Some days a takeaway cup is picked up with a travel bag still on the shoulder. Other days call for sitting down with a cup held in both hands.
What follows visits four places in Kyoto for hojicha, each with its own way of spending time. Opening days and menus are on each shop's official pages.
A cup to sit with, a cup to carry
A paper cup changes hands at the counter, and the walk goes on. Under one shop name, there is a place to sit and a place for takeaway only.
HOHO HOJICHA lists its Uji main store and its Kyoto Station Hachijo exit store. The Uji store offers both eat-in and takeaway; the Hachijo store is takeaway only. Its official menus are arranged separately for each.
A day with time to sit suits Uji, and a gap between trains suits Hachijo. The shop's information goes as far as how each is meant to be used. For tasting differences in roast, the workshop in Gosho-minami comes next.
Three depths in a Gosho-minami workshop
A mark goes on the map just south of the Imperial Palace. Tokyo Wasabo, despite its name, is a workshop in Gosho-minami, Kyoto.
Its official site describes a move from Tokyo to Gosho-minami. It roasts in-house, it says, to share the aroma of freshly roasted tea. It offers three roast levels: LIGHT, MEDIUM and DEEP.
Calling itself a tea workshop with hojicha at its heart, it also lists a tearoom and roasting classes. That is as far as its information goes, and a tasting could fit into a trip. Next comes a veranda in a tea-growing town.
A rest on a Wazuka veranda
Sitting on a veranda, the breeze of a tea town passes through. Okeriki Chaten is a select shop for hojicha in Wazuka.
It describes a wide range of hojicha produced by local tea farmers right through to the roast. Sold in small amounts, several teas can be chosen a little at a time.
It began engawa kissa, tea on the veranda, to offer time for a deep breath. That is as far as its information goes; it is a place to choose tea and rest awhile where it grows. Each shop's details are gathered just below.
The numbers in detail
- Uji main store
- HOHO HOJICHA's Uji main store lists both eat-in and takeaway service.
- Hachijo exit store
- The Kyoto Station Hachijo exit store is takeaway only. The official menu pages are separate for each branch.
- Tokyo Wasabo
- A workshop that moved from Tokyo to Gosho-minami in Kyoto. It offers three roast levels, LIGHT, MEDIUM and DEEP.
- Tearoom and classes
- Tokyo Wasabo lists a tearoom and roasting classes as a tea workshop with hojicha at its heart.
- Sold by weight
- Okeriki Chaten sells hojicha produced by Wazuka tea farmers through to the roast, in small amounts from 30 g.
- Sources
- Shop details come from HOHO HOJICHA's official store guide and menu, and the official sites of Tokyo Wasabo and Okeriki Chaten.