Author: Michelle

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Hojicha Latte

Hojicha is a roasted Japanese green tea so it tastes very different from other Japanese green teas that you may be more familiar with, like sencha, genmaicha, or even matcha. Other Japanese green teas are steamed, so the roasting gives it a different flavour profile. Hojicha is often made with bancha, sencha, or kukicha (twigs and stems from the tea plant itself) and the roasting method provides a less astringent steeped tea, which makes it more favoured by children.

This recipe is fairly similar to my Iced Hojicha Latte recipe that I shared back in August of this year, but the seasons have changed and so have my desire to drink an iced latte drink when it’s cold and grey outside. Hojicha Latte does use the same vanilla simple syrup recipe – mostly because a simple syrup is my favourite way of getting a nice liquid sweetener into my lattes.

Hojicha Latte – serves 1

1 tablespoon Vanilla Simple Syrup (see recipe below)
3 teaspoons Hojicha (I used this one)
450ml cup hot water (175°F/79°C)
125ml frothed, heated milk (dairy or dairy-free alternative)

I am using a 600ml double-walled latte mug for this drink! If you’re using a different sized cup, aim for two-thirds of the cup of tea and one-third for the frothed milk.

Steep the Hojicha in your cup using hot water (175°F/79°C) water for 2 minutes, then remove tea leaves.
Stir in Vanilla Simple Syrup
Froth milk in a microwave-safe container (use a handheld milk frother or the mason jar method)
Heat milk in microwave in 30s increments, or until milk is to the temperature of your liking
Pour milk into your cup, spoon the froth over the top

Vanilla Simple Syrup Recipe

1 cup water*
1 cup sugar*
2 tsp vanilla extract

* You can make more or less Vanilla Simple Syrup depending on your Hojicha Latte needs. I used pure vanilla extract and organic cane sugar for my Vanilla Simple Syrup in this recipe. The basis of a Simple Syrup is to use a 1:1 ratio of sugar to water.

Combine sugar and water in a saucepan, and place over medium heat.
Stir until the sugar is fully dissolved.
Allow syrup to simmer for 1-2 minutes.
Add vanilla extract.
Remove from heat and allow to cool.
Pour Vanilla Simple Syrup into a jar or bottle and refrigerate.

The Vanilla Simple Syrup will keep for at least 2 weeks in the fridge – don’t forget to label with the date!

If you make this Hojicha Latte, I’d love to see your photos! Be sure to tag me on Instagram (@onemoresteep #onemoresteep) or comment below with a link to the photo!

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Adagio Teas’s Tea Advent Calendar

Tea Advent Calendar by Adagio Teas
Black Tea, Fruit Infusion, Green Tea, Herbal Infusion, Oolong Tea, Rooibos, White Tea / Straight & Flavoured
$29USD for 24 assorted teas

Adagio Teas has provided me with Tea Advent Calendar for the purposes of writing an honest review.

First Impressions

Adagio Teas asked me if I wanted to give their annual Tea Advent Calendar a try – and of course my answer was yes! This is going to be a bit of a different review as I’m not going to be giving any spoilers to the advent calendar and talking about the general product itself. It came quite nicely packaged in a sturdy shipping carton – there was an appropriate level of padding for the calendar box itself.

Each door for the calendar is perforated for easy opening, and all numbered so you drink in order. According to the product page, each day consists of an individually wrapped tea bag. There are no repeats, with 24 teas (and tisanes) in total. A nice little countdown to Christmas, if you ask me! The total weight of the tea isn’t listed on the packaging, and I couldn’t find it online. However, Adagio Teas’s tea bag products tend to be ~2.5g of tea per pyramid sachet, and while there are 24 tea bags in the whole calendar, I believe there should be approximately 60g of tea in there.

Now, Adagio Teas did include a tea list card that also lists the ingredients. However, the tea list is in alphabetical order rather than chronological order (so there is a bit of a spoiler, but not entirely). I will tell you that the assortment of teas and tisanes includes: black tea, fruit infusion, green tea, herbal infusion, oolong tea, rooibos, and white tea. There are both traditional teas as well as blends. Some of them are regularly stocked teas by Adagio Teas, while others definitely have more of a seasonal flair. The assortment honestly sound really good and is a great primer for the Adagio Teas product lineup.

