Sourcing Story: Red River Hojicha

Not your average green tea. Our Red River Hojicha is organically grown at Chota Tingrai’s tea estate in India’s Upper Assam region. The nutty and caramelly flavor of Hojicha is a result of roasting sencha green tea leaves and stems. Green tea is typically steamed, preserving its astringent grassiness, whereas hojicha is roasted—this practice began in early 20th century Japan and uses the whole tea plant to build layers of depth while reducing waste. This breaks down both caffeine and acidity, making it a calming tea that aids in digestion and is perfect for everyone.

Botanical name: Camellia sinensis

Origin: Jhinga Gaon, Assam, India

Harvest months: March to October

Processing: Hand picked, machine dried & roasted

Farm type: Estate

A new tea invention. Hojicha is a youngster in the ancient world of tea. It emerged in 1920s Japan, during an era of economic downturn, as a frugal option that utilized parts of the tea plant otherwise discarded. Hojicha tea making is a multi-step process of steaming, partially drying, rolling, drying again, sorting, and finally roasting the leaves, stalks and stems. Green tea is commonly steamed, preserving its astringent grassiness, whereas roasting mellows out its naturally-occurring catechins, transforming vegetal notes into hojicha’s smooth umami flavors. Our hojicha is roasted at temperatures between 200-280 Fahrenheit in an electric roaster. Heat triggers chemical reactions that develop amino acids inside the leaves, deepen their color, and release earthy-sweet aroma compounds.

Nothing is wasted. In a time of hardship, when Japanese tea farmers and merchants struggled to sell their wares, hojicha allowed them to make more with less. By roasting all of the edible plant materials — leaves, stems, twigs and all — tea makers transformed a waste product into an accessible beverage with aromatic appeal. At Chota Tingrai, waste is a valuable resource beyond the brew. Food scraps and dead plant matter on the estate are reused to make onsite compost — a nutritious balance of nitrogen, phosphate and potassium — that keeps their tea plants healthy, feeds beneficial microorganisms, and increases carbon in the soil.