longer hatching times.
If you like milder flavours pour the first infusion 90ºC water and pour off after a minute, then pour the second infusion over the just boiled water and leave to infuse for 5 minutes.
If you're a fan of full strong flavours pour boiling for 3 minutes.
Houjicha contains only a small amount of tein and so is also suitable as an evening drink.
Packaged in Japan in 50g increments to maintain maximum quality.
JAS Certified.
