Kirishima Houjicha Organic Roasted Green Tea comes from Kirishima, Kyushu (a region in the far south of Japan): it is a well-roasted, low caffeine organic green tea.
The base of Kirishima Houjicha is a good Sencha tea roasted at high temperatures, a process that sweetens the taste of the tea and removes most of the caffeine in the leaf, enhancing the roasted nut notes.
It is a perfect tea for any time of day, precisely because it is very low in caffeine, and is also great for a cold brew on a hot summer day.
Tasting – Sight and smell
Kirishima Houjicha organic green tea has whole, folded over and flattened leaves, with the presence of twigs. The color is a warm mahogany-brown, with some reddish highlights, and the roasted scent of the dried leaves is already intense and intoxicating before brewing. Once infused, the leaves release aromas of nuts, such as roasted and caramelized almonds and hazelnuts, notes of coffee, a light hint of charcoal, and a sweet-savory vegetable aroma, distantly reminiscent of nori seaweed. In the cup, the liquor is quite clear and bright, dark golden-orange in color with amber highlights.
Tasting Notes
Kirishima Houjicha organic green tea has an extremely gentle flavor: sweet notes of crunchy almonds and roasted hazelnuts in the opening, evolving into hints of caffelatte and slight hints of burnt wood. A buttery, sweet note also emerges, reminiscent of peanut butter and condensed milk. The finish is marked by a sweetness of toasted white bread, while notes of nuts and a vaguely buttery sensation on the tongue remain in the persistence. The body of this tea has good density and is very soft and enveloping on the palate, devoid of any bitterness or astringency.
Place of origin
Kyushu, Japan
Production
Kirishima Houjicha organic green tea is brewed in the classical Japanese style, thus, freshly harvested leaves are allowed to wither for a short time and then flooded with very hot steam for between one to one and a half minutes causing “green killing” to take place, which is useful in deactivating enzymes that would cause the leaf to oxidize and allowing for greater processing of plant flavors in the product. After this important stage, the leaves are rolled to enhance their flavours and dried using hot air jets to be ready for use.
Brewing method
Put 2 grams of leaves (about two teaspoons) in a Japanese teapot of the Kyusu type or, in the absence of the latter, in a teapot possibly with a wide and flat bottom.
Pour 200 ml of water at a temperature of 75°C on the leaves and after 2-3 minutes you can start pouring the infusion into the cups. To make the most of the leaves and continue the taste experience with this tea, we also recommend making another three infusions of the same leaves with the same quantity and temperature parameters but extending the infusion time by 5-10 seconds.
The tea can be filtered for greater ease at the moment of tasting, and also the infusion times indicated above are intended to be purely indicative, so you can also adjust according to your personal taste.
As we are talking about a Japanese green tea, it is also possible to make a delicious infusion in cold water before proceeding with hot water. For the latter, we recommend, with the same grams of leaves per amount of water, an infusion time of about 10 minutes.
It is recommended that Kirishima Houjicha organic green tea be stored in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight.