This is the Connacht Tea House Yaki Ringo Hōjicha, featuring roasted green tea from Japan and apple from Aomori Prefecture.

The dry leaf presented as a blend of roasted green tea scented with baked apple and blended with apple pieces.

Prepared using a 2 g tea bag infused in 200 mL of just-boiled water for one minute, the infusion presented with a transparent golden hue. Aroma opened with the sweet fragrance of caramelised baked apple.

Initial contact delivered the aroma of baked apple, with a rounded caramelised sweetness that quickly gave way to the deeper roasted notes of hōjicha through the mid-palate. The roasted character restrained the apple sweetness, maintaining balance and preventing the profile from becoming cloying. Despite the dessert-like aroma, the tea remained unsweetened and low in caffeine, presenting as aromatic rather than sweet on the palate. Towards the finish, a touch of fruity acidity from the apple pieces emerged, brightening the deeper roasted baked apple notes from the opening and body. The texture combined a medium body with a slightly drying finish, while the baked apple character lingered gently in the aftertaste without becoming heavy.

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Overall, a flavoured hōjicha with a caramelised-toasted progression from baked apple sweetness into roasted depth and a smooth, lightly drying mouthfeel, resulting in an elegant balance between the warm richness of roasted tea and the bright fruitiness of Aomori apple. It captured the profile of baked apple — sweet, tart and caramelised — without veering into artificiality or excessive sweetness.

This Connacht Tea House Yaki Ringo Hōjicha contained 25 g (2.5 g x 10 teabags). The tea was sourced from Japan, packaged in Japan and purchased in Aomori, Japan in 2024.