What is hojicha? ☕️
Hojicha literally means roasted tea.
It is a traditional Japanese green tea that is dry roasted (instead of steamed) at high temperatures.
The tea is fired at a high temperature, altering the leaf colour tints from green to reddish-brown.
The process of making hojicha was discovered in 1920 by accident when a Kyoto merchant had left over green tea. By roasting the tea instead of wasting it,the merchant created a new flavor; hojicha.
Hojicha can be drunk hot or cold and is typically a loose-leaf tea. However, Hocha chooses powdered hojicha since the powder dissolves cleanly in hot water and milk for hojicha lattes.
Health benefits of hojicha 🧘🏽
-
Antioxidants: Like many other green teas, hojicha contains a variety of antioxidants, such as catechins and polyphenols, they help fight free radicals, support cellular health and research notes that polyphenols assist in maintaining healthy gums and teeth.
- Calms the nervous system: hojicha contains L-theanine, an amino acid that promotes mental relaxation and reduces anxiety.
- Gentle on the stomach: The high temperature roasting process allows for any bitterness to be roasted away and decreases the caffeine content of the tea. As a result, hojicha is low-acid and much easier to digest, even on an empty stomach.
Difference between hojicha and matcha ☕️🍵
- Cultivation: with both teas the leaves are first steamed to stop the oxidation and the fermentation process and then dried. Hojicha is made by slowly roasting tightly rolled tea leaves, stems, or twigs. the leaves can stay intact or also be ground into a superfine powder. Matcha is made by stone-grinding flat dried tea leaves into a fine green powder.
- Color: Unlike other Japanese green teas, hojicha has a brown color, due to the roasting process. Matcha has a bright green color, especially when it is of higher grade.
- Flavour: Hojicha powder has a naturally sweet taste and smoky flavour with distinct notes of cocoa. Any bitterness typically found in green tea is removed when the tea leaves are roasted at a high temperature. Matcha tastes rich, earthy and vegetal with a savory umami flavor.
