Hojicha - Roasted Tea

Hojicha – 焙じ茶 – literally means "roasted tea", generally understood to mean some form of green tea that has been roasted. The most common form is hojicha made from large, mature leaves—bancha—that have been roasted. So in Western Japan, "bancha" is often to mean "hojicha". This collection includes all roasted tea, both standard hojicha and interesting innovations, flavored hojicha, roasted tea powders, etc. Click here to filter for: hojicha powders, flavored hojicha.

As always, we believe the best way to learn more is to gain experience in tasting a large variety while knowing what you are tasting. Purchase the 10-tea Hojicha Sampler Set to get started!

The flavor can change subtly based on

• the roasting method — generally gas-powdered fire that heats a spinning metal barrel. But some machines use firewood to provide the heat, some use charcoal, and some involve sand or ceramic balls which heat up. The amount of infrared radiation provided by the heated material can affect how much of the leaf is roasted. Only the outside, or deep into the center of the leaf or leaf stem;
• the roasting time & heat level (which is rarely given since it will change based on the temperature and humidity of the day);
• and the biggest factor that changes the flavor is arguably the base leaf — whether large or small leaf stems are used, whether the leaf comes from a spring, summer, or autumn harvest, the size of the leaf (young leaves or large mature bancha leaves).