Hibiki-an Houjicha Karigane??

Made from leaves that have not been oxidized.
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Apr 27th, '09, 15:35
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Hibiki-an Houjicha Karigane??

by TokyoB » Apr 27th, '09, 15:35

I've had this tea for awhile but haven't gotten it to taste like much. I am using about a tablespoon of tea for 6 oz of boiling water and a 30 sec steep. I see the reviews that refer to the sweetness of the brew. I did get a very sweet flavor from Den's Tencha-Kuki Houjicha though. Has anyone else had this tea and gotten a sweet or much of any flavor?
Thanks.
Here's the link:
http://www.hibiki-an.com/product_info.p ... cts_id/497
TokyoB
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Apr 27th, '09, 16:00
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by tenuki » Apr 27th, '09, 16:00

Try 180 degree water and 1-1.5 minutes in a thicker walled ceramic pot. I sometimes put a tea cozy the pot during brewing. (edit) I also use slightly more leaf than sencha, try adding an extra half teaspoon. Some places recommend fresh boiling water for hojicha, but that's never worked for me.
Apr 27th, '09, 17:35
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by Pentox » Apr 27th, '09, 17:35

You're probably not going to find the sweetness in this tea that you found with the Tencha Kuki Houji purely based on the source leaf. If you want a sweeter taste though, I agree with Tenuki and up your leaf, drop your temp.
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Apr 27th, '09, 19:12
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by chingwa » Apr 27th, '09, 19:12

This is probably my favorite Houjicha, however it took a while to really come to terms with it. like Tenuki, I don't use boiling water either... it just kinda kills the flavor. Here's my process:

1) heat water to boiling in tetsubin kettle (yes, actually, the tetsubin massively helps the flavor of this tea).. let boil a few minutes to take the edge off water.

2) pour water from kettle to kyusu to prewarm.

3) pour water from kyusu into a second bowl/cup/pot and add 2 heaping tablespoons of houjicha to the kyusu.

4) pour the now cooler water back into the pot till full (I have a 13 fl oz kyusu)

5) steep 40 seconds. no more and no less.
perfect every time.
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Apr 28th, '09, 12:28
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by TokyoB » Apr 28th, '09, 12:28

I tried 1 heaping tablespoon, 6 or 7 oz water at about 175F for a minute or so. It came out much better although not what I would describe as sweet. It may have been a bit too strong - I forgot about the 40 sec recommendation and will try that next. Thanks.
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by chingwa » Apr 28th, '09, 13:30

TokyoB, I had a hard time getting the sweetness out of this as well, until I started heating my water in a tetsubin. If you don't have a tetsubin you may want to experiment with different water... possibly looking for water with a more neutral flavor/PH...
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Apr 28th, '09, 15:27
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by TokyoB » Apr 28th, '09, 15:27

chingwa wrote:TokyoB, I had a hard time getting the sweetness out of this as well, until I started heating my water in a tetsubin. If you don't have a tetsubin you may want to experiment with different water... possibly looking for water with a more neutral flavor/PH...
chingwa - Thanks. I don't have a tetsubin. How do you heat yours? Are there any that can be heated on a gas stove?

I will try it with a neutral bottled water.

Thanks.
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