About Our Work

Purchasing premium Chinese or Taiwanese tea presents a significant challenge. Teas bearing identical names can vary dramatically in quality, yet no objective grading system exists to guide buyers. Price differences of ten times or more for seemingly identical products are common, and determining fair value without specialized knowledge is nearly impossible.

HOJO was established to address this problem. We don't simply purchase finished tea. Instead, we work directly with primary producers across Asia to craft tea from the ground up. Depending on the product, our involvement varies. We may select specific gardens or fresh leaf, provide critical processing parameters, or use local facilities to produce tea ourselves according to our own standards. By eliminating intermediaries and working directly with primary producers, we control both quality and cost. Crucially, we manage the entire logistics network in order to maintain quality from origin to delivery.

Below, we detail the five key elements that make this system possible.

1. International Expansion

2. A Tea Company Created by Food Experts

3. Sourcing Based on Clear Quality Standards

4. Direct Sourcing from Primary Producers

5. Self-managed Distribution

International Expansion

HOJO not only provides mail order services to customers within Japan but also offers international shipping to various countries worldwide.

We have also expanded our business overseas.

In 2006, we established a local subsidiary, HOJO TEA SDN BHD, in Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia, and since 2007, we have been operating a directly managed store in The Gardens Mall at Midvalley City, Malaysia's largest shopping mall.

One reason we opened a store in Malaysia is that many Chinese Malaysians, who run their own businesses, live there, and tea culture is particularly deeply rooted in Southeast Asia.

At HOJO's store, we sell Japanese tea, but we also carry a large selection of Chinese and Taiwanese teas.

Initially, Asian customers, especially the Chinese community, found it unusual for a Japanese tea shop to sell Chinese tea. They believed they knew more about tea than anyone else.

However, by sincerely listening to their feedback and continuously striving to improve our quality, HOJO TEA has become well-known among high-end tea enthusiasts not only in Malaysia but also in Singapore, Jakarta, and Brunei.

A second, equally important reason for establishing a company in Malaysia is the exceptional abilities of our Chinese Malaysian staff in sourcing Chinese tea.

When sourcing tea, it is necessary to closely communicate with producers in various regions, including villages deep in the mountains of China.

Our Chinese Malaysian staff, fluent in multiple languages such as Mandarin, Cantonese, Minnan, Teochew, Malay, and English, demonstrate unparalleled ability in maintaining close communication with local producers.

Thanks to their close ties with producers in China and Taiwan, HOJO can facilitate smooth direct transactions without using trading companies or agents.

A Tea Company Created by Food Experts

HOJO's founder, Akira Hojo, studied agricultural chemistry in the faculty of agriculture at university and food science in graduate school. After working for ten years in a senior technical position at a food manufacturer, he started a tea specialty company.

At the food manufacturer, he was involved in the development and production technology of spices and tapioca products, designing production lines, production and quality control, and introducing ISO9000 series standards. Ultimately, he managed the spice and tapioca production plant in Malaysia as a factory manager.

Akira has always had a deep interest in gourmet foods and beverages since childhood. His interest in gourmet foods led him to work in the spice industry. During his eight years stationed in Southeast Asia, he developed a keen interest in various gourmet foods and beverages, exploring local markets every weekend to try unique agricultural products and gourmet items.

He was particularly fascinated by Chinese tea, which is very common in Southeast Asia due to the large Chinese population. His interest in Chinese tea extended to other teas, and he studied individual tea knowledge and manufacturing methods deeply.

As he delved deeper into tea, he realized that, while the tea industry preserves tradition, it significantly lags behind other food industries in quality control and processing technology. This is because the tea industry has little interaction with other industries.

Other food industries frequently undergo quality audits and are required to meet high standards due to their extensive transactions with other manufacturers. For example, spices are used in a wide range of industries, including meat products, fast food, instant noodles, and seasoning companies, which frequently conduct strict audits. This results in the latest manufacturing technologies and quality control systems being required for spice production.

On the other hand, the tea industry mainly deals within itself, with minimal transactions with other food manufacturers. As a result, it is relatively unaffected by external influences.

When establishing HOJO, we aimed to create innovative teas by understanding traditional tea-making methods and applying the expertise and experience from the food industry.

Sourcing Based on Clear Quality Standards

When buying tea, it can be daunting to understand the relationship between quality and price, making it difficult to know what to choose. Understanding the relationship between quality and price can alleviate this concern.

HOJO emphasizes making it clear to customers what they are paying for by defining clear quality standards.

We explain how we evaluate tea quality based on specific criteria, or "quality measures."

Even though the term "tea quality" may seem vague, it comprises multiple elements. HOJO defines and manages quality based on three main factors:

1. Raw Materials

2. Tea Processing Techniques

3. Freshness Maintenance (Distribution and Storage)

To better understand these three quality elements, let's use cooking as an example.

Raw Materials

In cooking, the quality of raw materials corresponds to the quality of ingredients. For example, imagine wild fish and seafood or mountain-gathered vegetables. Wild mushrooms taste and smell different from cultivated ones, and the same goes for farmed and wild sea bream.

Similarly, the quality of tea varies based on the cultivation conditions and environment.

So, what makes "good ingredients" superior? High-quality ingredients have a strong aftertaste (lingering flavor), and a clear taste. We naturally recognize the depth, lingering flavor, and richness in wild ingredients.

Fruits that are only sweet do not leave a lasting impression. Deliciousness comes from fruits with both sweetness and depth.

