What Is Hojicha?
Hojicha is a Japanese green tea roasted in porcelain at temperatures ranging from 175°C to 350°C. This roasting process gives it its distinctive orange tones and reduces its caffeine and catechin content.
“Hoji” means “to roast” in Japanese, and “cha” means tea.
Why Drink Hojicha?
Hojicha is a traditional Japanese drink consumed at night to help with digestion.
However, it can be drunk at any time of the day and year.
Despite its color, hojicha is a green tea. It goes through a process known as shaqing which is a steam bath halting the natural process of oxidation that occurs upon harvesting.
As a result, hojicha retains many of the benefits of green tea, such as promoting relaxation and strengthening the immune system.
Different Types of Hojicha
There are different types of hojicha. Its main characteristic comes from its availability in both powder and loose leaves.
Besides that, hojicha often comes in three types in leaves (light roast, medium roast, dark roast) and it can even be mixed with roasted rice, taking the name of hojicha genmai.
Which Cultivar Is Used for Hojicha?
The most commonly used cultivar for Hojicha is Yabukita, though some hojicha are also made from the Gokou cultivar.
How Is Hojicha Produced?
Hojicha begins its production process as bancha or sencha.
After harvest, the leaves undergo steaming, called “shaqing,” to halt the oxidation process. They are then rolled, dried, and roasted between 175°C and 350°C in porcelain. That’s when the bancha (or sencha) becomes hojicha.
Some of it is processed into powder while the rest is packed up as leaves.
How to Brew Hojicha?
Under a leaf form, hojicha is brewed at temperatures between 70°C and 80°C for 2-3 minutes.
80°C is preferred if under a powder form.
History of Hojicha
No one knows where hojicha came from. It seemed to have appeared in Kyoto in the 1920s.
The legend says that the development of machine-harvested tea in the early 20th century led to significant waste. An unknown merchant decided to roast this unusable tea to salvage it, inventing hojicha in the process.
Conclusion
Hojicha is a roasted Japanese green tea, available in both powder and leaf form. Low in caffeine, it is traditionally consumed in the evening. Its orange color comes from roasting in a porcelain pot for a few minutes, giving it its characteristic flavors of nuts, caramel, or chocolate.
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