If you want to roast tea at home, choose your tool first. Using a horoku tea roaster and using a frying pan call for different ways of applying heat. Choose one method from a tea merchant’s published instructions and try following it.
Hold the horoku and keep the tea rolling
According to Chakoizumi, a horoku is a tool held by its handle over a flame to roast what is inside. To roast evenly, swing it from the wrist so that the contents roll around.
Rather than setting it down and waiting, hold and move it while managing its distance from the flame. Get a feel for the grip and movement before adding tea.
Four steps for roasting in a horoku
Fujita Chaen gives four steps. First, warm the horoku over medium heat for 30 seconds to one minute. Add the tea and keep it moving so it does not scorch. When smoke appears, the tea is nearing its finish. Once it reaches your preferred roast, pour it out through the handle.
The suggested amount of tea is 5–10 grams. The 30 seconds to one minute is the preheating time; the end of roasting is judged by smoke, appearance, and your preferred degree of roast. These amounts and times are guidelines for this horoku method.
In a frying pan, dry the tea before roasting it
Chakoizumi’s frying-pan method has two stages. First, put tea into a heated pan and dry it over medium heat. Transfer it to a plate and let it cool, then roast it over high heat to make hojicha. Cooling separates the drying and roasting stages.
Roasting continues through residual heat even after the tea is removed from the flame. The shop advises keeping the tea rolling after moving it to a plate until it has cooled, explaining that quick cooling locks in the aroma. It also says the aroma improves after a little rest compared with immediately after roasting.
Follow one method all the way through cooling
The horoku preheating time and the frying pan’s two-stage procedure are each tailored to their tool. Follow your chosen method from beginning to end without combining them. The day’s work includes cooling the roasted tea.
Roasting will not restore tea that has been poorly stored or has spoiled. Check the tea’s condition before using it.