Kaga Bocha Tea

Whether the name “Kaga Bocha” means anything to you likely depends on how steeped you are in the history and culture surrounding Japanese tea. Perhaps you’ve heard of hojicha, a style of tea made in Japan by roasting tea leaves to add a toasty aroma; Kaga Bocha is an offshoot of this particular style, produced in Ishikawa. Rather than being made from tea leaves, it is instead made from their stems. This approach might sound curious today, but it began in the early 20th century as a way to help make tea — then an expensive luxury item — more readily available to the masses. Over time, though, people found that, far from being a “next best thing,” Kaga Bocha had its own unique character and advantages: the tea has a rich brown color and roasted flavor, and less caffeine than leaf tea. This low caffeine content may have made it an especially welcome offering to Emperor Showa, who was in his eighties at the time, and his fondness for it brought nationwide attention to this style of tea.

Naturally, there are plenty of places in Ishikawa where visitors can find this local style of tea. Indeed, simply walking around places like Kanazawa’s Omicho Market, it’s easy enough to simply follow the smell. For a more in-depth experience, join an Unveil Japan guide for a special visit to Maruhachi Seichajo, one of Ishikawa’s leading producers of Kaga Bocha. The experience begins before even entering the building: all around Maruhachi Seichajo, the air is filled with the delicious, unmistakable smell of freshly roasted tea. Step inside for a guided tour of the factory floor, and watch as experts carefully roast tea leaves and stems to perfection. Much like today’s specialty coffees, the Kaga Bocha here is prepared with varying roast levels, to produce a wide variety of finished products that aim to underscore the terroir of where the tea was grown through lighter roasts, or emphasize the deep brown caramel notes with darker roasts. After the tour, enjoy a tasting in their tea room, with samples of three different teas. And of course, if you fall in love with any of their teas, the shop offers plenty of options to take home to share with friends and family — or simply to savor more lovely tea yourself after you get home.