Heard About

Hojicha Tea

? Here’s All You Need To Know About Japanese Matcha Tea’s Counterpart

Quick Summary

Think green tea is named so just because of its colour? It is, to an extent, but hojicha tea breaks that common misconception in its earthy, brown-tinted glory. They are like siblings, alike but not quite alike, as matcha tea shines in its green glory and grassy taste that icks some people out, but it is still one of the most sought-after cafe beverages, especially when it comes to making matcha lattes. Hojicha tea, on the other hand, undergoes roasting, hence its flavour and colour are different.

Deep Dive

Hojicha tea is a roasted Japanese green tea made from mature ‘bancha’ or ‘sencha’, something ‘kukicha’ leaves, stems and twigs, prized for its nutty, caramel-like flavour and naturally low caffeine content. Unlike the vivid green, grassy-tasting matcha it's often compared to, hojicha gets its warm reddish-brown colour and toasty aroma from a high-heat roasting process rather than shading and stone-grinding. That single difference in processing is why hojicha has quietly become one of the most talked-about drinks on café menus, offering the ritual of Japanese tea culture without the intensity or jitteriness some people associate with matcha green tea or other high-caffeine beverages.

What Is Hojicha, and How Is It Different From Matcha?

Both teas begin life on the same plant, which is Camellia sinensis, but they take completely different paths after harvest, much like identical twins, who tend to develop their own unique quirks.

• Matcha is made from ‘tencha’ leaves that are grown in the shade for several weeks, which boosts chlorophyll and gives the leaves their intense green colour. After steaming and drying, the leaves are stone-ground into an ultra-fine powder, producing a vivid green, grassy and slightly bitter brew.

• Hojicha is made from leaves of the same plant, harvested later, stems and twigs of green tea (commonly bancha or sencha), which are steamed, dried, and then roasted at high temperatures, often between 160°C and 200°C, in a pan or over charcoal. Roasting is what turns the leaves brown and mellows out the bitterness, replacing it with toasted, nutty, cocoa, caramel and woody notes.

This roasting step is what contributes to the hojicha's much lower caffeine content, which starts way before the processing. The mature leaves used for hojicha naturally contain less caffeine than the young buds used for matcha, and the heat of roasting reduces it further, leaving a cup with only a fraction of the stimulant kick.

Hojicha Tea vs Japanese Matcha Tea

Why is Hojicha Tea Suddenly so Popular?

Hojicha isn't a new concept; just like matcha, it has found its global fame courtesy of the love of all things Japanese. It was first created in Kyoto in the 1920s, when tea merchants began roasting unsold or leftover stems and tea leaves as a way to reduce waste and extend shelf life. This soon got woven into the country’s cultural fabric and became a household staple across Japan, showing up everywhere from convenience stores to izakayas. So why is the rest of the world only catching on now?

• Matcha fatigue and matcha shortages. As matcha demand has surged globally, supply has tightened, pushing cafés and consumers to look for a comparable green tea alternative, and hojicha, made from more abundant, later-harvest leaves, fits neatly into that gap.

• The caffeine-conscious wellness trend. With more drinkers actively trying to cut back on caffeine without giving up their tea or latte ritual, hojicha's naturally low caffeine content makes it an easy swap for an afternoon or evening drink.

• A gentler, more ‘comforting’ flavour profile. Where matcha can taste sharp and grassy, hojicha's roasted, caramel-like notes pair especially well with milk.

• Social media and café menus. Google search interest in hojicha has soared over the past year, and hojicha lattes in particular have seen an even steeper rise in search volume, with cafés from London to Bangalore to Los Angeles adding hojicha-based drinks to their spring and summer menus.

Hojicha Tea Benefits

Roasting changes hojicha tea's chemistry, which is not just restricted to its flavour. While the high heat does reduce some of the catechins (the antioxidant compounds green tea is best known for), it also creates new compounds unique to roasted tea:

• Pyrazines are aromatic compounds formed during roasting, associated with a calming effect. Specific research on the autonomic nervous system suggests pyrazine exposure can shift the body toward a parasympathetic, ‘rest and digest’ state, which is why hojicha is more of an evening or after-dinner drink in Japan.

