Like many of the world’s great teas, Hojicha was discovered through a process of curiosity and innovation. During the 1920s, a tea master living in Kyoto, Japan discovered a method for producing the tea using common materials he found around the house. Rather than steam a batch of freshly plucked leaf - the traditional method of Japanese style green tea production – the master decided he would roast it in a porcelain pot over burning charcoal. The result, as history would attest, was delicious. Hojicha is produced using a 3rd flush Bancha style leaf known in the tea business as Sanbancha. The plucked leaves are steamed and dried in a style similar to that of Sencha. Next the dried leaf is roasted over a low heat - the low roasting temperature imparts a sweet taste and fresh aroma. (Hojicha that has been roasted at too high of a temperature will lose much of its sweetness). This roasting process results in a reddish colored tea with a light cup and a very unique flavor.