Sugimoto Hojicha Roasted Green Tea

2 oz bag - Japan

Hojicha (ほうじ茶) is a Japanese green tea that's roasted over charcoal or in a porcelain pot at high heat, which gives it a distinctive reddish-brown color and a warm, toasty, slightly caramelized flavor that's quite different from the grassy, vegetal taste of most green teas.

The roasting process was reportedly developed in Kyoto in the 1920s, when a tea merchant decided to roast leftover stems, stalks, and older leaves rather than waste them. So historically it began as a way to use the less prestigious parts of the tea plant, though today it's enjoyed widely on its own merits.

Because of the roasting, hojicha is low in caffeine and low in the bitter compounds (catechins) that come through in steamed green teas. The heat breaks these down, so it's smooth, mellow, and easy on the stomach. This is why it's often served in the evening, given to children, or offered to people who find regular green tea too astringent. It's a common everyday tea in Japanese households and is frequently served in restaurants after meals.