Hojicha Guide
Organic Hojicha Powder — What It Is and How to Make It
Hojicha is what happens when green tea goes through fire. Here's what hojicha powder is, how it differs from matcha, what to look for in organic hojicha, and how to make it as a thin tea or a latte.
Quick answer
Hojicha powder is roasted Japanese green tea ground into a fine powder. Roasting turns the leaves brown and gives a smoky, nutty, caramel-like flavor with little of green tea's grassiness, and it lowers the caffeine compared with matcha. The best hojicha is a fine, even powder with a warm, toasty aroma and a single ingredient, and organic hojicha is made from certified organic tea, so look for the USDA Organic seal. Whisk it like matcha for a thin tea, or use it as the base of a latte.
The basics
What is hojicha?
Hojicha (ほうじ茶) means “roasted tea.” It starts as ordinary Japanese green tea leaves from the same plant as matcha and sencha. Many hojicha teas are made from later-harvest leaves or stems (called bancha and kukicha), and the leaves are then roasted at high temperature, turning them from green to reddish brown.
The roasting is what defines the cup. It creates a warm, smoky-sweet flavor, often compared to caramel and roasted nuts, without the grassy or bitter edge of other green teas. It also reduces the caffeine, which is why hojicha is popular in the afternoon and evening.
Hojicha powder is the roasted tea ground fine enough to whisk straight into water or milk. That makes it quick to prepare and well suited to lattes, smoothies, and baking.
Comparison
Hojicha vs matcha
Neither is a substitute for the other. Matcha is bright and savory; hojicha is warm and toasty. Many people drink matcha in the morning and hojicha later in the day.
Buying
What makes the best hojicha powder?
There is no single best hojicha for everyone, but the best hojicha powders share a few traits. If you want organic hojicha, the first one matters most.
A real organic certification
Look for the USDA Organic seal (or a JAS organic mark on Japanese tea) rather than wording like “natural” or “pesticide-free,” which isn't certified.
One ingredient
Pure hojicha should list only roasted green tea. Skip powders with added sugar or flavoring unless you want a latte mix.
A fine, even powder
A smooth powder whisks into a silky cup; a coarse one stays gritty.
A warm, nutty aroma
Good hojicha smells sweet and toasty, not burnt or ashy.
Freshness
Hojicha's roasted aromas fade with air exposure, so store it airtight and don't buy more than you'll use in a few months.
Looking for a place to start? FKRŌ's Organic Hojicha 100g is USDA Certified Organic and roasted from first-harvest Yabukita. Shop Organic Hojicha 100g — $26.90 →
Recipe
How to make hojicha usucha
Usucha is the thin, whisked style of preparing matcha, and hojicha powder can be made the same way. It takes about two minutes.
Warm the bowl. Rinse a bowl or mug with hot water and dry it, so the tea doesn't cool the moment you pour.
Sift the powder. Sift about 2 teaspoons (roughly 3–4 g) of hojicha powder into the bowl to remove clumps.
Add a little hot water. Pour in about 30 ml of water at around 80°C (175°F). Hojicha holds up to hotter water than matcha, so you don't need to be as careful about temperature.
Whisk. Whisk briskly in a zigzag motion with a bamboo whisk or an electric frother until smooth and frothy.
Top up. Add hot water to taste (about 100 ml in total is a good starting point) and sweeten with honey or sugar if you like.
These amounts are starting points. Adjust the powder and water to your taste.
Recipe
How to make a hojicha latte
The trick is to dissolve the powder in a small amount of hot water first, so it blends smoothly into the milk instead of clumping.
Sift 2 teaspoons (roughly 3–4 g) of hojicha powder into a mug.
Make a paste. Add about 30 ml of hot water (70–80°C) and whisk until smooth. Less water keeps the latte rich.
Heat and froth about 150–200 ml of dairy or plant milk.
Combine. Pour the milk over the paste and sweeten to taste. Maple syrup, honey, and vanilla all pair well.
Iced: pour the paste over ice and top with cold milk. Shortcut: put the milk and 1 teaspoon of sifted powder in a milk frother and blend.
For a functional twist, hojicha powder also comes blended with mushrooms. It's prepared the same way: whisk it into hot water, then add steamed milk.
Hojicha powder, answered
What is the best hojicha? +
There is no single best hojicha for everyone, but the best hojicha powder is organic-certified, a single ingredient (roasted green tea only), finely and evenly ground, and smells warm and nutty rather than burnt. FKRŌ's Organic Hojicha 100g, made from first-harvest Yabukita and listed on fkro.co as USDA Certified Organic, is $26.90.
What is hojicha powder? +
Roasted Japanese green tea ground into a fine powder. The roasting gives it a smoky, nutty, caramel-like flavor and lowers its caffeine compared with matcha. It can be whisked into water or milk, or used in baking.
Is hojicha the same as matcha? +
No. Matcha is made from shade-grown leaves ground into a vivid green powder, with a grassy, umami-rich taste. Hojicha is roasted green tea with a brown color and a smoky, nutty taste, and it has less caffeine.
Does hojicha have caffeine? +
Yes, but less than matcha, because roasting reduces caffeine. We haven't found a reliable standard per-serving figure for hojicha powder, so we don't quote a number.
What temperature water should I use for hojicha? +
Around 80°C (175°F) works well for whisking. Hojicha's roasted character holds up to hotter water than matcha, so it's more forgiving.
What makes hojicha powder organic? +
Certification. Organic hojicha powder comes from tea grown without synthetic pesticides and certified under a program such as USDA Organic. FKRŌ's Organic Hojicha 100g is listed on fkro.co as USDA Certified Organic.
Can I use hojicha powder for baking? +
Yes. Its toasty, caramel-like flavor works well in cookies, cakes, and cream fillings, and pairs with chocolate and vanilla.