Hojicha Powder "Amber" | Roasted Japanese Green Tea Powder

Hojicha Powder "Amber" is a lightly-roasted Japanese green tea powder from Shizuoka. Most hojicha is made from bancha leaves or stems and roasted deep for a heavier, caramel-driven profile. Amber sits at the lighter end, with a cleaner, gentler roast.

This is the powder we use for our hojicha lattes at the Tea Bar. The name refers to its lighter amber colour; deeper roasts go redder.

How does it taste

Light roast with toasted-rice and sesame aromas. The sweetness is clean and gentle. In a latte, it's lighter and less chocolatey than deep-roasted hojicha.

Tea profile

• Flavour: Light roast, toasted rice, hint of sesame, clean sweetness
• Origin: Shizuoka, Japan
• Cultivar: Yabukita
• Harvest: First-flush (early-season picking)
• Type: Lightly-roasted green tea, finely milled to powder
• Caffeine: Low
• TCM property: Warm (温性). The roast shifts the tea's character from cooling (like matcha) toward warming
• Best for: Straight hojicha, hojicha lattes, iced hojicha
• Size: 50g tin (around 20–25 servings depending on preparation)

Preparation

Hojicha latte:

1. Sift 2–3g of hojicha powder into a bowl
2. Add 30ml of 80°C water and work into a smooth paste with a bamboo whisk 
3. Warm 150–200ml of your preferred milk and pour into the paste
4. Sweetener optional. A little honey or sugar gives the drink more body and a rounder flavour

Iced hojicha latte:

1. Sift 2–3g of hojicha powder into a bowl
2. Add 30ml of water and work into a paste with a bamboo whisk
3. Add a few ice cubes to the bowl
4. Pour in 150–200ml of cold milk. Sweeten if you like

Straight hojicha: For a lighter cup without milk, sift 1–2g of hojicha powder into a bowl, add 120–150ml of 80°C water, and whisk until smooth.

Joanne's notes

For a lot of our customers, hojicha is the tea they remember most from a trip to Japan. Matcha gets the spotlight, but hojicha is the one most people fall for on the first sip. The dry powder smells almost like coffee at first; once brewed, it's a warming cup that doesn't keep most people up at night.

Available at our Salamanca Tea Bar in Hobart. Come in and try a latte before committing to the tin.

What you'll need

A small hand-whisk or milk frother works well for lattes. A bamboo chasen also works (the same tool you'd use for matcha).

Storage

Keep the tin sealed in a cool, dry place, away from strong odours.

About hojicha

Hojicha (焙じ茶) is Japanese green tea that's been roasted after processing, which turns the leaves from green to a warm amber or reddish-brown depending on roast depth. The roasting converts grassy notes into toasted, nutty ones, with the depth of caramel and chocolate growing as the roast goes darker. Most hojicha is made from lower-grade sencha, bancha, or kukicha stems, which is what makes Amber unusual: it uses first-flush leaves.

Explore more from our Japanese green tea collection.