Hojicha: Japan's Roasted Green Tea

Hojicha (ほうじ茶) is Japanese green tea roasted at high heat until the leaves turn reddish-brown. It's usually made from bancha (later-harvest leaf), sencha or kukicha (stems). Roasting turns grassy flavours into toasty, nutty, caramel notes and removes nearly all bitterness, so hojicha is one of the easiest teas to love. It's often lower in caffeine per cup than sencha or matcha, which makes it a popular evening and after-dinner tea in Japan. Brew it with near-boiling water for 30–60 seconds.

Green tea that went brown in the roaster#

Finished green tea, often bancha or stems, is roasted in a hot drum or pan until the leaves turn from green to reddish-brown. The roast changes the flavour completely. Many Japanese tea shops roast hojicha on site, and the smell drifts down the street.

The colour fools people. Hojicha isn't red (black) tea, because it was never oxidized; it's roasted green tea. Nor is roasting a way to hide poor leaf. Good hojicha is carefully roasted and delicious.

Toasted bread and caramel#

Next to its better-known cousins, it's the brown, gentle one. Matcha is creamy and vegetal, sencha grassy and fresh.

Less caffeine, not none#

Hojicha is often made from later-harvest leaves and stems, which contain less caffeine than young spring leaves, and it's brewed briefly. So a cup often has less caffeine than sencha and much less than matcha.

Roasting itself seems to change the caffeine less than is often claimed, and figures vary from tea to tea. Lower, then. Not caffeine-free. More in caffeine in tea.

Brewing it hot, and hard to ruin#

Hojicha is forgiving. A longer steep makes it stronger, not harsh. Cold-brewed, it becomes a sweet, toasty summer drink (see cold brew tea), and it's also sold as powder for lattes.

If you already drink roasted oolong#

Then hojicha is an easy way into Japanese tea. Both are roasted, but hojicha starts as steamed green tea, so it's lighter and simpler, all toasted grain and caramel. Roasted oolongs are partly oxidized before roasting and offer more fruit, more depth and many more steeps. More in roasted vs green oolong.

What to look for#

Freshness first. The roast aroma fades, so buy small packs. Decide between leaf and stem versions; stem hojicha is sweeter and lighter. The colour should be an even brown with no burnt, black pieces. For lattes, buy hojicha powder rather than grinding leaves yourself.

Hojicha is the friendliest Japanese tea, with no bitterness to speak of, and perfect in the evening. If green tea tastes too grassy to you, start here, then move on through the Japanese tea guide.