What is hojicha? Meet Japanese roasted green tea

The roasted side of tea

If you have seen a warm brown drink appearing beside matcha on café menus, there is a good chance it was hojicha.

Hojicha begins with Japanese green tea. The leaves, and sometimes stems, are roasted at a high temperature, transforming their colour, aroma and flavour. What starts fresh and vegetal becomes deep, toasted and quietly complex.

It is still green tea. It just tastes very different from the green tea you might already know.

Matcha is vivid, earthy and grassy. Hojicha sits on the warmer side of the spectrum: roasted, mellow and made for milk.

What does hojicha taste like?

Hojicha tastes toasted rather than grassy.

The exact flavour depends on the tea and the depth of the roast, but you may notice notes of nuts, wood, cocoa or caramel. Darker roasts tend to taste deeper and more pronounced, while lighter roasts can feel softer and more delicate.

OFF HOURS hojicha has tasting notes of:

• Toasted hazelnut

• Cocoa

• Caramel

Nothing added. Those flavours come naturally from the tea and its roast.

Add milk and hojicha becomes smooth, creamy and full-bodied - the kind of drink that feels familiar on the first sip while still being something completely new.

Is hojicha green tea?

Yes. Hojicha is a type of Japanese green tea.

The confusion usually comes from its colour. Most green teas keep their recognisably green appearance because the leaves are steamed or heated to stop oxidation. Hojicha goes through an additional roasting stage, which turns the leaves brown and completely changes their flavour.

So although the cup may look more like coffee or cocoa, it is still tea.

What is hojicha powder?

Hojicha powder is roasted green tea that has been finely ground.

Unlike loose-leaf hojicha, which is infused in water and then strained, the powder is whisked directly into your drink. This gives it a fuller texture and makes it particularly good for lattes.

There is no teabag to remove and no leaves to strain. Just whisk the powder with a little warm water, add your milk and decide whether you are drinking it hot or over ice.

Hojicha powder vs loose-leaf hojicha

Both come from roasted Japanese green tea, but they are prepared differently.

Loose-leaf hojicha is steeped in hot water and strained. It produces a lighter, more traditional cup of tea.

Hojicha powder is whisked into water and remains in the drink. It creates a richer cup with enough depth to hold its own when milk and ice are added.

If you want a straightforward brewed tea, choose loose leaf. If you want a creamy café-style latte, powder is the place to start.

They are not directly interchangeable, so follow the instructions for the format you are using.

What is a hojicha latte?

A hojicha latte combines hojicha with milk.

When using powder, the hojicha is first whisked with a small amount of warm water to create a smooth base. Hot or cold milk is then added, with sweetener if you want it.

The result is creamy, roasted and satisfyingly café-like—without simply trying to imitate coffee or matcha.

Our Classic Hojicha Latte uses 2g of hojicha powder, 30ml of warm water and 180ml of milk, finished with a dash of maple syrup. It takes around five minutes to make.

Prefer it cold? Make an Iced Maple Hojicha Latte.

Hot. Iced. Phone face down.

Does hojicha contain caffeine?

Yes. Hojicha contains caffeine because it is made from tea. Although the roasting process reduces the amount of caffeine.

The amount varies depending on the tea, serving size and preparation method, so hojicha should not be described as caffeine-free.

A 2g serving of OFF HOURS hojicha powder contains approximately 16–24mg of caffeine. That makes it a lighter-caffeine option for the moments when you want another proper drink without another coffee or matcha-sized caffeine hit.

When do you drink hojicha?

Whenever you want, technically.

But hojicha comes into its own when coffee feels like too much and plain tea does not feel like enough. Mid-afternoon. After dinner. At the end of a long day. The moment the laptop closes and the rest of the evening begins.

It can be made hot, poured over ice or mixed into flavoured lattes. Start simple and get to know the roasted flavour first. Then change the milk, sweetness and serving style until it feels like yours.

Because a full life has off hours.

Meet OFF HOURS hojicha and join the founder-batch waitlist.