About this tea
This one is a bit of a hybrid and it has become a quiet favourite. Sakamotoen takes gyokuro leaf, roasts it the way they roast houjicha, then mills it to a powder the way they mill matcha. You drink the whole leaf rather than an infusion of it, so the roasted flavour comes through with a depth you will not get from steeping.
Whisked with hot water it is nutty and toasted with a natural sweetness and none of matcha’s grassy bite. Where it really earns its place is with milk. A teaspoon in warm milk makes a houjicha latte that needs no sugar, and it holds up against oat milk better than most matcha does.
Low in caffeine, like all houjicha, so it works late in the day. 50g, and you only need a gram or two at a time.
How to use
Sift 1 to 2g into a bowl or cup, add 60ml of water just off the boil, and whisk until smooth. For a latte, whisk with a splash of hot water first, then top with 200ml of steamed milk.
