Tea for Chestnuts, Invented by a Tea Shop, 12.5g (5p)

■ "Tea for Chestnuts" created by a tea shop. A blend of roasted tea leaves and roasted tea sticks.

Sweet chestnuts have a fluffy texture and a simple, gentle flavor. Along with sweet potatoes, chestnuts are a popular autumn delicacy. Developing a "tea made specifically for chestnuts" was also a theme that we had never tackled before.

The tea that they decided was the perfect match for chestnuts was, of course, hojicha. Again, it wasn't just hojicha, but a blend. They blended "hojicha leaves," which have a refreshing taste, and "hojicha sticks," which have a sweet and rich flavor, roasted to different degrees.

This results in a tea that brings out the natural, delicate sweetness of chestnuts. Of course, it is also recommended to use it with sweets and confectioneries made with chestnuts, such as Mont Blanc, chestnut yokan, and kurikinton. Japanese tea is not a beverage that is drunk with added sugar or milk like coffee or black tea. Japanese tea, which has less excess sugar, is the perfect accompaniment to sweets.