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| History of Houjicha |
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| - This Month's Tea |
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| Main Topic |
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| Seasonal Topics & Items |
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| Dear Sir and Madam, |
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| We at Hibiki-an THANK YOU VERY MUCH for your continued patronage and support.
We are pleased to offer useful information for your healthy life and continued
enjoyment of Japanese green tea. In this issue, we talk about 'History of Houjicha (This Month's Tea)'. |
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History of Houjicha (This Month's Tea)
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It is said that the origin of Houjicha is Kyo Bancha. Kyo Bancha was originally made by pruned tea leaves from the tea tree for the highest grade, hand picked Matcha and Gyokuro.
Machine trimmed tea trees are shaped into a uniform semicircle. In contrast, tea trees picked by hand grow upward naturally, as shown below. Hand picked tea trees grow to a height of 1 to 1.5m (3.28 to 4.92ft) around harvest season. Just after harvest, farmers prune around the base of the tea tree (about 40cm / 1.31ft). The pruned tea leaves and stems are steamed, dried in the sun, and then roasted. It is traditional Kyo Bancha and the origin of Houjicha. Now, Houjicha is made by roasting Sencha.
Houjicha is everyday tea for people living in Kyoto. Houjicha is enjoyed at every meal, with an afternoon snack, near bedtime, and so on. Hot brewed Houjicha warms not only the body but the heart and spirit during cold winters. And in the summer, Iced Houjicha is very cooling and refreshing.
The highest grade Houjicha, like our Houjicha Super Premium and Houjicha Karigane Super Premium, is used at Tea Ceremony schools. The highest grade Houjicha is enjoyed at special occasions to open the heart and spirit. Houjicha is an essential part of daily life for the people of Kyoto. |
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| Machine trimmed tea trees |
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| Hand picked tea trees |
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| Tea leaves of traditional Kyo Bancha. The flavor is uniquely smoky. |
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| Comparing traditional Kyo Bancha and today's Houjicha. Brewed infusion
of traditional Kyo Bancha is a little more yellowish than Houjicha. |
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| Tea leaves of today's Houjicha |
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| Water color of today's Houjicha |
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This Month's Tea - Houjicha |
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We would like you to rediscover the value of our Houjicha items for monthly recommendation. You are sure to delight in the unique sweet and roasted flavor of Houjicha. The flavor is very smooth and the aroma lingers nicely for a while.
At the same time we arranged two special Houjicha items, Houjicha Super Premium and Houjicha Karigane Super Premium. Each item is the limited edition of 450 packages only available this winter season.
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Special Houjicha (Limites) |
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[Limited] Houjicha Super Premium (100g/3.53oz): US$15.00
(Now Available: limited edition of 450 packages ONLY AVAILABLE this winter season)
To make this Houjicha Super Premium, we use only young sprouts. And a small amount of stems from the highest grade Matcha are added in order to create the unique noble aroma... |
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[Limited] Houjicha Karigane Super Premium (100g/3.53oz): US$14.00
(Now Available: limited edition of 450 packages ONLY AVAILABLE this winter season)
The stems contained in this tea are usually used for Sencha Karigane, not Houjicha Karigane. Stems from the highest grade Matcha are added in order to create the unique noble aroma... |
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Regular Houjicha |
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Houjicha (200g/7.06oz): US$18.00
Houjicha, also called Bancha, is made by roasting Sencha tea leaves over high heat. It is a brown tea with a toasted nutty flavor, and is low in caffeine... |
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Houjicha Karigane (200g/7.06oz): US$19.00
Houjicha Karigane is made from the stems of high grade tea leaves and roasted in the same way as standard Houjicha. The flavor is deeply sweet and roasted, which is quite unique among Japanese tea... |
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Organic Houjicha (200g/7.06oz): US$21.00
This Organic Houjicha is certified by Japanese administration. This, also called Bancha, is made by roasting Organic Sencha tea leaves over high heat. It is a brown tea with a toasted nutty flavor, and is low in caffeine...
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Teabag Houjicha (28bags x 5g/0.18oz): US$18.00
Each specially-designed nylon bag is filled with whole-leaf Houjicha, so you can enjoy the rich flavor of Houjicha in no time at all! Houjicha, also called Bancha, is made by roasting fresh green tea leaves over high heat. It is a brown tea with a toasted nutty flavor...
