- Tea variety
- ほうじ茶
Hojicha
The evening cup: roasted, round and almost coffee-like.
Flavor profile
The strengths are editorial judgments on a scale within the family, not measurements. They can be compared across the green tea varieties, not directly against another family.
Hojicha is roasted Japanese green tea. Leaves or stems, often bancha or kukicha, are roasted at high heat until the color turns reddish-brown and the flavor shifts toward nuts, cocoa and toasted bread. The roasting breaks down the green tea's bitterness and makes hojicha a mild, round and evening-friendly cup.
Sensory analysis
Pyramid and character
Aroma
dry leaf and freshly brewed
- roasted beans
- cocoa
- wood
Cup
mid-sip
- nuttiness
- caramel
- round warmth
Finish
what lingers
- smooth
- dry
- long roasted note
Character 0-100 per axis, set relative to the other entries in the same family. An editorial judgment of a typical serving, not measurements.
Background
Facts
- Processing
- steamed green tea that is then roasted (Maillard reaction)
- Origin story
- the method took shape in Kyoto in the 1920s as a way to make use of coarse leaves and stems
- Caffeine
- a brewed cup sits, according to the Japanese standard food composition tables (MEXT), on a level with sencha; versions made from bancha or stems often contain less
- Hue
- reddish-brown cup, brown leaves
In the cup
Brewing
- Temperature
- 85-95°C, handles even boiling water
- Time
- about 30 seconds to 1 minute
- Note
- the roasted leaves do not turn bitter from hot water, which makes hojicha one of the most forgiving Japanese teas
Keep exploring
Related in the Zukan
Evidence
Sources
- Hojicha (Wikipedia) (retrieved 2026-08-08)
- Nekko Journal: Hojicha, rostat grönt te för latte och dessert (retrieved 2026-08-08)