Houjicha is a style of tea that naturally developed as a means to make the most of each seasons harvest yield. While the first past in the fields is typically reserved for high grade sencha, later passes collect what is referred to as bancha—broader, more maure leaves that don’t shine as much on their own. The gentle roasting process of houjicha caramelizes sugars in the leaves, yielding something greater than the sum of its parts—sweet and aromatic tea, perfect for every day drinking. Tea traditions evolve, however, and now it is not so uncommon to find houjicha made from first harvest leaves, like our Kin Houjicha, or even from first harvest gyokuro stems, like our Organic Karigane Kukicha. This house roasted offering takes this progressive approach a step further, channeling houjicha's waste-not-want-not spirit, utilizing the byproduct of processing competition-grade matcha from the famed Furukawa Family—who won the national 1st overall prize in 2025. During matcha production, only the softest part of the leaves is used, and the fine stems and veins are discarded, often used as part of a regenerative fertilizer mix. We separated and sourced these stems and veins to use as the basis of an otherworldly houjicha, connecting two poles of Japanese tea traditions—the unparalleled pursuit of excellence and sustainability.