Hojicha is a toasted Japanese tea. I like it, it makes a nice hot beverage, but I seldom crave it. I drink plenty of hot tea everyday... but on those particularly warm and sunny days (a rarity here in Seattle) I sometimes dabble in iced tea too and Hojicha is one of my favorites.
Back in 2001, my first year as a tea seller, my tea mentor Donna Fellman suggested I add a big pinch of dried spearmint leaves to Hojicha. I thought it tasted wonderful and have made it at least once every summer since.
Today I tried it with 5 fresh spearmint leaves from my yard. First I ripped up and muddled the spearmint in a jar. Then I steeped them with a rounded teaspoon of hojicha leaves for ~5 minutes with near boiling water. After it cooled, I poured it over ice. The result, garnished with a spearmint sprig, was divine.
I feel like this would make a nice ice tea to serve at a summer garden party or barbecue.
Back in 2001, my first year as a tea seller, my tea mentor Donna Fellman suggested I add a big pinch of dried spearmint leaves to Hojicha. I thought it tasted wonderful and have made it at least once every summer since.
Today I tried it with 5 fresh spearmint leaves from my yard. First I ripped up and muddled the spearmint in a jar. Then I steeped them with a rounded teaspoon of hojicha leaves for ~5 minutes with near boiling water. After it cooled, I poured it over ice. The result, garnished with a spearmint sprig, was divine.
I feel like this would make a nice ice tea to serve at a summer garden party or barbecue.
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4 comments:
I've never had this kind of tea before. It sounds like it would be most definitely wonderful in taste! Thank you for letting me know about it!
This is interesting; I've combined green teas with spearmint, but never tried using hojicha.
I do find that spearmint tends to go well with many teas, especially when you add a small amount of mint to a large amount of tea. In the summer though, I often brew up iced tea that is about 1/2 to 1/4th green tea and the rest spearmint and/or lemon balm.
At times I find Spearmint to be overwhelming, tasting more like chewing gum rather than a hint of it in your cup. Currently I am drinking Gold Spearmint Tea by Akbar and I am finding the tea to be very minty...that gum chewing experience.
Anyhow, the Hojicha tea with the spearmint is real inciting. In the yard with a book or magazine kind of tea jug/jar and some walker like cookies perhaps.
Thank you for sharing.
This is a delightful alternative to morracan mint and has become my summer favorite! I have been adding a touch of sugar, too used to it from morracan.
I look forward to visiting Burien some Saturday!
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