Hojichaほうじ茶
Sencha or bancha roasted over high heat. Roasting transforms the astringent compounds and brings the toasted aroma forward. Often lower in caffeine than many first-flush green teas, though levels vary, which makes it easy to drink after a meal or in the evening.
How to brew
- Leaf
- 6 g (for two — generous)
- Water
- 260 ml
- Temp
- 95–100°C / 203–212°F
- Steep
- 30 sec
- 2nd
- Boiling, 20 sec (aroma drops off)
How it is made
Sencha, bancha or stem tea roasted at around 200°C (392°F). The heat transforms catechins, so astringency drops, while pyrazines — the compounds behind that toasted smell — are created. Hojicha tends to be lower in caffeine, but that owes as much to the mature leaves and stems many products use as to the roasting itself, and levels vary a lot between products. What you roast changes the character: roasted stems give a sweeter, lighter cup. Aroma is strongest right after roasting and fades from there.
Flavor
Roast character leads. Both astringency and savoriness are restrained, and the finish is clean. The liquor is reddish brown and doesn't look like green tea at all. Restrained enough to sit alongside a meal without competing with the food.
Where it comes from
- Kyoto
- Ishikawa (Kaga bocha)
- Nationwide
Worth knowing
This is a tea you drink for aroma, and cool water leaves it behind. Use a fresh boil and pull it early. You can roast sencha at home in a pan, but keep the heat low and watch the color — scorched leaf turns bitter.