TeaForum.org

Thanks everyone for the reference links and info! It's unfortunate that I'm not the only one this has happened to. I'll have to buy elsewhere then. At least Tachi Masaki sells his pots through other vendors as well, so it's not all bad!

I can firmly recommend Toru (Artistic Nippon) as I have made several purchases and had a few conversations with him via email. He has gone beyond what I would expect from regular customer service, and he may have items that aren't listed on the website, as has been the case with all of my purchases from him.

I eagerly tried to buy a Kunzan tetsubin from him. Got a price list, picked the one I wanted and asked for an invoice and never heard from him again. I ended up finding the same tetsubin lightly used on Yahoo for about half the price. Toru, the very sweet person who runs Chaki Chaki and Tokoname.or.jp are reliable and get the bulk of my business.

Leenaa wrote: ↑

Tue Feb 07, 2023 3:45 am

Hojo tea is a type of Japanese green tea that is made from the leaves of the tea plant, Camellia sinensis. The tea is grown in Shizuoka Prefecture in Japan and is known for its mellow flavor and subtle sweetness. Hojo tea leaves are harvested in the spring and are steamed and dried to produce a unique flavor profile. The tea is a popular choice for tea ceremonies and traditional Japanese tea ceremonies and is often served with a variety of accompaniments such as sweetened beans and pickled vegetables.

@pedant, this reads like a bot wrote this. Thoughts?

Baisao wrote: ↑

Tue Feb 07, 2023 6:42 pm

Leenaa wrote: ↑

Tue Feb 07, 2023 3:45 am

Hojo tea is a type of Japanese green tea that is made from the leaves of the tea plant, Camellia sinensis. The tea is grown in Shizuoka Prefecture in Japan and is known for its mellow flavor and subtle sweetness. Hojo tea leaves are harvested in the spring and are steamed and dried to produce a unique flavor profile. The tea is a popular choice for tea ceremonies and traditional Japanese tea ceremonies and is often served with a variety of accompaniments such as sweetened beans and pickled vegetables.

pedant, this reads like a bot wrote this. Thoughts?

I second @Baisao's observation.... Hojo tea leaves?? hahahaha.......

OCTO wrote: ↑

Wed Feb 08, 2023 3:11 am

Hojo tea leaves??

Anybody tried the new batch of Octoclays? Are they a good match for Hojoleaves?

polezaivsani wrote: ↑

Wed Feb 08, 2023 7:11 am

OCTO wrote: ↑

Wed Feb 08, 2023 3:11 am

Hojo tea leaves??

Anybody tried the new batch of Octoclays? Are they a good match for Hojoleaves?

In fairness to the bot's abilities, Hojo's style of processing and storage for certain teas does seem unique enough to warrant the name almost - Hojo's pu isn't exactly like other vendors from what I have heard.

upon further reflection, i wonder if it could be possible that it wasn't spam.

maybe it was somehow a mistranslation of hojicha (hojotea)? if so, oops. although the description of the tea doesn't sound like hojicha.

edit: if i was wrong, and you see this, please use the contact form on the site. sorry.

pedant wrote: ↑

Fri Feb 24, 2023 4:45 pm

upon further reflection, i wonder if it could be possible that it wasn't spam.

maybe it was somehow a mistranslation of hojicha (hojotea)? if so, oops. although the description of the tea doesn't sound like hojicha.

That's a clever interpretation but the rest of the text does not describe hojicha.

pedant wrote: ↑

Fri Feb 24, 2023 4:45 pm

upon further reflection, i wonder if it could be possible that it wasn't spam.

maybe it was somehow a mistranslation of hojicha (hojotea)? if so, oops. although the description of the tea doesn't sound like hojicha.

Yes, I think it’s just an issue of (mis) translation. Hojo / Hoji Cha. From Akira Hojo site;
https://hojotea.com/newsletter/NL_malaysia_6.html

Hoji Cha
This is a Japanese green tea which is usually served after meals.
Hoji means bake or roast in Japanese language. Hoji Cha is referring to roasted Japanese green tea.
In Japan, the most exclusive Hoji Cha is made of stem that is plucked in spring season and it is carefully roasted. The stem is part of tea tree that conveys minerals up to the tea leaf. Because of the high mineral content in the stem, you will enjoy a nice taste followed by a mild, dry after taste. Thanks to the traditional roasting method, this tea gives out a comfortably sweet and nutty aroma as well.

Victoria wrote: ↑

Fri Feb 24, 2023 5:05 pm

pedant wrote: ↑

Fri Feb 24, 2023 4:45 pm

upon further reflection, i wonder if it could be possible that it wasn't spam.

maybe it was somehow a mistranslation of hojicha (hojotea)? if so, oops. although the description of the tea doesn't sound like hojicha.

Yes, I think it’s just an issue of (mis) translation. Hojo / Hoji Cha. From Akira Hojo site;
https://hojotea.com/newsletter/NL_malaysia_6.html

Hoji Cha
This is a Japanese green tea which is usually served after meals.
Hoji means bake or roast in Japanese language. Hoji Cha is referring to roasted Japanese green tea.
In Japan, the most exclusive Hoji Cha is made of stem that is plucked in spring season and it is carefully roasted. The stem is part of tea tree that conveys minerals up to the tea leaf. Because of the high mineral content in the stem, you will enjoy a nice taste followed by a mild, dry after taste. Thanks to the traditional roasting method, this tea gives out a comfortably sweet and nutty aroma as well.

The original post does not mention roasting, hojicha comes from other areas than Shizuaka, and it is not used in tea ceremonies. I like Pedant’s idea but the text posted by Leenaa does not map to the text you posted from Hojo. It reads like ChatGPT.

Could also be the case Baisao. We monitor and filter new member posts as best we can, offering the benefit of the doubt when in doubt.
All this Hojo Hoji Cha talk has me thinking of ordering some from Akira very soon, for late night low caffeine sweet and nutty sessions

Hello all;

I did a search for Hojo Tea reviews to try and corroborate a few observations and this popped up at the top. I was curious if others share my experience with Hojo's teas thus far. To be frank, the quality has rather spoiled me to the point that, of the other cakes of white tea, raw and ripe puerhs I have from other well regarded vendors, I mostly consume them simply to conserve my Hojo teas. Just generally speaking, the quality and freshness preserved from Akira's (owner) packaging is unparalleled, in my experience - but I'd love to learn of others that package with similar care. One of my favorite tea things is tearing into one of the sealed mylar bags on a fresh cake and experiencing the resulting tea aroma filling the room.

I live in a very dry climate (37-40% rh) that dries out my teas quickly. I've created a humidor to preserve the rh (and the temp remains consistent), yet even then, the aromas will tone down somewhat over the years (probably other factors - oxygen?) so nothing I've stored long term compares to a freshly unsealed mylar pack - and not every vendor sells their cakes preserved with this level of care, unfortunately.

Based on my experience so far with tea, several years into the hobby is that I likely only get teas as intended if they ship sealed (Hojo's includes humidity absorbing packet in the bag) and then only for a few weeks until they inevitably acclimate to my local environment. So I'm simply curious if anyone else can relate and what you've discovered.

Cheers!

ha, i thought I was the only one. I save Hojo's teas because I cannot not have them hehe. I have yet to find one tea from him that I have not liked.