| By early summer in the Uji district, traditional center of the Japanese tea industry, tea leaves grow too large and coarse for the Nagata family to make into Sencha. The Nagatas steam these leaves to prevent fermentation, mix them with volcanic sand, and roast them in revolving ovens to make Hojicha. The sand, later removed, helps the leaves roast slowly and evenly. Roasting further neutralizes the leaves+ already weak astringent and stimulating qualities (tea leaves contain less caffeine as they grow older)and gives this tea its distinctive smoky or nutty flavor. The result is unparalleled taste and quality, as perfectly balanced as a poem. In order to insure the richest, most authentic flavor, Haiku Roasted Green Tea teabags are always two full grams of 100% Nagata Organic Japanese Hojicha Tea, the finest quality in the world. Try it and you will understand why true connoisseurs of Japanese roasted green tea will drink nothing else. |
