Guide · Tea
Hojicha: the roasted Japanese green tea, and where to buy it in the UK
What hojicha is, how it differs from matcha, leaf vs powder, and the UK tea shops selling it, with prices checked 3 Oct 2026.
If you’ve searched for hojicha in the UK, you’ve probably seen it on a café menu next to matcha. It’s a Japanese green tea that’s been roasted, which turns it brown and gives it a toasty flavour rather than a grassy one. Below, we explain what it is and how it differs from matcha. Then we cover the leaf and powder versions and the UK shops selling them today.
We haven’t tested this in person. Everything here comes from what the sellers publish, and every price was checked on 3 October 2026.
What is hojicha?
Hojicha starts as ordinary Japanese green tea. Bird & Blend explains that leaves such as bancha and some sencha are steamed in the usual Japanese way, then chopped and roasted. The roast turns the leaves light brown and changes the flavour to nutty and slightly sweet. Sellers use words like “caramel” and “toasted nuts”. Haki says its powder is roasted at up to 200°C, and Avantcha says its powder uses first-flush leaves and stems roasted in Shizuoka.
Hojicha vs matcha
They’re both Japanese green teas, but they’re made differently:
- Leaves: matcha comes from shaded tea plants, while Bird & Blend says hojicha uses unshaded leaves.
- Processing: both are steamed, but only hojicha is roasted.
- Colour and taste: matcha is bright green and grassy, with a savoury edge. Hojicha is brown and toasty. Sellers often say it’s less bitter.
- Form: matcha is always a powder. Hojicha comes as loose leaf for brewing in a pot, or as a powder for whisking like matcha.
If you’d like the green version, our matcha hub covers grades and brands.
Does hojicha have caffeine?
Yes. It’s made from tea leaves, so it isn’t caffeine-free. Some sellers describe it as lower in caffeine than matcha, but we couldn’t find an NHS, EFSA or FSA figure for hojicha itself, so we won’t give one. For comparison, the NHS estimates 75mg of caffeine in a cup of tea, including green tea, and advises no more than 200mg a day during pregnancy.
Hojicha leaf vs powder
- Loose leaf is brewed like any tea and strained. Tea Lab suggests one to two teaspoons per cup in boiling water for two to three minutes. You’ll need an infuser or a teapot with a strainer, and our guide to the best tea infusers can help with that.
- Powder is the ground leaf, whisked into water or milk the way you’d make matcha. It’s what cafés use for hojicha lattes, and it’s the form most UK shops sell.
Where to buy hojicha in the UK
Every seller we found was a specialist tea shop, and these had stock when we checked:
- Matcha & CO: £10.95 for 30g or £19.95 for 80g of hojicha powder, checked 3 Oct 2026. That’s the lowest price we found for 25g or more.
- Tea Lab: £16.50 for a 45g jar or £4.95 for a 12g mini jar of hojicha powder, checked 3 Oct 2026. Tea Lab also sells loose-leaf hojicha at £10.50 for a 50g jar or £20.00 for 110g, and a hojicha starter kit with a whisk and scoop at £23.00, all checked 3 Oct 2026.
- Jeeves & Jericho: £18.00 for a 25g tin of organic hojicha powder, checked 3 Oct 2026. The tea comes from Uji, near Kyoto.
- AVANTCHA: Check price at AVANTCHA for an 80g tin of organic hojicha powder.
- haki.: £18.95 for 100g of hojicha powder, checked 3 Oct 2026. Haki says the powder is best with milk or a milk alternative.
- Hojicha Co.: £19.00 for a 100g bag of hojicha powder, checked 3 Oct 2026. It’s made in Kyoto, and the site says orders ship from the US, Canada or the UK.
Bird & Blend has sold flavoured hojicha powders, but the two we found were out of stock, so we’ve left them out. Whittard didn’t list any hojicha when we searched.
Per gram, the 100g bags from Haki and Hojicha Co. work out cheapest. The small Tea Lab jar is the lowest outlay if you only want a taste.
How to make a hojicha latte
Jeeves & Jericho gives a simple method for its powder:
- Put about 3g of powder in a wide cup or bowl. Sifting it first helps break up lumps.
- Add 30ml of water at about 80°C and whisk until smooth, with no lumps.
- Top up with hot water for a plain cup, or with warm frothed milk for a latte.
A bamboo whisk works well here, and our guide to the best matcha whisk sets covers the kit. A handheld milk frother is a cheaper way to get a smooth, foamy latte. Want another spiced, milky drink? Try our chai latte guide.
FAQs
Is hojicha the same as matcha?
No. Both are Japanese green teas, but hojicha is roasted and brown, while matcha is unroasted, made from shaded leaves and bright green.
Can you buy hojicha in UK supermarkets?
Morrisons had none in its online search when we checked, and every seller we found was a specialist tea shop. Buying online is the easiest route.
Is hojicha powder or leaf better?
It depends on the drink. Powder suits lattes and baking, while leaf brews a lighter cup of tea. Our tea hub has more on brewing leaf tea.