Hojo Tea

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archimon
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Sat Jun 20, 2020 7:27 pm

Victoria wrote:
Sat Jun 20, 2020 7:05 pm
Welcome to TeaForum archimon. Hojo’s teas and teaware are overall are top quality. If you order a kyusu it makes sense to add some tea as well. I’ve sampled a few gyokuro that we’re gifted over the years, all were high quality. I haven’t tried any of his oolong or Darjeeling. Regarding Nosaka clay kyusu and Watanabe Tozo, you can search here on TeaForum, there are many threads and posts regarding both. I have a Shimizu Ken Nosaka kyusu without Namamigaki from Hojo. It’s a great kyusu for both Japanese greens and greener high mountain oolong. I prefer the textural quality of Nosaka clay without Namamigaki, the shinier smoother one I have with Namamigaki is great, it just doesn’t give me the same vibe.
I'm grateful for the welcome, and thanks reminding me to explore old threads! I've already learned so much by doing so; the amount of accumulated information here is fantastic even though the forum is only a few years old. I'd actually looked around a bit and found @swordofmytriumph's experiments with his Nosaka some time ago before writing to Hojo and felt encouraged; really looking forward to doing some exploring of my own. Hopefully he'll be back in the office soon! Going to do so more browsing at your suggestion in the meantime :D

Glad to hear that you're a fan of Hojo's teas and the Nosaka, too. I'll try to report back once I've gotten the tea from Hojo; looking forward to some exploration over the next few months (especially since I won't be able to head to Taiwan as planned... :( ).
faj
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Location: Quebec

Sat Jun 20, 2020 8:20 pm

archimon wrote:
Sat Jun 20, 2020 5:30 pm
I haven't actually been able to confirm the order yet since Hojo has been busy for some time
He is a busy man, for sure... Sometimes he needs a bit of a reminder ;).
archimon wrote:
Sat Jun 20, 2020 5:30 pm
so I wanted to see what you guys thought about his teapots (and particularly this teapot/clay) and about the quality of his teas more generally before I hand over the dough.
I have a few teapots from Hojo. I am much, much less experienced with tea and teapots than many members here, so the most I can confidently say is I have found his teapots/clays to yield different results one from the other. No single one is consistently better than the rest, so having a few is interesting.

One thing I would mention is Watanabe Tozo's teapots are, in my (limited) experience, prone to drip, and have lids with a looser fit than other Japanese teapots. You need to find the right angle and pour speed to get them to behave.
archimon wrote:
Sat Jun 20, 2020 5:30 pm
What are your thoughts on the quality he offers?
I only purchased senchas, gyokuro and hojicha. Hojo has this thing about "aftertaste", and after trying a few of his teas, and keeping in mind I am not a hugely experienced drinker, I kind of get the idea of what he gravitates toward (I think). Some of his teas have left me a bit wanting in terms of aromatics, but a few I have really liked and intend to purchase again. It is like his tastes and mine are different but partially overlapping, and where we connect it really works.
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archimon
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Sat Jun 20, 2020 9:02 pm

faj wrote:
Sat Jun 20, 2020 8:20 pm
archimon wrote:
Sat Jun 20, 2020 5:30 pm
I haven't actually been able to confirm the order yet since Hojo has been busy for some time
He is a busy man, for sure... Sometimes he needs a bit of a reminder ;).
archimon wrote:
Sat Jun 20, 2020 5:30 pm
so I wanted to see what you guys thought about his teapots (and particularly this teapot/clay) and about the quality of his teas more generally before I hand over the dough.
I have a few teapots from Hojo. I am much, much less experienced with tea and teapots than many members here, so the most I can confidently say is I have found his teapots/clays to yield different results one from the other. No single one is consistently better than the rest, so having a few is interesting.

