Hojicha.co is a tea company based in Toronto, Canada specializing in selling roasted green tea (or hojicha). Co-founders Danielle and Francois both discovered hojicha in Japan and were disappointed with the hojicha options in Canada. So, they partnered up and set up their own company to bring the taste of Kyoto, Japan to the North American Market. I previously reviewed their Hojicha Gold Roast (Almost a year ago wow, I have developed a bit more of skills since then) and they reached out to me again to try and review their Hojicha Classic. Here are my thoughts:
Hojicha Classic: I love hojicha. At first (a yearish ago), I was skeptical, but I absolutely love the warming feeling that this tea gives me. There is something so calming and warming about the toastiness of the tea. I brewed this tea a couple of different ways but mostly did Western brewing style for 45-60 seconds. The color of the tea was a brown amber color with yellow-orange edges. My oh my, this tea had a lovely aroma that made me want to cuddle up on the front porch in a layer of blankets and just watch the scenery. There was a roasted and toastiness aroma, almost like toasted rice. The aroma also reminded me a bit of when you go into a barn and the smell of the wood and moisture (but in a good way, I promise).
I personally experienced toasted rice notes right as I started tasting the tea. As I sat on the front porch with the cool air of fall setting in (yes, I moved to fully experience the tea), I found this tea extremely uplifting and warming to my soul and body. I kept anticipating each of my sips. I did not notice it immediately, but eventually I felt a slow drying effect on the sides of my cheeks and gums. The tea had a light to medium body and was mostly smooth (besides the slight drying astringency). I also started to notice a slight sweetness linger; I had eaten a honey stick an hour before drinking so I was unsure if the sweetness was the honey stick or the tea. It was the tea. The sweetness reminded me of bit of burnt/crystallized sugar.
Price: The price is $16 for 80 grams of tea. I think this is quite fair for taste of Kyoto in the home.
Packaging: The packaging is so beautiful, as always. They have a wonderful way of packaging the tea when you receive it, that you do not want to open it (except I know what is inside so I had to restrain myself from tearing into it). The tea pouch itself is great at keeping the tea safe and airtight.
Sourcing: This tea is straight from Kyoto, Japan, and was harvested in June. They always make their sourcing abundantly clear.
What are your thoughts on Hojicha? It honestly took me a while to fully be able to appreciate it and crave it. Let me know in the comments, Happy Brewing!
-Danielle