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Maxed out on matcha lattes? Change things up with hojicha, its toasty cousin. Made from charcoal-roasted green tea leaves, hojicha has nutty, earthy, caramelised notes that go well with milk. It also has all of matcha’s health benefits (antioxidants, soothing L-theanine) but with a fraction of the caffeine.
In Japan, hojicha lattes are now so popular that you can order them in some branches of Starbucks. And they’re an increasingly common sight on café menus in the west. “Matcha and hojicha come from the same tea plant, but they offer completely different flavour experiences,” says Hiromi Matsunobu, founder of London’s Japanese café Matchado. “While matcha is vibrant and grassy, hojicha has a naturally sweet, nutty flavour with a gentle smokiness and subtle caramel notes. It’s a comforting, nostalgic flavour for many in Japan.”
Matchado’s silky-headed hojicha latte has the depth of flavour you’d find in a hot chocolate but minus the sweetness and with a bit more “forest floor”. Its single-origin hojicha is also available black or iced, and is used to make sweet dishes, including a hojicha affogato (vanilla ice cream and matcha brownie pieces, doused with a shot of hot hojicha). Its hojicha powder is also available to take away so you can make your own at home.
At its slick café-stores in New York and LA, Kettl runs masterclasses in the art of brewing. “We recommend using a powdered form of hojicha for lattes,” says proprietor Zach Mangan. “We whisk five grammes of powder with 50ml of hot water and combine with about 150ml of steamed milk. Whisking well is important to avoid clumps [and gives it] a more unctuous profile.” Kettl’s Shirakawa Houjicha Powder is sourced from a single grower in Uji, just south of Kyoto; it’s available – along with a smart edit of whisks, tea bowls and cups – both in-store and online.
For a first-class hojicha latte in Japan, Matsunobu recommends Satén, a modern-style teahouse in west Tokyo’s Nishi-Ogikubo neighbourhood. “Founders Kazuhiro Koyama and Hibiki Fujioka have seamlessly blended traditional Japanese tea culture with modern café sensibilities,” she says. Their commitment to working with independent farms, married with their innate sense of style, makes it “a must-visit for tea enthusiasts”.
The Japanese are not historically big milk-drinkers; it’s certainly not traditional to add milk to your tea. And there will be some, no doubt, who consider the hojicha latte sacrilege. But for those who want to venture into new flavour territory, the easy-drinking latte can be a great gateway drink, says Claudia Boyer, co-founder of Jenki, a London-based matcha bar chain that has a stand in Selfridges. “We’re seeing a real interest in Japanese flavours at the moment, such as miso and sesame, and the hojicha latte, with its deep, complex notes, really plays into that,” she adds.
“We are definitely seeing more interest in hojicha,” agrees Alice Evans, director of tea at Canton Tea, which supplies the Mandarin Oriental, Nobu and The Emory, “and we predict it will be a trend in the coming months especially as the weather turns.”
