What Is Hojicha?

Hojicha (ほうじ茶, also written houjicha) is Japanese green tea that has been roasted over high heat, turning the leaves reddish-brown and the flavor from grassy to toasty. The roast gives hojicha its warm amber color, naturally sweet aroma, and smooth notes of caramel, cocoa, chestnut, and toasted nuts — with noticeably less caffeine than coffee and a gentler character than matcha. It's the tea Japanese families drink in the afternoon and evening, and it's quietly becoming the coziest latte in the world.

Hojicha, in one minute

• What it is: Japanese green tea (the same plant as sencha and matcha) that is roasted after harvest instead of being kept green.
• What it tastes like: smooth and toasty — caramel, cocoa, chestnut, toasted nuts. No grassy bitterness.
• Caffeine: naturally present (it's real tea), but generally much lower than coffee and often lower than matcha. It is not caffeine-free. See our hojicha caffeine guide.
• How it's enjoyed: brewed as loose leaf, or — as hojicha powder — whisked straight into milk for lattes, iced drinks, and desserts.

How hojicha is made

Hojicha starts its life like any other Japanese green tea: leaves of Camellia sinensis are harvested and steamed to stop oxidation. Then comes the step that changes everything — roasting. The leaves (traditionally later-harvest bancha leaves or kukicha stems) are roasted at high temperature, classically in a porcelain pot over charcoal, today usually in rotating roasting drums.

In minutes, the roast transforms the tea. Green chlorophyll notes give way to warm, toasted aromatics; the leaves turn a deep amber-brown; and some of the caffeine and tannins are reduced in the process. That's why hojicha drinks so smooth — the roast literally mellows the sharp edges out of green tea.

The story goes that hojicha was born in Kyoto in the 1920s, when tea merchants looking for a use for leftover stems and mature leaves tried roasting them over charcoal — and discovered the result was delicious. What began as thrift became a beloved style of tea in its own right.

What does hojicha taste like?

Imagine the warmth of roasted chestnuts, the sweetness of caramel, and a soft cocoa finish — in a cup of tea. Hojicha is naturally smooth and almost dessert-like even with nothing added, because roasting develops the same toasty flavor compounds you know from baked bread crusts and roasted nuts.

What you won't taste: the grassy, vegetal bite of unroasted green tea, or the astringency that makes some teas pucker. That makes hojicha one of the easiest teas to love on the first sip — and one of the best teas to pair with milk.

What is hojicha powder?

Hojicha powder is roasted green tea that has been milled into a fine powder — matcha's roasted amber cousin. Instead of steeping leaves and pouring them away, you whisk the powder directly into water or milk and drink the whole leaf. That means fuller flavor, richer color, and a latte that comes together in about two minutes.

Powder is the form to choose if you're here for hojicha lattes, iced drinks, smoothies, or baking (cookies, cakes, ice cream, tiramisu — it behaves like a warm-flavored cocoa powder in recipes). Loose leaf is lovely for a traditional brewed cup; powder is the modern, versatile workhorse.

Hoji Amber organic hojicha powder is exactly this: 100% Japanese roasted green tea, stone-milled fine enough to whisk smooth into any milk, with no added sugar, dairy, or fillers.

Hojicha vs matcha — the short version

Both are Japanese green teas you can whisk into lattes, but they sit at opposite ends of the mood spectrum. Matcha is shade-grown, vivid green, grassy-sweet, and comparatively high in caffeine — bright morning energy. Hojicha is roasted, warm amber, toasty-smooth, and lower in caffeine — calm afternoon comfort. If matcha is green energy, hojicha is amber calm.

We wrote a full side-by-side comparison: Hojicha vs Matcha: taste, caffeine, color, and when to drink each.

Does hojicha have caffeine?

Yes — hojicha is real tea, so it naturally contains caffeine. But it's one of the gentler choices in the tea world: high-temperature roasting reduces caffeine, and hojicha is traditionally made from mature leaves and stems that start out lower in caffeine than young shade-grown leaves. That's why hojicha is Japan's classic evening tea, and why a hojicha latte at 4pm doesn't cost you your sleep the way a coffee might. It is not caffeine-free, though — full details, comparisons, and typical ranges in our hojicha caffeine guide.

How to drink hojicha

The classic modern way is the hojicha latte:

1. Whisk 1 teaspoon (about 3g) of hojicha powder with 2 oz (60 ml) of warm water until smooth.
2. Add 6–8 oz (180–240 ml) of steamed or cold milk — oat milk is a fan favorite.
3. Sweeten if you like (honey, maple, brown sugar) and enjoy.

From there, the powder goes anywhere flavor goes: iced hojicha lattes, smoothies, overnight oats, cookies, cakes, and ice cream. Browse our growing hojicha recipe library for step-by-step ideas, or start with the classic hojicha latte recipe.

Hojicha or houjicha — which spelling is right?

Both. The Japanese word ほうじ茶 can be romanized as hojicha or houjicha (you'll occasionally see hoji cha or hōjicha with a macron). They're the same tea. "Hojicha" is the more common spelling in English. Pronounce it HOH-jee-chah — the name literally means "roasted tea," from hōjiru (to roast) + cha (tea).

Frequently asked questions

Is hojicha a green tea?

Yes. Hojicha is made from Japanese green tea leaves and stems — it simply gets roasted after processing, which turns it amber-brown and gives it a toasty flavor. Botanically and technically, it remains a green tea.

Is hojicha the same as matcha?

No. Both are Japanese green teas and both come in powder form, but matcha is shade-grown and unroasted (bright green, grassy, higher caffeine) while hojicha is roasted (amber, toasty, lower caffeine). They make very different lattes.

Is hojicha good for you?

Hojicha is a green tea, so it naturally contains polyphenols and L-theanine, with no sugar, calories, or additives in the tea itself. Its lower caffeine also makes it easy to enjoy later in the day. We'll leave grand health promises to others — it's simply a clean, comforting cup of real tea.

What is hojicha powder used for?

Lattes (hot and iced) first and foremost, plus smoothies, milk tea, and baking — cookies, cakes, ice cream, pudding, and tiramisu all take beautifully to hojicha's roasted caramel-cocoa flavor.

Where can I buy hojicha powder?

Right here — Hoji Amber organic hojicha powder is stone-milled Japanese roasted green tea, made for lattes: one clean ingredient, 100g per pouch, shipped free in the US.