KARIGANE HOUJICHA | Gokasho

Gentle with Fresh Roasted Flavour 

This high-quality Karigane Houjicha brews a gentle Umami liquor, fresh with a creamy and smooth roasted caramel mouthfeel, slight sweetness and long-lasting finish

Indulge in the exquisite flavours of this premium roasted stem tea, boasting a delicate Umami taste, pure natural sweetness, and a fresh, long-lasting roasted caramel aftertaste. Crafted from the stems, veins, and core of their competition-grade Asahi and Samidori cultivar's premium Tencha (material for Matcha production), which was shaded for forty days before harvest. This Karigane Houjicha is rare and of the highest quality, with no caffeine content.

What sets this Karigane Houjicha apart is the meticulous process behind it. The farmers employ an intricate process, hand-picking only the youngest and freshest leaves of the first flush, and gently processing them. Afterwards, each individual leaf is carefully de-stemmed and de-veined by hand, and later the stems, veins, and core are roasted at different temperatures and durations tailored to the unique characteristics of each raw material, resulting in an exclusive and labour-intensive blend of stem tea that is truly special.

To savour the full depth of flavour, we recommend steeping the tea in hot water at 90°C - 100°C for approximately 45 seconds to a minute. Just 5 grams (1.5 teaspoons) of our tea leaves are enough to brew a delightful cup with 200 ml of water. This premium tea can be enjoyed both hot and cold, providing a truly remarkable drinking experience.

About the Tea Garden

This premium Houjicha comes from a family-operated tea farm that specializes in the cultivation and production of premium Tencha. Their tea plants have been cultivated on the banks of the Uji River where the soil is nitrogen-rich and well-drained. Shaded for 40 days before harvest using a nowadays rare traditional and highly labour-intensive cultivation method called Ooishita (覆い下), employing "Kanreisha", a sunshade cloth, to cover the tea trees to regulate sunlight), and Shizen-jitate (自然仕立て), unpruned tea trees allowed to grow in their natural shape until ready for harvest. This producer is very meticulous in his cultivation and gardening management, harvesting his tea plants only once a year in spring, giving the plants enough time to recover and nourish themselves for the next year's spring harvest.

Cultivar: Blended, Asahi (thin stem), Samidori (thick stem), competition tea veins and core

Roasting: Various, Deep (Samidori), Medium (Asahi), Light (competition tea veins and core)

Origin: Gokasho, Uji

Elevation: 15mt above sea level

Harvest: First flush, Hand-picked (tezumi), Spring 2021

Shade: Ooishita method, shaded for 40 days before harvest

Fertilizing: Rape seed oil cake, fish cake (tuna and bonito)

Steaming: Medium (futsūmushi)

Flavour profile: Sweet and fresh, Roasted caramel, pleasant Umami finish

Producer: Furukawa family

Content: 20g - 50g