Hojicha

Review RSS Browse Hojicha (47) &ndash, Read Reviews (43) &ndash, Brands of Hojicha

Table of contents:

About Hojicha

Loose-leaf hojicha showing both leaves and stems, probably made from bancha.

Hojicha (ほうじ茶), sometimes spelled houjicha or written hoji cha. is a Japanese style of roasted green tea. The level of roast varies, but tends to be heavier than most roasted oolongs. giving the leaves and tea an appearance, flavor, and aroma totally distinct from most green teas, and indeed, from any other teas.

Hojicha is a relatively new style of tea, it probably originated around 1920. There is one story that a Japanese merchant wanted to find a way to sell stale bancha. and invented hojicha as a way of turning this tea into something that could be sold, however, RateTea was unable to find a reliable source to verify this story and it may be a myth.

Hojicha is usually made by roasting bancha, but is sometimes made from sencha. kukicha. or other varieties of green tea. If hojicha is created out of mature, winter leaves harvested in spring, we classify it as Kyobancha. rather than in this category. Hojicha made out of kukicha (made exclusively or primarily from twigs and stems) is also called hoji-kukicha. pictured below to the right.

This hojicha is made exclusively from stems, making it both hojicha and kukicha, or hoji-kukicha.

The leaves of hojicha are a deep, rich brown color and often have a flakey appearance. The tea brews a dark brown color, the flavor is mild, and the aroma is rich and toasty and lacks the vegetal tones characteristic of most green teas. The level of roast can vary greatly, some hojicha can have a smoky quality as well. The aroma of dark-roasted hojicha can be remarkably similar to the aroma of coffee, although hojicha has a definitively milder flavor.

The roasting process destroys much of the caffeine, greatly lowering the caffeine content. and making this tea an excellent choice for those seeking a low-caffeine tea. The darker the roast, the less caffeine. Hojicha made from kukicha (twigs) is also lower in caffeine.

Best Hojicha

The notion of the "best" Hojicha is subjective, because different people have different tastes. We present the most often-rated and highest-rated teas in this category, and allow you to draw your own conclusions.

Source