This tea gets its name from Longjing village in Zhejiang Province. Similar to other specialty ingredients, like champagne or parmesan, only teas grown in Zhejiang Province can be labelled as true Dragon Well teas!

The tea leaves are pressed flat into long, needle-like shapes, and brew up into a beautiful pale green-gold liquor.

Our Hojicha is sourced from Shizuoka, Japan. It is a smooth and satisfying tea with toasty and nutty notes, and brews up a beautiful caramel color. It’s a great tea to enjoy on a chilly afternoon!

Hojicha is low in caffeine, with a medium body and a warm, nutty flavor with a hint of natural sweetness. Because of its low caffeine content and mild taste, in Japan Hojicha is especially popular among children and people who may be sensitive to caffeine.

We recommend preparing Kabusecha with water that has reached a temperature of about 140 degrees—just lightly steaming.

Our Kabusecha is grown in Kagoshima Prefecture, located in southern Japan. Thanks to its oceanic character, we’ve heard it described as “for those who long for the sea”!

Because of this shading process, Kabusecha also tends to be higher in caffeine and l-theanine than other types of green tea.

Traditionally, Kabusecha is prepared with a higher ratio of tea leaves to water. Here, we’re using about three tablespoons for our 24 oz. pot.

Kabusecha, which means “shaded tea” in Japanese, is a high-end green tea similar in character to Gyokuro.

Kabusecha tea plants are shaded for two weeks prior to harvest, which contributes to their rich umami flavor and lingering sweetness.

Have a pairing you’d like us to feature next year? We’d love to hear it! 💚

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