A Rare Tea Roasted Karigane

As we talked about is a recent post, there is a style of tea that is made entirely of stems known as kukicha. There is a style of kukicha that is made wholly of gyokuro stems. This tea is known as karigane. Karigane comes in a roasted form, and we carry this is as well. It is called Karigane Houjicha.

Our Karigane-Houjicha goes through a lighter roasting process then our standard houjicha. This allows the karigane to still retain its rich umami character while having a pleasant roasted aroma and flavor. You’ll notice here that the color of the brew is a bit lighter as well, and appears more viscous than a standard Houji-Kukicha.

Similar to other roasted teas, it possesses a calming, roasted aroma of this tea fills the room. I find the flavor is more subtle than our Houji-Kukicha as well as our standard Houjicha Gold.

A 2oz bag should last you a good while and it is a nice tea to drink in the evening because the roasting can lower the caffeine content. Tea stems themselves are known to contain less caffeine than the leaves so the roasting reduces the caffeine content in this tea even more. Of course, depending on sensitivity to caffeine you may not want to have any tea at all but, in my experience, this tea is pretty safe.

Either way, I wish you health and happiness. Be well.