What Is Hojicha? Roasted Green Tea, Caffeine & Hojicha vs Matcha

Last updated: July 22, 2026

Hojicha is a Japanese green tea that has been roasted, which turns it reddish-brown and gives it a warm, toasty, almost caramel flavor with very little bitterness or caffeine. It is made mostly from later-harvest leaves and stems, then roasted over high heat, a technique a Kyoto tea merchant is said to have started in the 1920s to use up leftover leaf. The result is one of the most comforting, low-caffeine teas in the Japanese repertoire.

Here is what hojicha is, how it compares to matcha, and how to brew it.

Caffeine at a glance: Hojicha carries about 5 to 10 mg per 8-oz cup, among the lowest, since roasting burns off most of the caffeine. See how it compares with every Japanese green tea in our caffeine-by-tea-type comparison.

What is hojicha?

Hojicha (焙じ茶, sometimes written houjicha) is a roasted Japanese green tea. Most green teas are steamed and dried but never roasted, keeping them green and grassy. Hojicha takes that same tea, usually bancha (leaves from later harvests) or kukicha (stems), and roasts it over high heat until it turns a warm reddish-brown. That roast is the whole story: it transforms a sharp green tea into something smooth, toasty, and mellow.

The style is often traced to 1920s Kyoto, where a merchant is said to have roasted surplus leaf rather than waste it, and discovered something people loved. Today it is an everyday tea across Japan, served after meals and to children and the elderly precisely because it is so gentle.

How is hojicha made?

Hojicha begins as ordinary green tea, most often bancha or kukicha, that has already been steamed and dried. The roasting comes last. The leaf is heated in a porcelain or metal roaster, often to around 200°C, until it darkens from green to reddish-brown and the aroma turns from grassy to toasty (Hojicha Co.).

That heat does two things. It drives off some of the caffeine, which begins to sublime near 178°C, a little below common roasting temperatures, so a share of it simply evaporates in the roaster (Hojicha Co.). It also creates new aroma compounds called pyrazines, the roasted, nutty notes you know from coffee and toasted grain. Research comparing roasted and unroasted green tea traces much of hojicha's character and its settling effect to these pyrazines formed in the roast (study on roasted green tea, PMC).

The roast level is the roaster's craft. A light roast keeps some green freshness; a deep roast leans fully into caramel and cocoa. Small farms roast in small batches, which is why two hojichas from the same region can taste quite different.

What does hojicha taste like?

Warm and toasty, with notes people describe as caramel, roasted nuts, and a hint of cocoa or wood. Because roasting burns off much of the astringency, hojicha has almost none of the grassy bitterness of sencha or matcha. It is naturally a little sweet, smooth, and easy to drink black, no milk or sugar needed, though it also makes a beautiful latte.

Hojicha vs matcha

They come from the same plant but sit at opposite ends of the spectrum. Matcha is shade-grown, stone-milled, and whisked; hojicha is roasted and steeped. If matcha is bright and intense, hojicha is warm and calming.

Neither is better, they are for different moments. Many people drink matcha in the morning for its steady, focused energy and switch to hojicha in the evening. If caffeine is your main concern, see our guide to low-caffeine Japanese teas.

How much caffeine is in hojicha?

Not much. A cup of hojicha holds roughly 7 to 20 mg of caffeine, compared with about 30 to 50 mg for sencha and around 95 mg for a cup of coffee. Two things keep it low: roasting, and the fact that hojicha is made from later-harvest leaves and stems that start out lower in caffeine than young shaded buds.

Hojicha benefits

Hojicha carries the same broad appeal as other green teas, with a couple of its own quirks. It contains antioxidants and, like other green teas, some L-theanine, the amino acid associated with a calm, relaxed focus, though roasting changes how much of it remains, as the next section explains. Its low caffeine makes it easy to enjoy late in the day, and its low astringency makes it gentle on the stomach, part of why it is traditionally served to children and after meals in Japan. As with any tea, effects vary from person to person, and hojicha is a drink to enjoy, not a remedy.

One nuance worth knowing: roasting changes hojicha's chemistry as well as its flavor. A study comparing roasted and unroasted green tea found that roasting lowered both L-theanine and caffeine in the leaf, and it credited hojicha's calming, low-fatigue quality more to the aroma compounds formed in the roast than to L-theanine itself (study on roasted green tea, PMC). Separately, research on green tea's signature amino acid found that L-theanine paired with a little caffeine supported attention better than caffeine alone (Haskell-Ramsay et al., 2008). Hojicha carries less of both than an unroasted green tea, which is part of why it feels so easy to reach for in the evening.

