★★★★★
Best bancha I’ve had, just a little strong for first thing in the morning, definitely an excellent tea.
Green tea from Japan that is rendered brown by roasting Bancha (a summer crop tea, harvested after Sencha) tea leaves. An Adagio customer favorite, with a toasty nutty flavor and slightly mesquite note. Earthy and warm quality, soothing finish.
Customers use these reviews to describe their experience with Hojicha, including flavor, aroma, preparation preferences, strength, and how the tea fits into daily routines. Browse the full review history page by page to compare tasting notes, steeping tips, and favorite ways to enjoy this tea.
Best bancha I’ve had, just a little strong for first thing in the morning, definitely an excellent tea.
Nice and toasty like my go to Genmai. The slight bit of nuttiness makes it far from traditional but the deviation is welcome
Tasty tea. It has a warm, nutty flavor that is pleasing.
It's very similar in flavor to genmaicha. There's a vaguely seaweedy scent (not unpleasant or overpowering), but most of the impression I get is of toasted plant matter. A moderate flavor, with a roasted aftertaste. Striking. Would be a good tea for winding down after work.
I couldn't get past the smell of this tea. It smelled like cigarette smoke, so I just couldn't bring myself to drink it. I much prefer the greener green teas like Gunpowder.
This is a very distinctly flavored tea. I can tell it s good quality, but it s not my thing. The flavor is slightly roasty with a strong flavor of seaweed, making it a savory tea rather than a sweet one. A small amount of wildflower honey helped somewhat, though I overdid it by a tad. Even sweetened, as I ve gone through the cup it s become increasingly reminiscent of savory seaweed. It would pair very well with Japanese food on its own or with a very small amount of dark floral honeys that don t change the mouth-feel of the tea.
The taste is savory and reminds me somewhat of nori seaweed and genmaicha. I find the toastiness quite pleasant, and it would probably be good for people who aren't fond of the grassier varieties of green tea.
This is seriously some of the best tea I have ever had the pleasure of consuming. Nutty, toasty, nice and grounded with a wonderful mouth feel. This tea is always in my cupboard!
This is such a good earthy green tea. It has a smoky flavor that I love
When it comes to green tea I normally prefer the greener varieties. This tea is smoky and nutty and has a flavor of it's own. I'm just not a big fan though.
Got this to try and recreate one of my favorite fandom blends. Did not disappoint!
I have been using Hojicha green tea for years. I enjoy the tea so much I refuse to try another tea.
Nutty and mild, delicious and great for the morning or just as a refresher.
A very unique tea. Toasted oat/barley flavor that goes down smoothly. If you are looking for a green or oolong flavor this is not it. It really stands on its own as a different experience.
My favorite green tea by a long shot. The earthiness and subtle nutty notes are a pleasant change from the more grassy green teas.
don't like it, especially aftertaste, just not mine tea
I love japanese green tea so I decided to give this one a try and was hooked. It has a roasty and nutty flavor which is very relaxing. It's a very different kind of green tea.
My go-to green tea. It is earthy in such a satisfying way. No to very little veggie or tannic flavors. Good tea for someone just starting their adagio journey.
A delightful Tea that is different than anything that could be bought off the shelf of a store! There is a depth to the flavor that is very enjoyable! I love blending it with other flavors!
This hojicha has a pretty unique flavor, as it's been roasted. It tastes a bit nutty. It'd probably be good under specific circumstances (maybe paired with something? I don't know much about that stuff, though...). I'm not a huge fan of the toasted flavors, I guess, as I felt pretty lackluster about the genmaicha, as well.
I've never had Hojicha, and I was wary since I don't like genmaicha at all. The smell didn't reassure me either, but... I love it!!
If the leaves are 'lesser' in hojicha- oh well, what a nice way to use them! The taste is so round and toasty... I still dislike the smell, but it's actually worth it to me, which is shocking considering how I just can't bear genmaicha!
One of my absolute favorites. It is clean tasting, if that makes sense, with mineral notes and a bit of a toasted flavor. Not really grassy like a typical green tea. I like to drink it in the mornings when I want to feel energized.
