Hojicha: Japanese Green Tea with Unique Roasted Flavor

Last updated: August 3, 2020 at 17:17 pm

What is Hojicha?

Hojicha is a Japanese roasted green tea. At some point of tea production,  heat has to be applied to stop oxidizing of tea leaves. In Japan, this is traditionally performed by steaming the leaves, in China – by pan-firing. Hojicha is a special Japanese green tea made by roasting bancha (mature, late summer tea leaves) over charcoal.

Tasting notes in reviews

Hojicha is smooth, toasty, nutty. It is naturally low in caffeine and rich in flavor. Some would say it has “barley notes”, others would refer to “hint of seaweed” and “toasted nori”. Many first time drinkers are surprised by the lack of the grassy taste so common in other Japanese green teas. This tea offers a lovely transition between green and black teas thanks to its unique earthy taste.

loose leaves of Japanese Hojicha roasted tea

Hojicha tea is “green” in more ways than one!

It may be popular for its nutty, smoky flavor today, but Hojicha tea actually came about for eco-sensitive reasons. At the start of the 20th century, Japan’s new trade policies had caused green tea exports to shoot up. To meet the sudden increase in demand, Japanese tea farmers started using mechanical harvesting machines. This helped them produce valuable green teas like Sencha, Gyokuro, Matcha, Genmacha at a fraction of the cost. However, there was a flipside – mechanized harvesting would create a lot of waste, something that’s a big no-no in the island nation. A tea merchant in Kyoto came up with a solution in the 1920s. He roasted the stems, stalks and leftover tea leaves over charcoal, and Hojicha was born. It wasn’t long before tea drinkers had discovered its irresistible smoky aroma and well-rounded flavor, and Hojicha green tea had become a crowd pleaser!

A cup of Hojicha tea
Organic Hojicha Tea Bags (100-ct)

Organic Hojicha Tea Bags (100-ct)

Savor the toasty notes in this hearty cup as infused by our silken tea pouch, our take on the gourmet tea bag.
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Organic Hojicha Loose Leaf

Organic Hojicha Loose Leaf

Hojicha green tea is made of bancha tea, a mixture of pan-fired and slow roasted green tea leaves that yield a rich, nutty brew. Within the green tea category, Hojicha contains lower levels of caffeine.
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Hojicha

Hojicha

Green tea from Japan that is rendered brown by roasting Bancha (a summer crop tea, harvested after Sencha) tea leaves. An Adagio customer favorite, with a toasty nutty flavor and slightly mesquite note. Earthy and warm quality, soothing, clean finish.
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