What is Hojicha?
Hojicha is a Japanese green tea that is roasted at high heat, giving it a warm, nutty, and caramel-like flavor with low bitterness and caffeine. Regular Hojicha is typically made from Bancha or Sencha leaves, making it an affordable everyday tea with a toasty character.
Tencha Hojicha, on the other hand, is made from Tencha, the high-quality shade-grown leaf material normally used to produce Matcha. Because of this, Tencha Hojicha tends to be smoother, sweeter, and more refined in flavor, with greater umami depth compared to regular Hojicha. It is also rarer and more expensive, since Tencha is usually reserved for Matcha production. Aiya Matcha takes great pride in producing Tencha Hojicha, or what we like to call "Premium Hojicha." See below for a breakdown of the production process, from seed to bowl.
In Summary
Aiya's Hojicha is made by roasting Tencha leaves at a high temperature. First, the tea is grown and harvested like other green teas, then it is steamed to stop oxidation. Instead of being finished and packaged at that point, the leaves are then roasted in a porcelain or metal roasting pan over charcoal or in a modern drum roaster. This roasting changes the color of the leaves from green to reddish-brown and transforms the flavor from grassy and vegetal to toasty, nutty, and slightly sweet, while also lowering caffeine and earthy flavor. After roasting, the leaves are ground into a fine powder that can be used in drink making, baking and cooking.
Hojicha Powder vs. Hojicha Tea
Sencha and Tencha are both Japanese green teas but differ in their cultivation, processing, and use. Sencha is grown in full sunlight, producing bright green leaves with a fresh, grassy flavor. The leaves are steamed and dried after harvesting. In contrast, Tencha is shade-grown, which enhances its chlorophyll content, giving it a darker green color and a richer, umami flavor. After harvesting, Tencha leaves are de-veined and de-stemmed then steamed and dried. Tencha leaves are primarily used to make Matcha by grinding into a fine powder.
