Hōjicha facts for kids

Hōjicha (say "HOH-jee-cha") is a special type of Japanese green tea. What makes it different from other Japanese green teas is how it's made: it's roasted!

This tea is roasted in a porcelain pot over charcoal. It's heated to about 150 °C (302 °F) (that's 302 °F (150 °C)). This roasting process gives Hōjicha its unique light golden color. Most other Japanese teas are steamed instead of roasted. Hōjicha is usually made from tea leaves picked later in the season.

What is Hōjicha?

How Hōjicha Looks

When Hōjicha tea leaves are dry, they look like small, brown, wedge-shaped needles. Because the tea is roasted at a high temperature, the leaves change color from green to a reddish-brown.

Once you brew Hōjicha, the tea itself has a clear, reddish color. It also has a special nutty smell.

How Hōjicha Tastes

After brewing, Hōjicha tastes nutty, toasty, and a little sweet. It's known for having very little to no bitterness, which makes it easy to drink.

The Story of Hōjicha

The way Hōjicha is made was discovered by accident in 1920. A tea merchant in Kyoto, Japan, had some bancha tea that he couldn't sell. Instead of throwing it away, he decided to try roasting it.

When he roasted the bancha, he created a brand new flavor! This was the birth of Hōjicha. People loved this new roasted tea, and it's still very popular today.

What Hōjicha is Made From

Today, Hōjicha is often made from bancha (which means 'common tea' in Japanese). This tea comes from the last harvest of the tea season.

However, Hōjicha can also be made from other types of tea leaves, like sencha or kukicha. Kukicha is also called 'twig tea' because it's made mostly from the twigs and stems of the tea plant, not just the leaves.

Why Hōjicha is Special

Hōjicha tea, once brewed, has a light to reddish-brown color. It's also less "astringent" than other teas. Astringency is that dry, puckery feeling you sometimes get in your mouth from strong tea. Hōjicha has less of this because the roasting process reduces certain natural compounds in the tea.

The roasting process gives Hōjicha its main flavors. Instead of the fresh, green taste of other Japanese green teas, Hōjicha has a warm, toasty, and slightly caramel-like flavor.

Another cool thing about roasting Hōjicha is that it lowers the amount of caffeine in the tea. Because it's so mild and has less caffeine, Hōjicha is a great tea to drink in the evening, before bed. It's also a popular choice for children and older people.

See also

In Spanish: Houjicha para niños