I bought this with the hopes of replacing a roasted gyokuro from another company. It definitely has that roasted flavor i was looking for, but i was hoping for a little more. That said, it s still good and I ll definitely repurchase it.
this is a great tea with a lot of roasted flavor. great way to start the day
I kind of didn't like the grassy taste of this tea!
My favorite of all the green teas I’ve tried. The nuttiness of it is delightful.
My all time favorite green tea. The smoke flavor is subtle and adds a soothing note to the flavor which is nonacidic and smooth. Makes for a great blend with black tea in my homemade kombucha as well!
A really nice take on green tea. Tastes slightly roasted like a grain. Very forgiving with regard to steeping time. This is my everyday morning beverage. Great for those who generally experience green tea as tasting fishy.
They aren't kidding with the 'nutty' taste. Tastes literally like toasted pine nuts out of an oven. Not bad, but I need time to get used to it.
Opening the bag surprised me quite a bit with how pungent it was. It can be a hit or miss depending on your preferences since it s very in your face with the smell of dried cuttlefish. (For me, it was very nostalgic since I grew up around seafood.)
Upon steeping it, the smell simmers down to a mellow seaweed (or my parents compared it to burnt rice, the good kind!). It definitely left me craving to eat some alongside this tea. As for taste, it's very nutty and warm and pairs very well with savory meals!
A good, roast kind of green tea. I am not an expert on unflavored teas, but I found it very approachable.
this might be my favorite tea! delicious toastiness, has a nice complicated aroma with clean taste. i like it in place of when i would want a 'coffee' taste - a great mix of balanced bitterness.
I drink green tea in the morning...this has a woodsy note
This was a nice, more savory variety of tea that I really enjoyed! Had a pleasant, almost hay like taste. :)
I've loved hojicha ever since I lived in Japan, and this is delicious. Not too smoky, which is the usual danger. I accidentally ordered 8 oz but once I tasted it I was glad I made the mistake.
I really enjoyed this tea. reminds me of Genmai Cha.
It was good, was looking to replace dragonwell (for cost reasons) this didn’t cut it.
Couldn't get into it. Every time I smelled and tasted it, it was like drinking a hamster cage.
To me this tasted like a concentrated form of Genmai Cha, which, to me tastes like seaweed.
I personally dont like fish or seafood or seaweed, so this tea was rather rough for my tastes.
This is the best Hojicha I've tasted. Very rice roasted flavor.
This Hojicha is really tasty and tastes real Japanese.
I love it. I recommend to buy this.
Toasty, savory, and wonderful. This tea reminds me of the first time I had brown rice tea at a sushi restaurant. It's wonderful hot, and I bet it's good iced as well.
This is one I really don t care to try by itself, but blended with other teas it adds a certain earthy nuttiness that compliments berry or citrus.
Good base green tea, nothing good or bad. Mostly using this tea for cooking ochazuke rather than drinking!
Full bodied, smoky and not bitter. Sometimes it replaces my coffee.
When I first received my 8oz bag of hojicha I was aghast at just how much I had ordered, but I was quickly disabused of that notion by my first cup! Adagio's hojicha has a very smooth flavor and is a delight to waft for a minute before tucking in. I prefer it in the early morning and late afternoon, with genmaicha pushing me over the 12 o'clock slump.
Smells tastes and looks like alfalta. Not bad but I prefer gunpowder for my green tea
One of my favorites. The earthy, roasted flavor is really great in the cooler weather.
Had a denser, smoky/earth flavor that won't be everyone's cup of tea, and definitely isn't something I drink every day, but offers a good change of pace, and if you like something a bit more grounded, this will hit the spot.
I quite like this tea. Hojicha is unique and unlike any other tea I've tried. I'd put it somewhere in the empty gap between green and black teas in that it has some flavor components of each, but it is nothing like a blend of the two and simply its own tea. The roasting process gives it a nutty, toasted, slightly smokey flavor. No hint of bitterness anywhere. Mild, rustic, and cozy with reduced caffeine (due to the roasting) makes this a good nighttime tea as well. If you like (the very different) Genmai Cha or other smooth, toasty, slightly different teas, but haven't tried this, I definitely recommend tasting it.
Update: I hadn't really considered this tea a favorite, but I've learned that when I run out of it, I miss it. That's something I can't say about even many of the masters teas. Maybe because nothing else really fills this niche... Ordering more now...