Hojicha is roasted green tea—primarily stems taken to high heat until they turn brown, then cooled. In powder form, it's uncommon. Most hojicha is loose leaf for steeping. The powdered version requires selection, precise roasting, and then stone-milling.

It's worth the effort.

What Roasting Changes

Green tea is steamed to stop oxidation, keeping it green and bright. The flavor stays vegetal, sometimes grassy.

Roasting pushes past that. High heat caramelizes sugars in the leaf, breaks down bitter compounds, and fundamentally changes the profile.

The roasting process requires precision—the perfect balance of umami and aroma is achieved just before the burning point. Stems, rather than leaves, are the main ingredient. They can sustain the high temperatures needed to maximize umami and aroma without scorching.

The result: warmth instead of brightness. Toasted cereal, sesame, earthy notes instead of grass and seaweed. A completely different experience from what most people expect tea to be.

Roasting also reduces caffeine significantly. Not to zero, but low enough that hojicha works for evening without interfering with sleep.

Tasting Notes

Toasted cereal. The first thing you notice. Like barley tea, but rounder, less sharp.

Sesame. Nutty, subtle. More aroma than direct taste.

Earthy. Grounding without being heavy. Clean earthiness that feels stabilizing.

No bitterness. No astringency. Even if you over-whisk or use water that's too hot, hojicha stays smooth.

When It Works

Hojicha is an evening tea. Post-dinner, wind-down, before bed. The low caffeine won't keep you awake, and the roasted profile feels appropriate for later hours in a way bright green tea doesn't.

It's also good for people who don't usually like tea. The roasted character reads more like coffee or barley than traditional tea. If someone says they don't like tea, try hojicha first.

How to Prepare It

Traditional:

• 4 grams powder (about 1 tsp)
• 3 oz hot water (203°F / 95°C)
• Whisk until foamy 

Latte:

• 3 grams of powder
• 2 oz hot water
• Whisk until foamy 
• Add 6-8 oz hot milk (dairy or oat works well)

The powder suspends well in liquid. You're not fighting texture the way you sometimes are with matcha.

Why It's Overlooked

Hojicha doesn't fit the wellness narrative. It's brown, not green. It doesn't have the antioxidant claims matcha has. It's not ceremonial in the traditional sense.

But that's also why it works. No pretense. No performance. Just a roasted tea that does what you need it to do—ground you, warm you, work in the evening when other teas won't.

Teawoo's hojicha comes from Shizuoka, roasted to the right level, and milled fine. Tea master blend. Single-origin. Nothing added.

It's the tea you reach for when you want something familiar but not coffee, comforting but not heavy, functional but not fussy.

Try it: Hojicha — roasted green tea powder from Shizuoka.