TEAS FOR FALL SEASON

There’s no better remedy for the cold and windy autumn weather than a hot cup of JAPANESE TEA.

It can be tough to stay healthy during the colder months, but drinking plenty of tea not only helps you stay HYDRATED but can also boost your ENERGY and give you a healthy dose of NUTRIENTS.

There’s nothing like a warm cup of tea on a fall day. Among the wide array of Japanese teas, there are several we prefer for this time of year thanks to their warming flavor profiles that range from umami to nutty and slightly sweet.

Read on for our 5 must-have Japanese teas for fall:

1. MATCHA

Matcha is perfect for the autumn and winter seasons as it contains enough nutrients to keep you energized and healthy. Ryokucha and matcha are among the teas of choice for Otsukimi (お月見) or ‘moon viewing.’ festivals that honour the autumn moon. On the modern solar calendar, these celebrations take place in September and October.

2. HOJICHA

Another popular autumn tea is Hojicha which is produced by roasting bancha. This results in a fresh tea with minimal bitterness. Unlike the majority of Japanese teas, Hojicha is reddish and/or sometimes brown in colour. It is also lower in caffeine, making it perfect as an after-dinner tea. For those autumn nights you want to curl up in bed with a good book and a steaming hot cup of tea – we recommend you pick Hojicha.

3. GENMAICHA

Genmaicha is a blend of bancha with well toasted brown rice (genmai). The toasted brown rice is what gives genmaicha its nutty flavour. It is also low in caffeine.

4. SENCHA

It’s a loose leaf green tea that’s grown under full sunlight, producing leaves that are darker in color with a more astringent flavor.

Whole tea leaves are steeped in hot water to produce a clear brew that’s ideally greenish golden in color, with a rich, balanced flavor — neither too bitter nor too sweet. And unlike Chinese green teas, where the leaves are pan-fired in the production process, sencha (and other ryokucha) leaves are steamed instead, giving it a sweet, vegetal flavor similar to seaweed.