Let's talk about Yusando's hojicha (1)
Today's theme is hojicha. There are many teas with the name hojicha, but what they all have in common is whether they are roasted at the end. If it is roasted, it is often called hojicha. There are various processes in the stage before roasting, and there are many ways to make it.
So even with the same hojicha notation, it creates a lot of variety. How to process the previous stage ✖️ There are quite a few variations depending on how you roast. Consumer tastes are also different. Hojicha also has various flavors.
When it comes to Yusando Hojicha, Hojicha is our most popular product. I divide it into two parts, the leaf hojicha and the hojicha to make the hojicha tea pack.
Leaf hojicha is made from late June to late July, before summer, and about a month before and after. If anything, after the 1st tea is over, the tea leaves that are left uncut and the new buds of the 2nd tea that come out are harvested together. Generally speaking, I think the best time is when the tea is a little too big for the first tea. Sweetness is more important than umami, and the branches and stems are cut together to some extent so that the taste is as harmonious as possible.
On the other hand, the roasted tea for tea bags is made with tea leaves that are a little hard and barely make tea because they are made with a strong sweetness. In terms of time, from the latter half of September to the end of October. We use tea leaves called so-called autumn bancha.
I didn't pay much attention to it before, but it seems that the degree of roasting makes a difference in the taste and aroma of tea. I think it's probably quite similar to coffee, but the taste is divided depending on how light and deep the roast is.
Our hojicha is a rather light type of hojicha. Mellow and neat
We aim to make tea that allows you to enjoy the taste of tea. When I went to a soba restaurant in Shigaraki a while ago, the tea that came out was roasted green tea with a slightly deeper roast than our tea. Personally, I thought that the dark dreamy hojicha and katsudon would go well together.