What is Hojicha? The Roasted Japanese Tea Worth Knowing

If matcha is the centrepiece of Japanese tea culture, hojicha is its quieter, warmer companion. Roasted rather than shaded. Golden rather than green. Comforting rather than energising. Hojicha is the tea for a different kind of moment, and once you discover it, it tends to become a fixture.

Where Hojicha Comes From

Hojicha is made from the same plant as matcha and green tea, Camellia sinensis, but it goes through an additional step that transforms it entirely: roasting. After the leaves are harvested and processed, they are roasted at high temperatures, typically over charcoal. This roasting dramatically changes the flavour, colour, and caffeine content of the resulting tea.

The word hojicha (ほうじ茶) comes from the Japanese verb houji, meaning to roast. The character for the tea itself, 茶, is the same character used for all Japanese tea. It is, at its root, simply roasted tea.

What Roasting Does to the Tea

Roasting transforms hojicha in three significant ways.

First, it removes most of the bitterness and vegetal notes associated with green tea, replacing them with warm, nutty, caramel-like flavours. Where green tea and matcha are forward and grassy, hojicha is round and comforting.

Second, it changes the colour entirely. The vivid green chlorophyll is broken down during roasting, and the resulting powder and liquid are a warm amber-brown rather than green.

Third, and most practically, it significantly reduces caffeine content. The roasting process degrades caffeine molecules, leaving hojicha as one of the lowest-caffeine teas available. This is why it is traditionally given to children and elderly people in Japan, and why it makes an ideal evening drink for those who are sensitive to caffeine.

How Our Hojicha is Made

Our Organic Hojicha is sourced from Shizuoka, Japan's largest and most respected tea-growing region. Shizuoka's mild Pacific climate and fertile soil produce green tea leaves with a naturally sweet, rounded character, qualities that express themselves beautifully after roasting.

Our hojicha is medium roast, organic certified, and ground into a fine powder for easy preparation. The result is a smooth, nutty cup with gentle cocoa notes and a naturally sweet finish, without bitterness, without heaviness.

How to Prepare Hojicha Powder

Preparing hojicha powder follows the same steps as matcha. Sift 1 to 2 grams into a warm bowl, add 60 to 80ml of hot water at 70 to 80°C, and whisk until smooth. The result is a rich amber cup with a warm, roasted aroma.

For a hojicha latte, prepare the concentrate as above and add steamed or frothed milk. Hojicha pairs particularly well with oat milk and coconut milk, both of which complement its natural nuttiness. Sweeten lightly with honey if desired.

When to Drink Hojicha

Hojicha fits naturally into the later parts of the day. Its low caffeine content makes it a comfortable choice for after lunch, early evening, or as part of a wind-down routine before sleep. Many people who drink matcha in the morning find hojicha a natural complement for the afternoon and evening, the same intention and care, a different kind of warmth.

It is also an excellent choice for anyone who is curious about Japanese tea powders but is caffeine-sensitive, or for those who simply want a comforting, well-crafted drink that does not interfere with sleep.

Discover our Organic Hojicha from Shizuoka, medium roast, smooth, and naturally sweet.

Hojicha and the Evening Ritual

The low caffeine content of hojicha is not just a practical detail, it shapes an entirely different kind of ritual. Where matcha is morning tea, hojicha is evening tea. Its warmth and comfort are well matched to the later hours, and its roasted sweetness feels appropriate as the day closes rather than opens.

Many people who practice a daily matcha ritual in the morning find hojicha a natural complement for the evening. The two teas frame the day: one cup with intention at the start, one cup with ease at the end. The tools are the same, the care is the same, the result is different in exactly the way the two moments of day are different.

Organic Hojicha and What It Means

Our Organic Hojicha is certified organic, which means the tea plants are grown without synthetic pesticides or fertilisers. For a tea you drink regularly, this is worth caring about. Organic cultivation also tends to produce a cleaner, more expressive flavour, when the soil is managed naturally, the leaf's own character comes through more clearly. Shizuoka's volcanic soil, already rich in minerals, responds particularly well to organic management.