Hojicha: what it is and how to make a hojicha latte

The short answer

Hojicha is a Japanese green tea that is roasted, which turns the leaves brown and gives the tea a toasty, nutty taste. It is usually less bitter than other green teas. In cafés it is served as a hojicha latte, a hojicha milk tea with boba, or a hojicha float with a creamy topping.

What hojicha is

Hojicha comes from Japan. It starts as green tea, and the leaves and stems are then roasted over high heat. The roasting turns them reddish brown. The brewed tea is amber, not green.

The roast changes the taste. Hojicha tastes toasty, nutty and a little like caramel, and it is usually softer and less bitter than other green teas. That makes it a gentle match for milk.

Hojicha is often compared with matcha. Both are Japanese green teas, but matcha is a bright green powder with a grassy taste, while hojicha is roasted and brown. If you want the green version, see our iced matcha latte guide.

Our two hojicha products are hojicha-flavoured. They are made with permitted flavour and do not list tea in their ingredients. The syrup is described on its product page as warm and nutty, with smooth caramel and roasted brown sugar notes and a mellow, low-bitter roasted-tea profile. The whip is described as having the roasted, nutty notes of Japanese hojicha tea, smooth, creamy and warming.

How to make a hojicha latte or hojicha boba

This is the method printed for our Hōjicha (Roasted Green) Concentrate:

1. Add 15–30 ml of syrup to the cup as the base.
2. Pour 100 ml of milk and mix well until the syrup is completely dissolved. This makes an iced hojicha latte.
3. Add tea if you like. 10–15 ml of green or black beverage concentrate gives the drink more depth. It is optional.
4. Chill with 5–10 ice cubes.
5. Top it if you want. 30–40 g of tapioca pearls, nata de coco or popping boba as the bottom layer makes it hojicha boba.

Start at 15 ml and taste. Add more syrup for a sweeter, stronger cup. The toppings are separate products. To cook pearls, see how to cook tapioca pearls.

How to make a hojicha float topping

A hojicha float is a hojicha drink with a soft, creamy layer on top. Our Hojicha Whip Flavor Powder makes that layer. This is its printed method:

1. Add 5–8% of the whip flavour powder to chilled dairy or non-dairy cream at the final whipping stage.
2. Whip for about 3–5 minutes until soft or firm peaks form.
3. Use it. Pipe or spread it as a frosting, filling or drink topping.

Whip to soft peaks for piping and drink toppings, or firm peaks for stable frosting and fillings. Increase the dose for a bolder flavour and colour. Float it on an iced hojicha latte for a two-layer hojicha drink.

Hojicha price in India

Our Hōjicha (Roasted Green) Concentrate is ₹525 for a 700 ml bottle (MRP, including GST). It comes nine bottles to a case. Our Hojicha Whip Flavor Powder is ₹899 for a 1 kg pouch (MRP, including GST), twelve pouches to a case.

Businesses buying by the case get 10% off MRP with a GSTIN, and 20% off with free ground shipping on orders of ₹19,999 and above. Both ship across India from Hyderabad within 7 days.

What a café charges for a hojicha latte depends on its milk, cup size and toppings, so menu prices vary from shop to shop.

Ways to serve it

• Iced hojicha latte. Syrup, milk and ice.
• Hojicha boba. Add tapioca pearls, nata de coco or popping boba.
• Hojicha iced tea. Use water instead of milk, as the syrup’s method allows.
• Hojicha float. Top the drink with hojicha whipped cream.
• Hojicha desserts. Use the whip for cakes, cupcakes and parfaits. See our boba desserts guide.

Buying hojicha syrup and whip

Both products are made at our FSSC 22000 certified plant in Hyderabad and keep 12 months sealed. The syrup is vegetarian and Halal, with no high-fructose corn syrup. Once opened, reseal it tightly and refrigerate. The whip powder is vegetarian and Halal, and it contains milk powder. Once opened, reseal the pouch tightly and use it within a few weeks for best results. A hojicha latte made with milk is not dairy-free.