• Melanoidins, brown pigments produced by the same Maillard reaction that browns bread and coffee, contribute their own antioxidant activity and are being studied for potential benefits related to blood sugar and cholesterol.

• Improved circulation is also linked to pyrazine compounds in hojicha to improve blood flow, which may support joint comfort and reduce the fatigue associated with poor circulation.

• Gentler on the stomach. Because roasting reduces the water-soluble catechins that make unroasted green tea more astringent, hojicha tends to be milder and easier on sensitive digestive systems than sencha or matcha.

• A low-caffeine option. A typical cup of hojicha contains a small fraction of the caffeine found in coffee, making it one of the few real teas that can comfortably be enjoyed close to bedtime.

Hojicha tea's antioxidant levels, while still abundant, are still lower than sencha or matcha, since some catechins are lost in roasting. For tea drinkers who consume tea purely for antioxidant intake, an unroasted green tea may still have an edge, but for anyone who wants the ritual and ‘zen’ feeling of Japanese tea culture without a caffeine spike, hojicha is hard to beat.

How to Brew Hojicha Tea the Right Way

One of hojicha tea's underrated advantages is how easy it is to brew compared to matcha tea or sencha, which can turn bitter with water that's even slightly too hot. The tea leaves are usually weighed in grams rather than scooped up in spoons.

• Start with a teapot with an in-built strainer for a taste of the Japanese tea culture. Use a stainless tea infuser if a teapot feels like a hassle.

• Hojicha needs soft water (low mineral content) to brew, so use filtered water or bottled water. Or use the typical tap water and boil it.

• Warm your teapot and cups with hot water before brewing to maintain a consistent temperature throughout.

• Use 8 g (about 2-3 tablespoons) of loose-leaf hojicha for every 240 ml of water to achieve a balanced, full-bodied brew.

• Heat water to 80°C, which is the perfect temperature that helps preserve hojicha tea's sweetness and roasted aroma. Just boil water and let it cool a little, in case you don’t have a kettle that tells you the temperature or a thermometer.

• Set up a timer once you pour the hot water over the tea leaves, and not the other way around. Let the tea steep for 30 seconds before serving.

• Resist the urge to stir the tea leaves during brewing, as they will naturally release their flavour while steeping.

• Pour every last drop from the teapot after steeping to prevent the leaves from over-extracting and becoming bitter.

• Let the brewed tea cool for a moment before drinking to better appreciate its smooth, sweet, roasted flavour.

The same tea leaves can be steeped several times by simply increasing the brewing time slightly with each additional infusion to get the best of the flavour.

Creative Ways To Use Hojicha Tea

Hojicha tea's toasted, low-bitter profile makes it a more versatile tea to brew than the typical Japanese green tea and a few ways to extend it into other hot and cold drinks and dishes:

• Hojicha boba tea: Combining roasted hojicha with milk and chewy tapioca pearls creates this popular Tibetan drink. Its nutty, caramel-like flavour pairs well with brown sugar, creating a smooth bubble tea that's less bitter than matcha. 

• Hojicha latte (hot or iced): This drink is made by whisking hojicha powder with water before adding steamed milk for a hot latte or cold milk and ice for an iced version. 

• Hojicha coffee: Adding hojicha to coffee is a superb idea, as the roasted tea notes soften espresso's intensity. It's commonly used in drinks like hojicha lattes with espresso or espresso martinis.

• Hojicha smoothie: Use hojicha powder to blend into smoothies, along with banana, milk, yogurt, or plant-based alternatives.

• Baking and desserts: Hojicha powder can be folded into cookie dough, cake batter, or ice cream for a roasted, nutty depth similar to using coffee or cocoa.

Because both hojicha and matcha are made from the same base plant, most matcha recipes can be adapted for hojicha by simply swapping the powder, but expect a warmer, less vegetal result each time.