Hojicha

Hojicha is set apart from other Japanese green teas because it is roasted over charcoal. The tea is fried at high temperature, altering the leaf colour tints from green to red. The process was first performed in Kyoto, Japan in the 1920s and its popularity persists today.

The main types of Hojicha are light and deep-fried. The roasted flavours are extracted and predominate this blend. The deeper fried leaf produce teas with a deeper roast aroma and taste and very little astringency.

Hojicha is made from Bancha (番茶, "common tea"), tea from the last harvest of the season and considered a somewhat lower grade of green tea than sencha, and Kukicha, tea made from the twigs of the tea plant rather than the leaves.

Regions: Produced in almost every tea-producing region.

Popularity: Pan-fried or oven roasted Hojicha is commonly encountered in teashops throughout Japan. The clean, roasted flavours of houjicha go with any kind of food, particularly oily foods. It is often used as an after-dinner tea. Inexpensive, but rare in the West.

Flavor/Aroma: Hojicha infusions have a distinctively clear red appearance (as distinct from kōcha), and are less astringent due to losing catechin during the high temperature roasting process. The roasting replaces the vegetative tones of standard green tea with a toasty, slightly caramely flavour. As both Bancha and Kukicha are low in caffeine, Hojicha is a popular tea to drink before going to sleep.