Organic Hojicha Powder

My reviews of Ocha's loose leaves line-up as Amazon's listing doesn't allow separate reviews for different teas in this category. Edit: (18/12/25): Organic Shincha 80g If you are looking to try this, my best advice is to grab it during the summer straight after the fresh harvest. Shincha is fleeting. It really only retains that unique character for the first few months, even with vacuum packaging. I picked this up a bit later in the year and have just finished the packet. My hasty photo here shows the very last bit of leaves from the bottom of the bag, so excuse the broken appearance. In my first cup, it was arguably the most grassy tea I have ever drunk. It has a sharp, dominant grassy umami punch that hits you immediately. However, you need to know that once the bag is open, it quickly mellows out. The longer you let oxygen in, that intense fresh bite settled into a smoother, more standard First Flush Sencha profile with a nice, subtle natural sweetness. This is certainly not for everyone. If you are new to Shincha, be prepared for a serious grassy kick. You also need to be on top of your storage to keep that freshness alive, otherwise you're just better off buying a bigger bag of first flush sencha. 4 stars. _______________________________ Edit (03/09/25): Organic Hojicha 100g For £17, this is definitely a premium Hojicha, and you absolutely get what you pay for. It comes with all the hallmarks of quality you expect from Ocha & Co., like being certified organic and vacuum-sealed for maximum freshness. The tea itself, a mix of leaves and stems, is expertly roasted. I found there was no bitterness at all, even when I tried longer infusions at higher temperatures. The flavour is very well balanced with smoky, roasted notes and a light sweetness that carries through each sip. It's never overwhelming or intense like you might find with lower-quality roasted teas. Because the leaves are so well roasted, you can easily get multiple infusions from them. I noticed the later infusions brought out even more sweetness than the first or second. It's also worth remembering that Hojicha is naturally low in caffeine but still has the health benefits of green tea, so you can enjoy it any time of day without worry. A strong 4 out of 5 stars from me. Certainly the highest quality Hojicha I've tried. ___________________ Edit (02/08/25): Organic Kukicha 100g At £18, it's definitely pricey for what it is. For those who've never tried kukicha before, I would describe it as "sencha-lite" with more sweetness. Like the other teas in Ocha's lineup, it's vacuum-sealed for maximum freshness and quality. Brewing it at the recommended 80C for 30 seconds, in contrast to the fukamushi, the theme here is "light & clean" in both taste and visual. It has a light umami with no bitterness, clear notes of sweetness, and ends with a clean finish. You can brew it for longer to get bitterness, but it's not meant for that. It's also very low in caffeine due to being made from stems/twigs, while still being quite healthy. My only main problem is the pricing. £18 is quite a lot for this tea. It's good, but I don't think it's £18 good. 4 stars. __________ Normal fukamushi: This tea costs £20 for 100g, which places it firmly in the premium range, and it definitely shows. The package arrived vacuum-sealed to preserve maximum freshness, which is always a good sign for high-quality tea from Japan. The leaves themselves are a deep green and finely broken, exactly as fukamushi should be. The dry aroma is a nice, strong grassy roasted smell, quite pleasant that I enjoyed. I followed the brewing recommendation of 80C for about 40 seconds. If you prefer a bit more bitterness, you can steep it a little longer. The result is a hallmark of authentic fukamushi tea: rich, full-bodied, and with a deep umami flavour. You can see the quality in the cloudy appearance of the tea. For those new to this style, yes, you are meant to drink the cloudiness and the fine sediment at the bottom. It contains all the good stuff that makes fukamushi even healthier than regular sencha. The only minor issue is with cleaning your strainer. Because the leaf particles are so fine, some will get stuck in a normal mesh strainer and require a bit of extra effort to clean. There are special teapots (kyusu) for this tea, but they aren't essential. So despite the high price, it's completely justified; you're paying for quality and I can certainly gives it a 5 stars.

amazing for baking made swiss rolls with these and you can really taste the flavour. quite expensive for amount but would buy again.

Makes the most heavenly latte. Absolutely delicious.

Great quality

Really nice tea apart from the spinach smell. When made correctly with a tiny bit of honey, it's a refreshing cold drink for the summer. It's a lovely green and you can tell it's fresh.

