A date with Houjicha

Last night, I wondered into the local tea shop located in the basement of Selva. For those unfamiliar with Japan, most department stores have substantial food markets located in their basements. Selva is no exception to this rule. This particular tea shop, is part of a chain, and has locations all around Sendai. Unfortuantely, I can't tell you the name, as I can't read the kanji!

I'd been studying and reading about the kinds of Japanese teas, and knew that it was time to start the tasting process. I've been in Japan for over 1 1/2 years, have drunk countless cups and bottles of tea, but unless it was Sencha or Matcha had no idea what I was actually drinking. I'm hoping I can gain some ground however over the next five months I have left in the country. But, knowing me, I'm likely to forget most of what I've learned once I leave the country. Thus, this blog was born. It's part public service and part tea diary.

Thankfully, last night, the manager of the tea shop was really happy to guide us in our tea buying process. My Japanese wasn't really up to understanding everything he said, but I understood quite a bit. We were able to try three different varieties of tea (a really yummy sencha, houjicha and a matcha-genmaicha). We decided to buy two varieties of houjicha.

Houjicha starts with a basic green tea that is then roasted. The resulting flavor is pleasantly nutty and rich.

The two varieties we bought were both mid-grade in quality (at least for the selection at this store). The one on the right int he picture below is a mixture of leaves and stems, the other is entirely stems (kuki).

Two varieties of Houjicha