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| Are you enjoying your green moments? Hibiki-an encourages those who love to drink green tea. If you have any requests or questions regarding our teas or services, please don't hesitate to contact us. We sincerely hope that you enjoy genuine Hibiki-an Japanese green tea direct to you from Kyoto, Japan. |
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| Sincerely yours, |
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| Atsushi Yasui |
Seasonal Topics & Items
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[Limited] Competition Grade Tea / Blended Sencha Items |
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| Competition Grade Tea is limited edition of just 650 packages each and Blended Sencha is limited edition of just 850 packages each ONLY AVAILABLE this winter season.
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Competition Grade Tea |
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[Limited] Competition Grade Gyokuro Pinnacle (30g/1.06oz): US$38.00
(Now Available: limited edition of 650 packages ONLY AVAILABLE this winter season)
This Competition Grade Gyokuro Pinnacle has an excellent, deeply mellow taste. The National Tea Competition is held in order to improve Japanese tea agricultural and manufacturing techniques, and to congratulate and encourage those that have produced outstanding tea... |
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[Limited] Competition Grade Sencha Pinnacle (40g/1.41oz): US$30.00
(Now Available: limited edition of 650 packages ONLY AVAILABLE this winter season)
Competition Grade Sencha Pinnacle is available only at the National Tea Fair, attended by tea connoisseurs and those within the Japanese green tea industry. This fine green tea has an excellent, deeply mellow taste... |
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[Limited] Competition Grade Matcha Pinnacle (20g/0.71oz): US$46.00
(Now Available: limited edition of 650 packages ONLY AVAILABLE this winter season)
This Competition Grade Matcha Pinnacle has an excellent, deeply mellow taste. The National Tea Competition is held several times a year in Japan. Sponsored by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, and attended by executives of the Japanese tea industry... |
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[Limited] Competition Grade Matcha Pinnacle Refill (60g/2.12oz): US$115.00
(Now Available: limited edition of 650 packages ONLY AVAILABLE this winter season)
This Competition Grade Matcha Premium Refill package is an excellent value. The price is actually discounted 17%. This has an excellent, deeply mellow taste. The National Tea Competition is held several times a year in Japan. Sponsored by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries... |
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Blended Sencha |
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[Limited] Blended Sencha Premium (80g/2.82oz): US$20.00
(Now Available: limited edition of 850 packages ONLY AVAILABLE this winter season)
Blended Sencha Premium is a blend of Sencha and Gyokuro. This tea is composed of four breeds of green tea: Kanayamidori, Sayamakaori, Yabukita, and Okumidori... |
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[Limited] Snacks and Candy (Winter) |
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We at Hibiki-an added eight Japanese confectioneries which are all only
available in winter. Our carefully selected items for winter confections
amuse your mouth very much, and perfectly match with Japanese green tea.
GOMA MOCHI rice cake and plum glace are unique texture. Japanese traditional
confection of KURI YOHKAN also provide their original flavor. KUZU NO SATO,
KINAKO Soft, KINTOKI IMO Chips, KUROMAME BOLO, and WASANBON CHIDORI have
light texture and its aroma linger in your mouth. Rich flavor and mellow
aroma of YUZU Peel with chocolate, Matcha chocolate and RUBIA lingers on
the palate and has a lovely finish.
We are certain that they will all completely please your taste bud. Please take a look! |
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Winter Confections |
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| Japanese Snacks / Candy Shopping category: click here |
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[Valentine's Day Gifts] How About Hibiki-an's Gifts? |
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| Have you chosen a Valentine's Day gift for your loved ones? In Japan, green tea is often presented as a gift because it symbolizes a wish of good health and longevity. This tradition of giving green tea as a gift is as popular today as it has been throughout history. We give the gift of green tea for good health and long life of friends, family, and loved ones. A gift of genuine Japanese tea would make a perfect gift this Valentine's Day.
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Hibiki-an's Gifts
We have chosen and combined some of our most popular items which would make perfect gifts for friends, family, and professional colleagues, or any special or romantic occasion such as holidays, birthdays, Valentine's Day, weddings, or the purchase of a new home... |
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[Recommended] HIBIKI-AN Gift Card / Wish List
HIBIKI-AN Gift Card (email delivery):
Once you place an order, the Gift Card email including the claim code will be sent to your recipient directly. The recipient can spend their Gift Card right away...