How to make hojicha

Loose leaf, hot: use about 1 tablespoon of leaf per cup, water just off the boil (around 195°F / 90°C, hojicha likes it hotter than green tea), and steep 30 to 60 seconds. It is forgiving, so it rarely turns bitter.

Hojicha latte: whisk 1 teaspoon of hojicha powder with a little hot water, then top with steamed milk. Toasty and comforting, like a caffeine-light chai.

Iced: brew it double-strength and pour over ice, or shake the powder with cold milk.

Here are those same numbers in one place, so you can dose by eye once and adjust to taste.

Hojicha powder vs loose leaf

Loose-leaf hojicha is steeped and strained, giving a clean, tea-like cup. Hojicha powder is the whole roasted leaf ground fine, so you drink all of it, which makes it ideal for lattes, baking, and vivid color in recipes. For everyday drinking, either works; for lattes and cooking, reach for the powder. Explore our organic hojicha powder and the rest of our low-caffeine teas.

Types of hojicha

Not all hojicha starts from the same leaf, and the base is what sets the style. The ones you are most likely to meet:

• Bancha hojicha, roasted from mature, later-harvest leaves. The everyday standard: full-bodied, toasty, gently sweet.
• Kukicha hojicha (karigane hojicha), roasted from the stems and twigs of the tea plant. Lighter and sweeter, with the lowest caffeine of the family (Hojicha Co.).
• Sencha hojicha, roasted from younger sencha leaves. A little more caffeine and a brighter edge beneath the roast.
• Kyobancha, a rustic Kyoto specialty, roasted from large leaves left on the bush. Smoky, woody, and very light.

Where hojicha sits among the gentler Japanese teas:

Cold-brew and iced hojicha

Hojicha is one of the easiest teas to cold-brew. Put about a tablespoon of leaf in a jar, cover with cold water, refrigerate three to six hours, and strain. The roast keeps the cup smooth and round rather than bitter, even left overnight. For a hojicha latte over ice, whisk the powder with a splash of warm water first, then pour over cold milk and ice.

How to store hojicha

Roasted tea is sturdier than delicate green tea, but its aroma still fades with time. Keep hojicha airtight, cool, and away from light and strong smells like coffee or spices. Use an opened bag within a couple of months while the toasty aroma is at its brightest, and buy in smaller amounts if you drink it slowly.

Frequently asked questions

Is hojicha the same as matcha?

No. Both come from the tea plant, but matcha is shade-grown and stone-milled into a vivid green powder, while hojicha is roasted, giving it a brown color, a toasty flavor, and much less caffeine.

Does hojicha have caffeine?

Yes, but very little, roughly 7 to 20 mg per cup versus about 95 mg for coffee. Roasting and the use of older leaves and stems keep it low, which is why hojicha is a popular evening tea.

What does hojicha taste like?

Warm, toasty, and slightly sweet, with notes of caramel and roasted nuts and almost none of the grassy bitterness of other green teas.

Is hojicha good for you?

It offers the antioxidants and L-theanine common to green tea, with low caffeine and low astringency that make it gentle and easy to drink. Enjoy it as part of a balanced routine rather than as a health treatment.

Can I drink hojicha at night?

For most people, yes. Its low caffeine makes it one of the better teas for the evening. If you are very sensitive, brew it a little weaker or shorter.

Hojicha powder or loose leaf, which should I buy?

Loose leaf for clean, steeped cups; powder for lattes, iced drinks, and baking, where you want the whole roasted leaf and its color.

Roasted, gentle, ours

We source our organic hojicha direct from Japan, roasted for that warm, toasty character, from the same farms behind our matcha. It is the cup we reach for when the day is winding down. Explore our hojicha and low-caffeine teas and find your evening ritual.

May you become one with tea, one with yourself.

Sources

• Hojicha Co., "Caffeine in Hojicha (Roasted Green Tea)," retrieved 2026-07-28, https://hojicha.co/pages/caffeine-in-hojicha-roasted-green-tea
• "Effects of green tea and roasted green tea on human responses," PMC, retrieved 2026-07-28, https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11016062/
• Haskell-Ramsay et al., "The effects of L-theanine, caffeine and their combination on cognition and mood," Biological Psychology 77(2):113-122, 2008, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18006208/
• Mayo Clinic, "Caffeine content for coffee, tea, soda and more," retrieved 2026-07-28, https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/caffeine/art-20049372
• USDA FoodData Central, caffeine values for tea and coffee, retrieved 2026-07-28, https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/