The same applies to juice; a rich aftertaste is an important quality indicator. Mass-produced juice often has a light aftertaste, resulting in a flat, sweet flavor. Rich aftertaste in juice provides depth and a fuller taste.

Similarly, tea made from high-quality raw materials has a noticeable aftertaste, creating a sense of depth. The aftertaste is felt as a sensation in the back of the throat, described as lingering flavor, richness, or throatiness. As the quality of the raw materials increases, so does the aftertaste, providing a more three-dimensional and immersive taste experience.

The term "aftertaste" is not commonly used in Japanese, but in Chinese, it is called "hui gan" and is a normal part of everyday conversation. In English, aftertaste is expressed as "finish," and it is a critical indicator in evaluating the quality of wine and whiskey.

Thus, the quality of raw materials correlates with the strength of the aftertaste, and at HOJO, we define tea quality as the intensity of the aftertaste.

Interestingly, even if tea is improperly processed, deteriorates, or ages for a long time, the strength of the aftertaste remains unchanged. The aftertaste reflects the quality of the raw materials and is independent of the tea processing techniques.

Factors Creating High-Quality Raw Materials

What cultivation conditions produce tea with a strong aftertaste and high quality?

Understanding the causal relationship between tea quality and various cultivation conditions allows efficient sourcing of high-quality tea.

The factors HOJO prioritizes for improving tea quality are: "No or Low Fertilizer," "Altitude," and "Tree Age."

Tea that meets these conditions grows slowly, resulting in leaves with many cells rich in minerals and polyphenols.

Conversely, using a lot of fertilizer causes tea to grow rapidly and synthesize a lot of the umami component called theanine.

However, in tea, umami does not equate to deliciousness. Tea with high umami content has a flat taste and lacks depth. While this type of tea is favored in Japan, HOJO emphasizes the importance of aftertaste and focuses on polyphenols and minerals. This aligns with the quality standards in China and Taiwan, where the strength of the aftertaste ("hui gan") is the most crucial quality indicator.

Tea Processing Techniques (Processing Quality)

Tea processing techniques correspond to the "cooking skills" in cooking. Even if high-quality raw materials are obtained, poor cooking skills result in unsatisfactory dishes.

Conversely, if the cooking skills are exceptional, even mediocre raw materials can be turned into satisfactory dishes.

The same applies to tea; raw materials and processing techniques are considered separately. Even if the tea processing is excellent, the raw materials might not be good, and vice versa.

The quality of tea processing affects the clarity of taste, formation of off-flavors, quality of aroma, uniformity, and strength. While raw materials determine the three-dimensional aspects of taste and aroma, processing techniques influence the two-dimensional characteristics such as aroma type, texture, off-flavor formation, uniformity, and strength.

Freshness Maintenance (Distribution and Storage)

Another critical element in discussing tea quality is freshness.

Freshness is unrelated to the quality of raw materials or processing techniques. It depends on how the tea is handled, packaged, transported, and stored after production.

Tea that is not properly managed for freshness will oxidize, altering its aroma to a stale, powdery, or even plastic-like smell.

Oxidation also causes increased bitterness and a rougher texture.

Proper transportation is crucial for maintaining tea freshness. The cargo hold of an airplane can drop to sub-zero temperatures, causing condensation and deterioration if the tea is sent as regular luggage. Additionally, tea continuously oxidizes during storage.

To maintain tea freshness, HOJO stores tea in an oxygen-free environment and packages it in an oxygen-free state for delivery.

Direct Sourcing from Primary Producers

When sourcing tea overseas, there are generally 3 methods.

The first method is to source through trading companies. In recent years, contacting a trading company in China allows you to source various teas from different regions of China.

Companies that are particular about their sourcing work with regional wholesalers. For example, working with a wholesaler in Yunnan Province enables you to obtain tea from multiple producers in Yunnan.

In the tea industry, most companies adopt the above two sourcing methods.

When sourcing from wholesalers or trading companies, you are limited to choosing from the samples provided by them.

Additionally, because you are not directly dealing with producers, you cannot verify the tea gardens or the tea-making process, making it unclear about the consistency and whether pesticides or herbicides were used.

In contrast, HOJO primarily uses a third method: direct sourcing from primary producers. Primary producers are those who own tea gardens and produce the tea.

By directly dealing with primary producers, we can comprehensively understand and manage the tea production process, including garden management, raw material quality, and tea processing methods. Direct sourcing from primary producers is one of HOJO's strengths, enabling us to achieve the quality and cost standards we aim for.

Self-managed Transportation

Direct sourcing from primary producers is an ideal method, but it is not easy to implement.

In the mountainous regions of China, primary producers are often minority farmers who may not even be literate.

They have no means to arrange overseas shipping, and logistics infrastructure in remote villages is essentially nonexistent.

Additionally, due to the unique circumstances in China, making payments can also pose various challenges. It is impossible to send money directly from overseas to a rural bank in China.

For these reasons, most tea companies do not engage in direct transactions with primary producers. Direct transactions require managing the flow of goods and money, as well as a deep understanding of the distribution system in China.

HOJO has a dedicated team of Chinese Malaysian staff specializing in logistics, arranging transport from villages to towns, from towns to major cities, and finally from major cities to overseas. We work directly with local transport companies at each stage.

We also handle imports without using trading companies, managing the entire supply chain from the production area to domestic distribution.

Our job is to connect producers in various countries with consumers.