Many years ago, I spent a lot of time traveling in Japan on business. During that time, I came to fall in love with all things Japanese - especially the food and beverages. Probably not surprisingly, one of my favorites is a beverage called Hojicha, which is fired, or roasted, bancha (green tea). Hoji was first produced in Kyoto in the 1920s.

When we decided to start selling tea, I knew that while much of what we offered would be essentially resale, I wanted to make my own attempt to replicate the hojicha I came to love in Japan. So I practiced, practiced, practiced. And the result is, I must say, outstanding.

I call my fired bancha "hojicha yasashii". Japanese is a complex language that I did formally study, but was never fluent. As I understand the word yasashii, it generally means "soft", as in not harsh. I've also understood it to mean "sweet", as well as "slow and gentle". I thought this was a good description of my particular style of hoji, since I start with an especially good bancha, and I fire it with a process that is a little more gentle than the traditional charcoal process.

This tea has a nutty aroma, and results in a brown colored tea that, to me, is reminiscent of grains. If you know other Japanese teas, think soba tea. In any case, it is a lovely and very different tea than most Americans have experienced. For a really interesting comparison, buy our bancha and compare the two.

Price is for 50 grams of freshly fired hojicha yasashii, loose.