What is hojicha tea? A Japanese roasted green tea

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What is hojicha?

Hojicha, pronounced hoe-gee-chah, is a roasted Japanese green tea known for its low caffeine and earthy taste. Because it’s roasted, hojicha looks brown when steeped.

In Japan, hojicha is often found packaged in plastic bottles as ready-to-drink tea. While it’s got a way to go in catching up in popularity in other parts of the world, its incredibly low cost–especially compared to trendy matcha–makes hojicha an attractive everyday option.

How is hojicha made?

Compared to the long history of many Japanese teas, hojicha only got its start in the early 20th century [1]. It’s reported that this relatively newer tea came about after the introduction of mechanical tea harvesters, which removed stalks, twigs, and leaves. With hand-picked tea, only leaves are taken off. Mechanical harvesting resulted in a lot of twigs and leftover tea plant parts that aren’t used in green teas like sencha or matcha. In the 1920s, an innovative merchant decided to put all those leftover twigs to use and started selling roasted twigs in Kyoto–hojicha was born!

Today, hojicha is generally still made using bancha (the lower quality green tea harvested later in the year) or kukicha (twigs) [2]. You can also find higher quality hojicha made using sencha (leaves from the first harvest) and, in rare cases, tencha (a partially shaded green tea used for matcha) [3].

The base tea for hojicha is roasted over high heat in drum roasters, although traditionally a special pan called houroku is used [2][4]. The roasting process renews the tea with a roasted flavor and smell, while causing it to steep a pleasing golden brown color.

Tip: If you have any sencha at home that is past its prime, you can make your very own hojicha by dry roasting it in a clean skillet [3].

What does hojicha taste like?

Hojicha is known for its delightfully earthy and woodsy flavor and an intense nutty aroma. Well-known tea company Harney and Sons describes hojicha as having “notes of wood and toasted nuts”, yielding “to a nice caramel finish” [1]. Notably, twig-based hojicha has almost no bitterness and no sweetness, although leaf-based hojicha might have a twang of bitterness like other green teas [3].

Because hojicha’s flavor has similar notes to coffee, it’s thought to be an ideal gateway into tea for coffee fanatics.

Hojicha health benefits

Hojicha shares many health benefits with other Japanese green teas, although the roasting step and non-leaf tea parts it typically includes gives it a slightly different profile. A type of antioxidant called catechin, for example, is one of the benefits reduced through roasting [5]. Catechins are known to control blood pressure, boost the immune system, and aid in weight loss, among other benefits.

Here are a few of hojicha’s reported main benefits:

Immune system boost - The polyphenols, vitamin C, A, and E found in hojicha are essential to maintaining a healthy immune system
Dental health - Helps prevent tooth decay and bad breath
Cancer prevention - Vitamin E and catechins lower risk of cancer
Stress relief - Hojicha that uses sencha has higher levels of L-Theanine, which is known to relieve mental and physical stress
Blood pressure and cholesterol - Catechins control blood pressure and reduce cholesterol

Does hojicha have caffeine?

Compared to coffee, hojicha has an almost negligent amount of caffeine, making it the drink of choice in Japan to introduce children to tea. It’s also a popular tea to drink in the afternoon and evening and to avoid gastrointestinal tract issues [5].

Two factors make hojicha a lower caffeine alternative to sencha and most other green teas: the plant parts it contains and the roasting process. Hojicha contains lots of non-leaf plant parts like twigs and older leaves, both of which have less caffeine than younger tea leaves [4]. When roasted, most of the remaining caffeine is removed [6].

How to brew hojicha and make other hojicha-infused foods

To brew hojicha, aim for a hot water temperature of about 180°F [6]. The steep time ranges from 30 seconds to 3 minutes, depending on how strong you like your hojicha [1].

While hojicha isn’t a common staple in most grocery store tea aisles, you can find it online both as loose leaf and bagged varieties. Powdered hojicha is also gaining popularity as an ingredient to make lattes and other decadent hojicha desserts. Just like matcha, powdered hojicha’s versatility makes it easy to enjoy as a drink or anything else you can whip up in the kitchen!

These are just a few suggestions of where to find real Japanese quality loose leaf, bagged, and powdered hojicha online:

Hojicha tea bags - Japanese Green Tea Co. (Save 10% with code: steepeddreams)
Loose leaf hojicha - Senbird Tea (Save 15% with code: steepedreams)
Hojicha powder - Senbird Tea (Save 15% with code: steepedreams)

How to make hojicha powder from tea leaves

If you’re a determined DIYer, you’re likely drawn by the challenge and fulfillment of making your very own hojicha powder from tea leaves–especially since you can roast your own hojicha powder at home. However, grinding tea involves equipment like a traditional stone mill grinder or a faster working machine grinder.

Buying hojicha powder online is your best bet to ensure the powder is finely ground and doesn’t lose its flavor or aroma.

If you find a way to grind your hojicha to a powdered perfection at home, do let me know!

[1] Harney, Michael. The Harney & Sons Guide to Tea. United States, Penguin Press, 2008.
[2] “Japanese Tea Kinds.” Global Japanese Tea Association, 4 May 2020, https://gjtea.org/info/japanese-tea-information/japanese-tea-kinds/.
[3] Brekell, Per Oscar. A Beginner's Guide to Japanese Tea: Selecting and Brewing the Perfect Cup of Sencha, Matcha, and Other Japanese Teas. United States, Tuttle Publishing, 2021.
[4] Uhl, Joseph Wesley. The Art and Craft of Tea: An Enthusiast's Guide to Selecting, Brewing, and Serving Exquisite Tea. United States, Quarry Books, 2015.
[5] “緑茶の種類をまとめて紹介。煎茶・抹茶・玉露・番茶などの違いは？.” おちゃらいふ, teeelife.com/japanese-tea-type/.
[6] Healing with Tea. N.p., SantosEbooks, 2019.

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about the author

Hello, is it tea you’re looking for? Raquel is an Arizona-based tea drinker who writes about tea as a side hobby. Her current favorites are Earl Grey with a splash of milk and any Japanese green tea.