Limited Edition Japanese Roasted Green Tea Agedin Whiskey Barrels
Brooklyn, New York – ITO EN (North America) INC. will introduce a Barrel Aged Hojicha, a roasted Japanese organic green tea aged in Peated Bourbon whiskey barrels. Partnering with Kings County Distillery, New York’s City’s oldest distillery located in Brooklyn’s Navy Yard, the uniquely crafted tea offers a complex and elevated tea experience with an earthy and rich aroma, and hints of toasted toffee and roasted caramel.
“We were intrigued withthe idea of infusing our green tea leaves with whiskey so we reached out to ourBrooklyn neighbor-Kings County Distillery” says John Valentin, Ito En’sInnovation Operation Manager. ” “They were immediately receptive to the ideaand offered their oak barrels for our teas to age in. The result has been acomplex green tea that can be enjoyed by tea and whiskey connoisseurs alike.”
Conceptualized andcurated at ITO EN’s innovation and tea blending facility in Brooklyn’s IndustryCity, the small batch Barrel AgedHojicha will be limited edition. The combination of the roasted taste ofHojicha from Shizuoka Prefecture in Japan and the smoky overtones of the peatedbourbon oak barrels offers a refined taste experience like no other.
“New York is not a citypeople typically associate with whiskey, but in fact it is a melting pot ofcultures, so our whiskey reflects influences from Kentucky, Scotland, Japan andother distilling traditions.” says Colin Spoelman, Founder & MasterDistiller of Kings County Distillery “We like to be creative with tradition, sowhen Ito En reached out about barrel aging tea, we were enthusiastic about the idea.We are even more encouraged when it blossoms into a really great product. We hopefor many more collaborations.”
Committed to sustainablebusiness practices, ITO EN has been recognized as one of “50 Companies Changingthe World” by FORTUNE ranking #18 for its environmental tea farming practices.The company has also been awarded for its tea leaf recycling program creatingeco-products from its used tea leaves, the “Sustainability Award” at the NorthAmerican Tea Conference 2016 and “Best Industry Innovation Leader” at the WorldTea Expo 2017.
The Barrel Aged Hojicha will be available atwww.itoen.comand at ITO EN’s matcha LOVE®stores for $24.00 per 1.5 oz. bag. For store locations, please visitwww.matchalove.com.
About ITOEN (North America) INC.:
ITO EN (North America) INC.,a subsidiary of ITO EN (Japan) LTD., first established in Japan in 1966, is aninnovative beverage industry leader dedicated to creating authentic productsthat embody the company’s five principles of Natural, Healthy, Safe,Well-designed and Delicious. ITO EN is specifically known as a global leader ingreen tea withaward-winning brands, including Teas’ Tea Organic®, Oi Ocha, ITO ENShots and matcha LOVE®. A vertically integrated, the company has receivednumerous awards for its sustainable business practices & innovation for theused tea leaf recycling program. Tolearn more about ITO EN, visit itoen.com.
AboutKings County Distillery
KingsCounty Distillery is New York City’s oldest, largest, and premier whiskeydistillery, the first since prohibition. Founded in 2010, Kings County makeshandmade moonshine, bourbon, and other whiskeys out of the 120-year-oldPaymaster Building in the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Kings County’s whiskeys have wonnumerous awards from the American Distilling Institute, the American CraftSpirits Association, and the prestigious San Francisco World SpiritsCompetition, and have been praised by the New York Times, Wine & SpiritsMagazine, GQ, The New Yorker and other sources. For more information, please visitkingscountydistillery.com.