One thing I would mention is Watanabe Tozo's teapots are, in my (limited) experience, prone to drip, and have lids with a looser fit than other Japanese teapots. You need to find the right angle and pour speed to get them to behave.
archimon wrote:
Sat Jun 20, 2020 5:30 pm
What are your thoughts on the quality he offers?
I only purchased senchas, gyokuro and hojicha. Hojo has this thing about "aftertaste", and after trying a few of his teas, and keeping in mind I am not a hugely experienced drinker, I kind of get the idea of what he gravitates toward (I think). Some of his teas have left me a bit wanting in terms of aromatics, but a few I have really liked and intend to purchase again. It is like his tastes and mine are different but partially overlapping, and where we connect it really works.
Haha, I've already reminded him once! He was very apologetic, but said that he was out buying Japanese Tea and would get back to me ASAP. I'm not sure whether anyone on this forum is currently looking to buy a Hojo pot, but in case they are, Hojo also let me know that there would be new Watanabe Tozo pots coming within 1-2 weeks of June 10th, so that should be more or less any day now!

I'm happy that you let me know that Tozo's pots might drip/have loose lids; it would have been disappointing to discover that myself, but I don't think I'll mind as much if I'm expecting it in advance (psychology is weird...). Also good to hear about the variability of Hojo's clays - maybe I'll do some more exploration after some new pots are posted! I've never been a huge fan of the Kobiwako/Shigaraki pots aesthetically, but maybe I'll come around....

Your comments about Hojo's taste are very interesting; I'll be sure to keep them in mind when tasting his teas going forward/when reporting back. Maybe he's just a true follower of the cult of 回甘 :D ! Glad to hear you enjoyed at least a few enough to purchase again; I'd been pretty bummed if I didn't like at least a few given the prices he charges.
faj
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Location: Quebec

Sat Jun 20, 2020 9:35 pm

archimon wrote:
Sat Jun 20, 2020 9:02 pm
I'd been pretty bummed if I didn't like at least a few given the prices he charges.
His senchas I do not remember as being expensive. I got one gyokuro which was a bit more pricy, but not more expensive than good gyokuro I have gotten elsewhere. It left a very good impression on me : I have re-ordered it, and will be tasting it in the next few days. His other stuff I have never tried, he definitely has quite expensive teas, but I cannot say whether it is because his price/quality ratio is a bit off, or if the tea is really worth the price he is charging. I do not remember that being discussed much on the forum.
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archimon
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Sun Jun 21, 2020 5:08 am

faj wrote:
Sat Jun 20, 2020 9:35 pm
archimon wrote:
Sat Jun 20, 2020 9:02 pm
I'd been pretty bummed if I didn't like at least a few given the prices he charges.
His senchas I do not remember as being expensive. I got one gyokuro which was a bit more pricy, but not more expensive than good gyokuro I have gotten elsewhere. It left a very good impression on me : I have re-ordered it, and will be tasting it in the next few days. His other stuff I have never tried, he definitely has quite expensive teas, but I cannot say whether it is because his price/quality ratio is a bit off, or if the tea is really worth the price he is charging. I do not remember that being discussed much on the forum.
Indeed the Sencha's don't seem too pricey (and actually I think I may even have ordered some from him back when I got that Gyokko pot I mentioned elsewhere a few years back, though I think I ended up buying a bit more than I could get through before it turned stale). I suppose that paying $.50+ per gram for Oolong is still something I'm adjusting to given the prices I'd been paying back in Taiwan, but I wasn't exactly pursuing high-end stuff at that point. He gets a good deal more expensive than that, though, and sometimes it's a bit hard to understand why things are priced the way they are given his short descriptions. I'm tempted to try the 30 year old Dong Ding he has since I've never tried aged Oolong. At ~$1/g it's pricey, but probably not unfair for the age....
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Balthazar
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Location: Oslo, Norway

Sun Jun 21, 2020 7:10 am

Any particular reason you're thinking of buying Taiwanese oolong from Hojo instad of a Taiwanese vendor, or a vendor specializing in Taiwanese teas in the US? Is it just for the convenience, since you're getting some other stuff from him anyways? Only asking out of curiosity.

I've haven't tried any of Hojo's teas myself, but have always been wondering how his non-Japanese teas hold up compared to those offered at a similar price point or lower from vendor's specializing in the same category.

