A hojicha latte is a warm, toasty tea latte made from hojicha -- Japanese green tea that has been roasted -- whisked into steamed milk. Because roasting mellows the caffeine, it is one of the gentlest lattes you can make, with a nutty, caramel-like flavor and a reddish-brown color. This hojicha latte recipe works two ways: the quick cafe method with hojicha powder, and a loose-leaf method for anyone who does not have powder on hand.
If you want to know exactly what the tea is and how it is made before you brew, read our explainer on what hojicha is. Here, we skip straight to the drink.
What a hojicha latte is (in one line)
A hojicha latte is roasted green tea plus milk -- think of it as the toasty, low-caffeine cousin of a matcha latte. Where matcha is grassy, sweet and vivid green, hojicha is roasted, so it tastes of caramel, toasted grain and a little cocoa, and it pours a coppery brown. It is sometimes sold and served as "hojicha milk tea." The roasting also strips out most of the caffeine, which is why hojicha is a favorite afternoon or evening latte when you do not want to be wired.
How much caffeine is in it?
Hojicha is naturally low in caffeine. Estimates vary by leaf and brew, but a cup typically lands somewhere around 7 to 20 mg -- a fraction of the roughly 60 to 80 mg in a cup of matcha, and far below brewed coffee. Roasting breaks down some of the caffeine, and hojicha is often made from more mature, later-harvest leaves that carry less to begin with. It is low-caffeine, not caffeine-free, so it is not a decaf, but it is gentle.
How to make a hojicha latte with powder (the easy cafe method)
Powder is the fastest route and gives you that smooth, fully blended cafe texture, because the whole leaf is suspended in the drink rather than strained out. Here is how to make a hojicha latte in about five minutes.
- Sift the powder. Add about 1 to 2 teaspoons of hojicha powder to your cup, sifting it through a small strainer to catch clumps. Sifting is the single biggest thing standing between you and a lump-free latte.
- Make a paste. Pour in a small splash of hot water -- around 80 to 90 C (175 to 195 F), never fully boiling -- and whisk briskly until you have a smooth, glossy paste with no dry pockets. A bamboo whisk works, but a small electric frother or even a fork does the job.
- Sweeten to taste (optional). Stir in a little honey, simple syrup, maple or agave if you like. Liquid sweeteners dissolve far better than granulated sugar in a milk drink. Start with less than you think you need -- hojicha is naturally a touch sweet.
- Warm and froth the milk. Steam or froth about 200 ml (roughly 7 oz) of milk until hot and foamy, but do not let it boil. Dairy, barista oat, soy or almond all work.
- Pour and finish. Pour the milk over the hojicha paste, holding back the foam with a spoon and then spooning it on top. Dust with a pinch of hojicha powder if you want to look the part.
How to make a hojicha latte with loose-leaf tea
No powder? Loose-leaf hojicha makes an excellent latte -- you just brew a strong, concentrated tea first and treat it like an espresso "shot."
- Brew a strong base. Use a generous amount of leaf -- roughly 1 heaped tablespoon per cup, more than you would for a plain pot. Hojicha loves hot water, so 90 to 95 C (195 to 205 F) is fine and pulls out the roasted, caramel notes without turning bitter.
- Steep short. Steep for about 1 to 2 minutes, then strain well. You want it concentrated, because the milk will dilute it.
- Combine. Pour the strong tea into your cup, add sweetener if using, then top with hot, frothed milk. Aim for roughly one part strong tea to two parts milk and adjust to taste.
The trade-off: loose-leaf gives a cleaner, more tea-forward cup, while powder gives a fuller, more opaque, cafe-style latte. Both are correct.
Iced hojicha latte
An iced hojicha latte is just as easy and arguably even better in warm weather, because the toasty flavor stays bold over ice.
- Whisk 1 to 2 teaspoons of hojicha powder with a small splash of hot water into a smooth paste (or brew a strong loose-leaf base and let it cool).
- Add your sweetener while the mix is still warm, so it dissolves.
- Fill a tall glass with ice and pour in cold milk.
- Pour the hojicha over the top for a layered look, then stir before drinking.
Ingredients and quick reference
| Ingredient | Amount (1 latte) | Tip |
|---|---|---|
| Hojicha powder | 1-2 tsp | Sift first; more powder = bolder, more roasted flavor. |
| Loose-leaf hojicha (alternative) | ~1 heaped tbsp | Brew strong and concentrated; strain well. |
| Hot water (to bloom the powder) | Small splash | 80-90 C for powder, up to ~95 C for loose leaf; never a rolling boil. |
| Milk | ~200 ml (7 oz) | Barista oat suits the toasty notes; dairy, soy or almond all work. |
| Sweetener (optional) | To taste | Use a liquid sweetener; start small and add more. |
Tips for a better hojicha latte
- Do not boil anything. Boiling water can scorch the powder into bitterness, and boiled milk turns thin and eggy. Hot-but-not-boiling is the rule for both.
- Oat milk is a natural match. Its own gentle sweetness and body echo hojicha's caramel-roast character. If you drink it plain, oat milk often means you can skip sweetener entirely.
- Sift, then whisk in a "W." Whisking side to side rather than in slow circles breaks up clumps faster and builds a little froth.
- Go easy on sugar. Because roasting gives hojicha a mellow, almost sweet base, it needs far less sweetener than a stronger black-tea latte. Taste before you pour in more.
- A note on honey: honey is a lovely sweetener here, but it is not suitable for infants under one year old.
How it compares to other green-tea lattes
If you already love green-tea drinks, hojicha rounds out the set. It is the roasted, low-caffeine option; matcha is the grassy, higher-caffeine one. For the full picture on the vivid green version, see our matcha latte guide. And if you enjoy that toasty, roasted quality, try genmaicha -- green tea blended with roasted brown rice -- which shares some of the same nutty, comforting appeal.
A hojicha latte is one of the friendliest tea lattes to keep in your rotation: forgiving to brew, hard to make bitter, and gentle enough to enjoy after dinner. Once the powder-and-milk rhythm becomes second nature, you can play with the ratio, swap milks, or make a big jug of the iced version for a hot day -- no barista training required.