Roasted Tea

: San-nen Bancha: What Does “Three Years” Actually Mean?

San-nen bancha sounds simple. San-nen means "three years," and bancha broadly refers to tea made from more mature leaves than the tender shoots typically used for sencha. So is san-nen bancha simply bancha aged for three years? Not necessarily. Some san-nen bancha is aged for around three years after harvest. Other versions are made from tea plants left to grow for three years or longer before harvest. Some producers combine both approaches. In other words, even the "three years" in san-nen bancha does not always refer to the same three years. And once the production method changes, the raw material, ...

: What Is Hojicha? Why Japan’s Roasted Green Tea Tastes So Different

Hojicha does not look like the green tea many people expect from Japan. Its leaves are brown. The brewed tea can range from amber to reddish-brown. Its aroma is roasted rather than grassy, and its flavor may remind you more of toasted nuts, warm grain, or caramel than fresh green leaves. Yet hojicha is still Japanese green tea. The key is simple: Hojicha is not one specific type of tea leaf. It is roasted tea. Different Japanese green teas and different parts of the tea plant can be roasted to make hojicha. That is why hojicha can vary in flavor, ...