Wish List:
You can share your Wish List with your family and friends by email, Facebook or Twitter. Of course, it is useful just to keep track of items you are interested in or want to order in the future... |
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FUROSHIKI Gift / FUROSHIKI Wrapping Fabric items
FUROSHIKI Wrapping Fabric items are suitable to wrap tea or snacks / candy purchased on our website for gift. It can also be used as a decorative wall hanging, table cloth, scarf, and so on.
FUROSHIKI Gift Items, which are carefully wrapped with the FUROSHIKI Japanese wrapping fabric, are available too... |
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[Gift Idea] Tea Ware, Hibiki-an's Teabag, or Japanese Snacks/Candy
Japanese tea combined with traditional tea ware or with Japanese Snacks/Candy makes a wonderful gift. Atmospheric handcrafted tea ware enhances the green moment. Traditional Japanese Snacks/Candy pair beautifully with any kind of Japanese tea. Like the French "Amuse-Bouche" their purpose is to amuse the mouth or palate, in this case, while drinking green tea... |
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[New & Limited] Teapots / Cups, Matcha Bowls / Accessories |
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| We have arranged for 15 limited edition tea ware items, and 14 limited edition new Matcha Bowls / Accessories. The 33 limited
edition items are all available only this autumn and winter season. |
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| Teapots / Cups shopping category: click here |
| Matcha Bowls / Accessories shopping category: click here |
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(Notice) Now Shipping to Most Countries (COVID-19 issue)
As shown in the below chart, at last, we are now able to ship to most countries, though the situation is still not fully back to normal.
Orders bound for a few countries (the US, etc.) still can be temporarily accepted only with DHL Express International NOT Standard International.
We are still temporarily unable to ship to some countries, such as
Russia, India etc. And deliveries can be delayed due to each country's
situation. (more info, click here)
We strongly recommend that you choose the Express International Delivery option, which is fast and trackable. Or you may wish to order after the COVID-19 crisis calms down and conditions return to normal...
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Latest Flight Status (as of Jan 27th)
- 'o': Almost normal delivery time, though there are some delays.
- '-': Significantly delayed, though flights are not stopped.
- 'x': Stopped flights
| Flights (bound for) | Express
International
(Postal) | Standard
International
(Postal) | DHL Express
International |
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| United States | x | x | o |
| Canada | x | x | o |
| Australia | x | x | o |
| United Kingdom | o | - | |
| Switzerland | o | - | |
| Italy | x | x | o |
| Germany | o | - | |
| Singapore | o | - | |
| France | o | - | |
| Spain | o | - | |
| Norway | o | - | |
| New Zealand | o | - | |
| Israel | x | x | o |
| Russia | x | x | |
| Netherlands | o | - | |
| Hong Kong | o | - | |
| Sweden | o | - | |
| Denmark | o | - | |
| Belgium | o | - | |
| Czechia | o | - | |
| UAE | x | x | o |
| Finland | o | o | |
| Austria | o | - | |
| Thailand | o | - | |
| Hungary | o | - | |
| Ireland | o | o | |
| Bulgaria | o | - | |
| Ukraine | o | o | |
| India | x | x | |
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| Flights (bound for) | Express
International
(Postal) | Standard
International
(Postal) | DHL Express
International |
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| Romania | x | x | |
| Brazil | x | x | |
| Croatia | o | - | |
| Indonesia | o | - | |
| Lithuania | o | - | |
| Poland | o | - | |
| Slovakia | o | - | |
| Malaysia | o | - | |
| Mexico | o | - | |
| Philippines | o | - | |
| Iceland | o | - | |
| Turkey | o | - | |
| Latvia | o | - | |
| Serbia | o | - | |
| Saudi Arabia | x | x | |
| Taiwan | o | - | |
| Lebanon | o | - | |
| Luxembourg | o | - | |
| Vietnam | o | - | |
| South Africa | o | - | |
| Ecuador | o | - | |
| Qatar | o | - | |
| Cambodia | x | x | |
| Portugal | o | - | |
| Kazakhstan | o | - | |
| Belarus | x | x | |
| Estonia | x | x | |
| Slovenia | o | - | |
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Account info
You can view your account info, including your order history, as well as change your email, password, or home address or add a new shipping address to your address book by clicking here.
Or if you prefer, we are happy to update your account info for you. Just let us know. Please don't hesitate to contact us!
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