Tea Sample Pack: Green

Our Green Tea Sample Pack is the perfect way to get acquainted with Zaica Life's selection of green teas, and a great way to enjoy a lower caffeine beverage at your leisure!

Hojicha
Given the ancient culinary history of Japan, Hojicha is a modern discovery. As Japan started to mechanize its tea-plucking technology to keep up with demand, the plucking machines created leftover ‘debris’ or Bancha amongst the tea plants. In the 1920s, an enterprising Kyoto tea merchant gathered this ‘debris’, which includes leaves and stems and made it more palatable by roasting it over a charcoal fire. This enterprising approach created a market in Japan and beyond for charcoal roasted tea because of its deep smoky enticing aroma.

Our Hojicha is made from organically grown Bancha and roasted on a small 8th generation family farm in Kyoto. Bancha is considered a lower grade of tea because it includes the more mature tea leaves and stems. However, these leaves are firmer and not so heat sensitive so they stand up well to roasting after steaming and drying. For roasting the tea leaves evenly a charcoal or sand roasting technique is used for the final step. By bringing the tea to a high temperature almost all of the tea’s caffeine is extracted from the leaves. This makes Hojicha a wonderful drink throughout the day and especially suitable for the evening. Due to its roasted flavor it is enjoyable by those who wish to switch from coffee to tea. It brews up light and smooth, with a sweet and subtle nutty taste. This woodsy tea offers a delicious warming experience that soothes the soul.

Darjeeling Green Tea
Darjeeling, a ‘hill station’ in the Kalimpong district of the state of West Bengal in India, was developed by the British East India Company during colonial times. Archibald Campbell first planted the Camellia sinensis varietal in this area in 1841, which was deemed more suitable for Darjeeling's terroir than the assamica varietal. Darjeeling could not compete with other tea regions in terms of quantity or price because of its remoteness, so it focused on quality. The outcome of that approach culminated in Darjeeling tea known as the "champagne of teas”.

This moniker is well earned because the right flush of Darjeeling tea is complex with rich muscatel notes very similar to a fine wine. Our 2nd flush Darjeeling Green tea is grown organically and sourced directly from a 6th generation estate with heritage gardens that are over 100 years old. Our Darjeeling tea is pure and with a verifiable provenance; you will taste the difference.

The green version of Darjeeling is rare since most of the limited harvest is fermented for black tea. We love this green tea because of its more delicate and complex flavor, which can be thoroughly enjoyed just by adding hot water.

Genmaicha
Genmaicha is known in Japan as the “people’s tea” because it was created as a blend of green tea and toasted brown rice to make it more affordable. One origin story of Genmaicha is that a Samurai’s servant accidentally dropped grains of brown rice in his master’s tea and the Samurai loved it. Others think that it was a frugal 15th century housewife that wanted to make her tea stretch. Happy accident or not, we love this tea for its sweet toasty aroma.

Genmaicha has a mild botanical taste and very low caffeine content, which makes it drinkable any time of the day. Japanese Buddhist monks drink it after periods of fasting because it is loaded with nutrients and antioxidants, yet is gentle on the stomach. Our Genmaicha is blended at a small 8th generation family farm near Kyoto using organically grown Bancha and a high-grade roasted rice. After drinking this wonderful tea, our favorite thing to do is munch on the leftover roasted rice. Consider it a combo drink and snack!