Hojicha Latte

Hojicha was invented in 1920s Kyoto by a tea merchant who roasted leftover bancha (coarse green tea) leaves over charcoal to make use of them. The roasting process gave the tea a nutty, caramelized flavor and destroyed much of its caffeine. The hojicha latte emerged much later, in the kissaten and modern café era, as a less intense alternative to matcha latte. Its low caffeine made it popular for evening consumption. The drink became a global café staple in the 2010s alongside the matcha latte.

A hojicha latte is a warm, foamy drink with a soft amber-brown color. The first sip is creamy and gently sweet, with the toasted, slightly smoky, nutty flavor of roasted tea underneath. Far milder than matcha, with no bitterness, it tastes comforting and warm. Eaten (drunk) slowly, often in the evening.

A hojicha latte depends on a strong hojicha brew. Hojicha leaves are steeped in hot water (around 90°C) at a higher concentration than usual drinking tea — typically double the leaf-to-water ratio — so the flavor can stand up to milk. The brewed tea is combined with steamed milk; the milk's fat carries the roasted aromatics, while its sweetness rounds out the toasty notes. The drink is naturally low in caffeine because the roasting process sublimates much of the caffeine out of the leaves, making it suitable for evening consumption without disrupting sleep.