I drink loose green tea alot (much better than tea bags in my opinion) but unfortunately I can only get Gunpowder which I think is grown in china or taiwan. As much as I like it I did want to try something else so off to the internet I went. I was a bit surprised by how many types of green teas there are so what was supposed to be a quick buy turned into a full on research project about green tea, companies and customer reviews (making me into somewhat of an amateur expert lol) and came to a final decision - that being I would like to try Sencha tea and that Ocha and Co seemed a good bet to buy from as it is a large company, the positive customer reviews and the pictures of the tea itself. I wasn't disappointed. Unlike Gunpower which is pan fired giving it a smokey type flavour and yellowish tinge this is steamed so you get more of that subtle green tea flavour. It is light and refreshing and has a lovely green colour. Sure it is more expensive but I think it is worth it as a treat on the weekend. The only negative thing I can say is that it took around 3 weeks to arrive hah. I think it may of actually been sent from japan lol. The way I prepare my green tea is with a beaten up old metal tea pot that has a spout cover with holes in it. It holds around 300ml. I put one teaspoon of green tea in the teapot then I add a splash of cold water to the tea leaves (like the amount you would add milk to ordinary tea) then pour in the boiling water. This usually gets the temperature just right (remember it's better it being cooler than too hot and having bitter tea). This is then poured down the drain straight away. It may be seem a waste but this washes dust etc off the leaves. It also helps get rid of chemicals off non organic teas. Apparently it is also supposed to 'wake up' the leaves for seeping. Then just fill up the teapot the same way again and leave for 30-40 secs and then drink as you go. I usually get a good whole mug and some more of green tea. More water can be added to the teapot after if wanted. I get a few bits come through but generally the leaves expand and don't come through plus adding to filter out the rest. Any that does will settle. The picture of the mug has bits in it though this was because I was playing around with the wet leaves deciding how to show you. Anyway....back to the review....5 stars Update. It does come straight from japan. And other times I have bought it it has come within the week.

I bought this as a gift for someone who had wanted to try this type of tea, but hadn’t gotten around to it yet. I can’t speak for the taste, myself, but they love the taste.

I love the taste and smell

Profumazione e gusto delicato. Lo adoro e ne bevo in quantità.

Es hat sehr gut geschmeckt

TL;DR: It's really good tea, it ships faster and cheaper than anything from Yunomi, and often ships faster than Amazon estimates (I credit Ocha & Co. with being quick on the draw when it comes to mailing orders). I've tried many of the price-per-gram comparable sencha on Amazon, but this has been my primary tea for the last year. The following contains detailed descriptions as well as my brewing methodology. In terms of flavor, you can tell when a manufacturer has actual concern for the quality of their tea. You can buy bulk "sencha" for dirt cheap and en-masse, sure, but it will taste like garbage. No matter how you brew it, bad tea tastes bad. Paradoxically, the wrong brewing can also make good tea taste bad, and fukamushicha is a highly temperamental type of tea. This is problematic for many making their first forays into the world of drinks like matcha, sencha, and its many derivatives. In decent swaths of the west, particularly the United States, the most complex your average tea gets is dropping some boiling water on a tea bag, waiting a couple minutes, and calling it a day. I would caution anyone reading this and considering buying this tea that if you treat it like black tea, you will ruin it. I shudder to think how many people have tried teas like this one only to brew them wrong and be turned away from it forever. This tea is, for lack of better words, amazing. The care that goes into its production is apparent in the flavor, a rich brew with minimal to nonexistent bitterness and fantastic umami when brewed correctly. Speaking of how to brew this tea... After a lot of experimentation, I've discovered that my favorite brewing method is 2.5-3g of tea per 100mL of water. This is because I opt for a water temperature on the lower end between 61 and 63 degrees centigrade, and steeping time of 45 seconds for the first two brews. If "two brews" sounds strange, and it may to those unfamiliar with the particulars of teas like this one, it can be brewed repeatedly to produce as many as 5 pots of tea from one pot worth of leaves. In my experience, after the first two, an additional 1-2 degrees and 5 seconds will help to maintain strength and flavor. The third brew, with these specifications, is a little more complex in flavor, but a bit milder than the first two. Subsequent brews will be noticeably milder. Overall, this is a remarkable tea for the price. For anyone looking to make a first venture into the wonderful world of sencha, this is an excellent starting point. If you feel a little under-equipped, I highly recommend a look at Hario's teaware, which can also be found here on Amazon, as well as an accurate thermometer and a scale capable of measuring at .1g increments. This is also an excellent tea for those like me who might be willing to splurge on a more expensive brew for special occasions, but have to make some considerations about the cost of our daily drink.

Excellent quality!

❤️ The low caffeine content (good bedtime tea) and health benefits. Tastes yummy too.