Kaneroku Matsumoto Tea Garden, from Shizuoka prefecture, is famous for its smoked teas.
I have reviewed their whisky barrel wood smoked black tea in the past.
This houjicha is also smoked in the same manner.
I’m very curious about this tea.
Tasting a roasted and smoked green tea
Naturally, it has a strong smoky smell.
It does feel like wood from a whiskey oak barrel.
But it’s very hard to notice the aroma of the houjicha.
It is a pleasant aroma nevertheless.
Regarding the leaf appearance, it consists of brown leaves and stems. Some are a bit yellow or green.
I’ll prepare it as follows: 4 grams of tea, 120 ml of boiling water, and an infusion time of 30 seconds.
The wet leaf aroma is similar to when it was dry.
I can better smell the whisky barrel fragrance this time.
And after a short brewing time, I obtained a yellow liquor with a few sediment.
The taste is balanced. In other words, the smoky flavor doesn’t overpower the other flavors.
It definitely feels woody.
But it is a mild taste. I was hoping for something stronger.
This tea isn’t bitter and only slightly astringent.
It also lacks the sweetness that you would expect from a houjicha.
Let’s make a second infusion using the same parameters.
It’s still a smoky aroma and taste, but it feels a bit more astringent than before.
I’ll go ahead and make the last infusion.
Lighter taste, but worth drinking.
I found this tea interesting.
However, I prefer the black tea version even though I don’t drink much black tea.
The stronger taste of the black tea works better with the smoking process, in my opinion.
Here’s the link to this smoked houjicha in Yunomi.
