Toasted almonds, caramel, a grainy note similar to genmaicha, and a light body with no bitterness. This is hōjicha. Hōjicha originated in Kyoto in the 1920s, when a tea merchant roasted leftover bancha – the third flush leaves and stems of sencha - over charcoal. The roast process created a whole new type of green tea, turning the green leaf reddish-brown and trading the grassy, savoury character for something toasty and warm, closer to roasted grain or coffee. The roasting process also removed most of the caffeine, which is why hōjicha is the green tea the Japanese drink in the evening and give to children. It brews quickly, takes hot water without turning bitter, and has almost none of the astringency people tend to associate with green tea. Hōjicha benefits from being brewed at slightly cooler temperatures than a typical black tea and it works well when made into a tea latte with frothed milk.