Preparation

My plan for the Tea Advent Calendar is to drink each one daily throughout the month of December. I don’t want to inadvertently spoil anyone’s advent fun, so I won’t be publishing any posts early. I will be sharing each day on the corresponding day on my Instagram Stories (@onemoresteep) regardless of if I’m at home or work, I’ll be making it happen!  Hopefully you’ll be playing along at home with your own Adagio Teas Advent Calendar.

My Overall Impression

I love the Adagio Teas’s Tea Advent Calendar. I’m really looking forward to drinking through all 24 teas and tisanes this December! I’ve been in a busy-mode lately with the balancing of full-time work, school, and everything else that it’s made it hard to really plan anything. While I did do a DIY calendar last year, I don’t think I would have had the time to prepare my own advent calendar again this year, which is why I’m thankful for the opportunity to have Adagio Teas’s Advent Calendar for next month. And if you’re looking to buy your own Tea Advent Calendar, Adagio Teas has it up on their website (it shipped pretty quick from them to me in British Columbia, Canada).

Curious about the cup rating system? Click here to learn more.

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Gift Guide: Holidays

It may be early November, but is it ever too early to be considering what you’re getting your loved ones for the holidays? As someone who tries very hard to get all of the holiday shopping completed before the month of December (oh yes, I’m that person!), I’m a fan of gift guides because they help me out with ideas or directly influence my shopping plans.

For the Beginner Tea Drinker

Consider a tea mug with infuser. They come in all shapes, sizes, colours, and designs. And what a better way to influence someone to continue their love of tea than making it easy on them? I’m always of the opinion that one can never have enough tea mugs – bonus points if you get something seasonal so your tea loving friend can begin to rotate through the seasons.

How about a tea sampler? You can create your own by assembling some of your favourite teas or base it off of the teas that you know your loved one enjoys. If they’re a recent convert from coffee, considering black teas for the stronger caffeine content (try English or Irish breakfast blends, lapsang souchong or orange Pekoe). If they’ve been drinking tea for a while, try some more rare or expensive teas that they may not purchase for themselves regularly (try flowering/blooming teas, white teas, and oolongs). A nice size for a tea sampler would be between three to six teas. You can buy tea samplers prepackaged or go the DIY route if you have tea that you wouldn’t mind parting with.

And if you’re trying to give a present before the holidays – try a tea advent calendar! This year I’ll be drinking the Tea Advent Calendar from Adagio Teas. There are many available out there and there’s a great assortment of types of teas available in calendars. Last year, I worked through my DIY version – but this option really only works if you have 12 or 24 teas available to you because the idea of purchasing 24 teas just to parcel out into advent calendar-sized servings sounds like a lot of work to me.

For the Advanced Tea Lover

How about a variable temperature kettle? The ability to properly steep a cup of tea is so important and respects the artistry that goes into tea production. I personally love my tea kettle (Breville IQ Kettle) and can’t recommend it enough – I’ve been using it daily, multiple times a day, for more than 3 years now.

20160902-brevilleiqkettle2

Teaware is never a bad idea. A tea-for-one set or a gaiwan is a must for any tea lover. I’m personally a fan of a tea-for-one set because there’s just something charming of a tea pot that sets into the tea cup. But for those who are into Chinese teas, a gaiwan is basically a must have. I personally have two and love using them for green and oolong teas, it makes for an easy way to do quick steeps and I’m slowly getting better at pouring from them without spillage.

Subscription boxes are all the rage these days! You can get them for: food, socks, cosmetics, and also tea. I’ve reviewed subscription tea boxes from a variety of companies and there’s so many more than I haven’t covered. You can often purchase subscription tea boxes in 3, 6, 9, or 12 month increments so you can be sure that your loved one will get tea for an on-going basis, as long as you’d like. Depending on which company you choose, I would expect the monthly cost to be at least $15-20 and all the way up to $50 per month.

Tea is always a great present, in my humble opinion as someone who has both received and been given tea and teaware as a present. After all, what’s not to love about a hot cuppa tea? If you have any gift ideas for the tea lover in your life, add them below in the comments!