Hojicha tea is an absolutely delicious type of Japanese green tea that has existed since 1920. It is often made from leaves, stalks, stem and twigs that are roasted on charcoal to provide a nice roasted flavor. I absolutely love the scent and taste of hojicha tea and would often drink it every once in a while. Because it is tea, you are able to drink this hojicha tea without breaking your fast.
What is Hojicha Tea?
Hojicha tea is a type of Japanese green tea that is made from the plant called Camiellia sinensis. This is the exact same plant that is used to make sencha, another Japanese green tea. It originated in Kyoto when a merchant decided to try to make tea from the leftover parts used for making sencha. It became successful and the pleasant aroma of the roasted green tea was able to attract customers to try it out.
Parts of the tea plant that is used in hojicha are roasted over high heat to give the tea the amazing flavor that is distinct. The tea leaves are generally harvested from bancha leaves , which are often seen as lower-grade leaves as it is harvested later in the season. However, it can also be harvested from sencha leaves too.
I absolutely love the taste of hojicha tea. It is honesty one of my favorite type of Japanese tea. Unlike drinking matcha, hojicha comes out in a beautiful clear reddish brown color tea. It has a deep rich taste that some people might consider it to be like roasted nuts or even roasted chocolate. The tea does not leave any bitterness in your mouth. I find it very mellow and provides a nice roasted taste, somewhat like oolong tea. I also find the scent of the tea to be pretty amazing. It has a nice woody scent and really gives out the feelings of sitting in front of a fireplace sipping a nice cup of tea.
A lot of people I talk to often suggest hojicha to taste like roasted almonds, chestnuts or even popcorn. The tea is really rich and provides a beautiful blend of sweetness and earthiness together. It is absolutely an unique flavor and I think you should really give it a try.
Hojicha often goes well with any type of meals as it is really a balancing tea and will not overpower the taste of the food you are eating. In fact, for those of you who enjoy eating fried food, hojicha goes really well in helping neutralize the oily food. The tea is also lower in caffeine when compared to sencha, therefore it is a great tea for those of you who are looking to wind down at night or want to enjoy tea without the high amounts of caffeine.
Fasting and Tea
Fasting is a practice in which a person abstains from food or types of food for a period of time. There are many different types of fasting, all with varying lengths of time. Personally, I practice one of the most common types of fasting called intermittent fasting. This is a method in which you alternate between a period of eating and a period of fasting. One of the most common forms of intermittent fasting is the 16/8 method, this is the one I follow.
In the 16/8 intermittent fasting, you cycle between eating for 8 hours and fasting for 16 hours. This is easily achieved by skipping either breakfast or dinner. For me, I would skip breakfast and only eat between 12pm to 8pm. This is my 8 hours of eating and the rest of the 16 hours I would abstain from any food or drinks that contain calories. There are many other variations of intermittent fasting, therefore you should always do some research and see which one suits you the best.
While you are in your eating period, you can eat anything you want to eat. Ideally, it is best to stick to healthy foods such as whole grain, fruits, vegetables and lean meat. In addition, although you can eat whatever you want, it is still best to stick within your daily recommended caloric requirements.
When you are in your fasting period, you are not suppose to eat or drink anything with calories. This means that you should mostly be sticking to drinking water or any other drinks that do not contain any calories. This includes black coffee and tea. When drinking coffee or tea, it is important for you to avoid adding in anything that contains calories, this could include sugar, cream or milk. Therefore you are allowed to drink hojicha tea as long as you do not add anything into your tea. Hojicha tea is very low in calories, to the point where you will have to drink several cups of tea for it to even consider to have 1 calorie. It does not contain any significant amount of carbohydrates, fat or protein. Therefore it will not break your fast as long as you do not add anything with calories into your drink.