Made with roasted green tea powder, this delicious Iced Hojicha Latte recipe is a beautiful drink to enjoy anytime of day! You‘ll fall in love with the rich aroma and slightly sweet notes of this popular cafe beverage in Japan. {Vegan Adaptable}
When it comes to Japanese beverages, I’m sure many of you are already well-acquainted with matcha. Today, I’d like to introduce another exciting Japanese beverage: Iced Hojicha Latte.
This delightful drink enjoys popularity on par with Iced Matcha Latte and can be readily found on the menus of cafes across Japan. Its lower caffeine content makes it a favored choice among people of all ages. Personally, I adore its sweet, roasted aroma reminiscent of chestnuts. When served as an iced latte, it offers a truly refreshing and soothing experience. You need to try it!
Table of Contents
What is Hojicha?
Hojicha (焙じ茶, ほうじ茶) is a type of roasted Japanese green tea that originated in Kyoto. It was first created in the 1920s by a tea farmer who pondered what to do with leftover tea leaves and decided to experiment by roasting them over charcoal. The result was the aromatic hojicha.
Due to the roasting process, hojicha boasts significantly reduced caffeine levels while retaining the numerous health benefits of green tea. This tea is known for its soothing qualities, making it an effective stress reliever. Additionally, its polyphenols and vitamins A, C, and E contribute to anti-aging effects and support metabolism and the immune system.
These compelling benefits alone make great reasons for us to savor hojicha in the comfort of our homes!
You can find hojicha in both loose tea form or in fine powder, and enjoy the tea hot or cold, as a latte, or even in desserts!
Check out my Cold Brew Hojicha recipe here.
Here, we’re making a latte, so we’ll be using hojicha powder. It is similar to making a Matcha Latte where we whisk the powder with hot water until frothy and combine it with the steamed milk of choice.
How to Make Iced Hojicha Latte
The Ingredients You’ll Need
- Hojicha (roasted green tea) powder – You can buy ready-made powder, or make your own from hojicha tea leaves.
- Hot water, about 176ºF or 80ºC
- Milk of your choice – Whole milk is best but I use 2% lactose-free milk in this recipe. For vegan/vegetarian, you can substitute with oat or almond milk
- Homemade Simple Syrup (Optional) – I usually make a batch of simple syrup for a week so I can make different beverages at home. You can also use other sweeteners.
- Iced cubes
The Cooking Steps
- Add ice cubes, milk, and simple syrup to a glass cup.
- Whisk hojicha powder and hot water until no lumps remain. The mixture should be smooth and a little foamy.
- Assemble: Pour the hojicha mixture into the ice-filled milk glass. Enjoy!
Where to Buy Hojicha Powder
I get my hojicha powder from Hojicha Co. We partnered with the company for a giveaway many years ago and I love their fresh and quality hojicha powder for easy mixing.
Can You Make Hojicha Powder?
Yes! I included the instructions in the recipe card below. You will need a small-capacity food processor or spice/coffee grinder (I used the Nutribullet).
The grinder doesn’t grind the tea leaves into superfine powder; therefore, you will need to grind it further with a mortar and pestle.
If you don’t grind hojicha into superfine powder, your latte will have big black specs from the tea leaves and you will taste it in your mouth.
Recommended Tools to Make This Recipe
If you make beverages with matcha or hojicha powder, I highly recommend getting these two tools.
- A bamboo whisk – To minimize clumps, I highly recommend getting a bamboo whisk called chasen, which blends tea powders such as hojicha and matcha and liquid really well. It aerates the mixture to create foam and froth. Alternatively, you can get this flat whisk, which works great for whisking a small amount of dry and wet ingredients.
- A spouted matcha bowl (optional) – Called katakuchi, a spouted bowl is specially designed to make whisking and pouring much easier. I use this beautiful katakuchi from Only Way Is Up.
What to Serve with Iced Hojicha Latte
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Iced Hojicha Latte
Ingredients
- 1 cup ice cubes
- ¾ cup milk (or substitute oat or almond milk)
- 1 Tbsp Homemade Simple Syrup (optional; make my Simple Syrup recipe in just 5 minutes; or use a sweetener of your choice)
- 2 Tbsp hot water (175ºF, 80ºC)
- 1½ tsp hojicha (roasted green tea) powder (I use hojicha powder from Hojicha Co.; or make your own with 1 oz, 30 g hojicha leaves; see instructions below)
Instructions
- Gather all the ingredients. I used hojicha powder from Hojicha Co. here. If you‘d like to make hojicha powder from scratch, see the instructions at the end of the recipe.
To Make the Iced Hojicha Latte
- To a tall glass, add 1 cup ice cubes. Then, add ¾ cup milk.
- To sweeten your drink (optional), add 1 Tbsp Homemade Simple Syrup or your choice of sweetener. You can always add more later. Set aside the milk glass for now. In a separate container, measure 2 Tbsp hot water at 175ºF/80ºC.
- Into a bowl with a pouring spout (I use a matcha bowl called a katakuchi), add 1½ tsp hojicha (roasted green tea) powder. Then, add the measured hot water. Optionally, you can sift the hojicha powder first to remove any lumps. Tip: Why hot water? Hojicha powder does not mix well into cool/cold water.
- With a bamboo whisk (chasen) or flat whisk, mix the tea powder and hot water briskly back and forth, drawing a letter W. Mix until no lumps remain, about 20 seconds. The hojicha mixture should be smooth and a little foamy. If it‘s not fluid, you can add a tiny bit of water (a teaspoon at a time) until it‘s a pourable consistency. Tip: Use as little water as required to make a fluid suspension that you can pour into the iced milk. We want to keep a rich, concentrated flavor by limiting the amount of water we use.
- Pour the tea mixture into the ice-filled milk glass. For a beautiful presentation, I like to serve this beverage with the amber-colored tea mixture floating above the creamy iced milk below. Your Iced Hojicha Latte is now ready to stir and enjoy.
To Make Hojicha Powder (optional)
- To make hojicha powder from scratch, weigh 1 oz or 30 g of hojicha leaves. I used hojicha from Ippodo Tea, which measures roughly ¾ cup (12 Tbsp) per 30 g; however, every brand of hojicha is different, so please weigh your tea. Next, add the tea leaves to a small-capacity food processor or spice/coffee grinder. I used the Nutribullet here.
- Cover firmly with the lid and begin processing.
- Grind the tea leaves for 3 minutes, without stopping, until the leaves turn into powder.
- Tap the carafe on the counter a few times to release any powder attached to the lid. Then, remove the lid. The texture of the tea will resemble a fine grind size.
- To make it superfine to use in a beverage, further grind the hojicha powder by hand. Add 1 Tbsp of tea powder to a mortar and grind it with a pestle until it‘s ultrafine. Transfer to a container. Continue hand-grinding the remaining powder, 1 Tbsp at a time. You‘ll get about 5 Tbsp of superfine hojicha powder. Store the hojicha powder in an airtight container and keep it in a cool, dark place (or refrigerator if you live in a hot, humid environment) for up to a month.
