This is the Kuwana-en Tsuyahime Hōjicha, a meibutsu from Yamagata Prefecture.

The blend is made using Tsuyahime, a rice variety from Yamagata renowned for its natural sweetness, roasted over an open flame and combined with roasted green tea stems.

Steeping a 3 g tea bag in 200 mL of water at 85ºC for 1 minute produced an infusion of golden-brown hue with a roasted, nutty aroma. Each tea bag could be re-steeped once, producing a second cup with a lighter yet still rounded roasted character.

When consumed hot, the tea opened with nutty notes from the roasted rice, but with a smoother body than that of a genmaicha. The hōjicha contributed a mellow sweetness and deeper roasted character, replacing the grassy umami forward profile of the sencha base with a rounded, fragrant profile. Overall, a refreshing and fragrant tea, with a gentle roasted sweetness that highlights the character of Tsuyahime. Worth revisiting for its smooth and balanced roasted profile.

This Kuwana-en Tsuyahime Hōjicha contained 30 g (3 g x 10 tea bags). It was produced in Japan and purchased in Yamagata, Japan in 2024.