Hojicha

Hōjicha (Houjicha)

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 (180 °F)
Time:	1 - 3 minutes
Number of infusions:	2
Quantity:	4 teaspoons per litre

Hōjicha (Houjicha) (ほうじ茶) is a Japanese green tea. It is distinctive from other Japanese green teas because it is roasted in a porcelain pot over charcoal, whereas most Japanese teas are steamed. The tea is fired at a high temperature, altering the leaf color tints from green to reddish-brown. The process was first performed in Kyoto, Japan in the 1920s and its popularity persists today.^[1]

Description

Hōjicha is often made from bancha (番茶, "common tea"),^[2] 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 during the high-temperature roasting process.^[3] The roasted flavors are extracted and dominate this tea: the roasting replaces the vegetative tones of other varieties of Japanese green tea with a toasty, slightly caramel-like flavor. The roasting process used to make Hōjicha also lowers the amount of caffeine in the tea.^[4] Because of its mildness, Hōjicha is a popular tea to serve during the evening meal or after, before going to sleep, and even preferred for children and the elderly.

See also

• Japanese tea

References

1. "Japan Hoji Cha Powder". Retrieved 2016-02-22.
2. Clayton, Liz. "Tea Time: All About Hojicha". serious eats. Retrieved 20 January 2012.
3. Kuroda, Yukiaki (2004). Health effects of tea and its catechins. 30: Kluwer Academic. ISBN 0-306-48207-X.
4. http://www.ippodo-tea.co.jp/en/tea/hojicha_02.html