Do share your impressions if you end up getting some :)
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archimon
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Sun Jun 21, 2020 8:20 am

Balthazar wrote:
Sun Jun 21, 2020 7:10 am
Any particular reason you're thinking of buying Taiwanese oolong from Hojo instad of a Taiwanese vendor, or a vendor specializing in Taiwanese teas in the US? Is it just for the convenience, since you're getting some other stuff from him anyways? Only asking out of curiosity.

I've haven't tried any of Hojo's teas myself, but have always been wondering how his non-Japanese teas hold up compared to those offered at a similar price point or lower from vendor's specializing in the same category.

Do share your impressions if you end up getting some :)
I just placed an order for a bunch of samples from @Tillerman and have a few scattered teas floating around from Taiwan Sourcing and my own purchasing from previous trips, so I'm not neglecting other sources! I just enjoy TW Oolong a good deal, and since I've had more of those than of most other sorts of tea I figured it would be a good way to get a sense of Hojo's general quality level and preferences to try something I was more familiar with. I'm also more likely to get through all of it ;) I think half or more of my order will ultimately be other kinds of tea, though, e.g. Dancong, Japanese Greens, maybe the Darjeeling I mentioned, etc. He just seems to have a little bit of everything, and his reputation makes me think he might be a good one-stop shop if I'm trying to dip my feet into some other, less-familiar categories, and the teapot order provided a good excuse to stock up!
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Balthazar
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Sun Jun 21, 2020 8:52 am

Sounds good! It'll be interesting to hear what you think about Hojo's Taiwanese oolongs, and how they compare to others', once you've had them.
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pedant
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Sun Aug 23, 2020 5:04 pm

to consolidate the hojo discussion, i merged your threads @archimon (who authored a general hojo discussion topic) and @Janice (who authored a topic about delays). thanks for your understanding.
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pedant
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Sun Aug 23, 2020 6:00 pm

i decided to share my Hojo Enhancer userscript.

it makes hojo's website easier to use.

it removes sold items, converts currency, and lets you filter by desired teapot size.
for details, see the OP of this topic: viewtopic.php?f=17&t=1212
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Victoria
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Sun Aug 23, 2020 6:48 pm

Cool script @pedant makes searching much faster! Thanks 🍃
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Bok
Vendor
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Location: Taiwan

Sun Aug 23, 2020 8:10 pm

pedant wrote:
Sun Aug 23, 2020 6:00 pm
i decided to share my Hojo Enhancer userscript.

it makes hojo's website easier to use.

it removes sold items, converts currency, and lets you filter by desired teapot size.
for details, see the OP of this topic: viewtopic.php?f=17&t=1212
Wow, that is brilliant! Cheers for that.
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klepto
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Sun Aug 23, 2020 9:21 pm

I've made attempts at purchasing from their site but it is designed poorly. The site is distracting and disorganized. They give you a ton of information but never on what you are looking at. Though I hear they offer some really good products.
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Bok
Vendor
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Location: Taiwan

Sun Aug 23, 2020 9:26 pm

klepto wrote:
Sun Aug 23, 2020 9:21 pm
I've made attempts at purchasing from their site but it is designed poorly. The site is distracting and disorganized. They give you a ton of information but never on what you are looking at. Though I hear they offer some really good products.
Welcome to Japanese websites :mrgreen: for a nation of technology fans, web representations are very often wanting and/or outdated...

Prices will probably be higher than others due to high running costs and im- export taxes in Japan. But maybe close to EU.
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LeoFox
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Wed Sep 23, 2020 6:24 am

OCTO wrote:
Wed Oct 30, 2019 12:56 am
I'm in direct contact with his Marketing Manager here in Malaysia. Do let me know if you would like to contact her personally. I can give you her mobile number. Queries and photos can be sent directly through WhatsApp. That's how I usually get my stuffs from Hojo, Very fast response time.

Cheers!
Hi Octo, can you also PM me the contact info? I am also experiencing some unresponsiveness at the moment. Thank you for your help!
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