Loose Leaf Teas Set

Description

Loose-leaf Teas Set

A selection of our loose-leaf teas

• High-grade Kocha/Japanese Black Tea
• Uji Hojicha/Roasted Geeen Tea
• Organic Sencha/Green Tea

Sencha

Our Organic Sencha is grown, steamed and hand-rolled in Kagoshima using the first spring tea harvest. Steaming gives it a deep green colour, a fresh, sweet aroma and a crisp, vegetal flavour, while hand-rolling ensures the opening of cell walls so that more of the leaf is infused into the tea. Sencha is the most commonly consumed tea in Japan.

Hojicha

Hojicha is green tea that has been roasted at high temperatures over charcoal giving it a deeply toasted caramel aroma and nutty flavour, along with a dark reddish brown colour. Roasting the tea lowers levels of catechins, making Hojicha far less astringent than other green teas, as well as lowering the amount of caffeine, making it more appropriate for evening drinking. Our Hojicha comes from Uji – the centre of production of high quality green tea in Japan. 

Kocha

Japanese black teas are mellower and less bitter than those from elsewhere in the world. Our Kocha has been sourced especially for us from the island of Kyushu and is produced from a high-grade tea cultivar called Benifuki which is grown in Japan specifically for making black tea. Distinctly Japanese, it is naturally medium-bodied with a smooth oaky aroma and a rich, nutty flavour with chocolate undertones.

Preparation

Steeping times for Sencha can range from 30 seconds to 3 minutes, with temperatures between 60-90°C. Generally, hotter water and longer steeping times will yield a more astringent taste, while warm water and shorter steeping times create a mellower flavour.

Hojicha can be steeped in just-boiled water for as long as you like really. Obviously longer brewing times will yield a stronger flavour but Hojicha is fairly robust and unlikely to create bitterness like more delicate teas might. We suggest starting with 1 Tbsp Hojicha to 4  Cups water for around 1 minute in 90°C water but by all means experiment with different ratios and steeping times till you find what suits you.

Generally black teas allow hotter water and longer brewing times than green teas. For our Kocha we suggest adding 1 teaspoon of tea per cup of water at around 90°C. Allow it to steep for around 3 minutes, by which time it will have infused a deep reddish-brown liquor. As the tea is drunk you can top up the pot with more hot water another one to two times till you notice the flavour and colour become milder.

Iced Tea

Make a pot according to the above methods but with half the amount of water, the remaining half to be added in the form of ice after steeping for a few minutes. If you like fruit in your iced tea, you might want to try adding some peaches or apples to the tea while still hot before the ice goes in, so that the flavour really infuses.

Another slower method involves adding tea in a similar ratio to cold water and allowing it to stand overnight. You will find this creates a mellower, more subtle flavour that features some of the sweet and malty aspects of the tea. This method passes much more caffeine into the liquid so that should be kept in mind for those who don’t drink coffee.